THE HILL 08/15/18 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bedat The controversy surrounding Beyoncé’s fashion label, Ivy Park, is back in the news, trending globally in social media. After the story flared in 2016 that Sri Lankan women, responsible for cutting and sewing Beyoncé’s Ivy Park garments, were poorly paid and […]
THE HILL 08/07/18 By Michael Shank and US Congressman Raul Grijalva When it comes to tackling climate change, one of the greatest challenges we face is understanding the myriad factors that influence our warming planet. Addressing some while ignoring others will only allow the mercury to continue to rise. And […]
FAST COMPANY 04/24/18 By Michael Shank and Maxine Bedat Everyone in fashion is talking about “circularity,” but just focusing on reuse isn’t enough to lower the industry’s massive carbon footprint. Imagine if every piece of clothing you own could be recycled into fully new garments when they were worn out, […]
VTDIGGER 03/25/18 Michael Shank & Maxine Bédat Editor’s note: This commentary is by Michael Shank and Maxine Bédat. Shank, of Brandon, is the communications director for the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance and the Urban Sustainability Directors Network. Maxine Bédat co-founded the sustainable apparel company Zady and is a leader in […]
VICE 9/22/17 By Michael Shank As diplomats meet at the United Nations this week, it’s more important than ever that all people are empowered to engage the challenges of these times. This September, as world leaders gather in New York City for the General Assembly of the United Nations, the […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 06/29/17 By Michael Shank America’s trigger-happy president, Donald Trump, is increasingly getting the United States into trouble with dramatic ramp-ups of military intervention. The latest, Russia’s threat to retaliate in response to the Defense Department’s downing of a Syrian jet and Trump’s vague threatening over […]
NEWSWEEK 06/16/17 By Michael Shank Blowback is already happening in response to President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. This week’s car bombing and siege at a restaurant in Mogadishu, Somalia, which killed 31 people and resulted in dozens of hostages, is an apparent reaction to Trump’s airstrikes over the weekend, which […]
TIME MAGAZINE 06/01/17 By Michael Shank and U.S. Congressman Raul Grijalva U.S. Representative Grijalva (D-AZ) is a ranking member on the House Natural Resources Committee. Shank is an adjunct assistant professor at New York University’s Center for Global Affairs. The Trump Administration is poised to isolate itself from reality once […]
USA TODAY 03/17/17 By Michael Shank Diplomacy and foreign aid are best ways to end terrorist groups. Why is Trump slashing them? President Trump, who promised as a candidate to “bomb the hell out of ISIS,” authorized a military raid in Yemen during his first couple of weeks in office […]
US NEWS & WORLD REPORT 03/06/17 By Michael Shank Yemen is now a White House talking point. It was in President Donald Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress last week and there’s speculation of increased American military involvement. While most Americans aren’t tracking the complexities of the civil […]