This story originally appeared in the Energy News Network on August 3, 2020. Houses of worship in Massachusetts are increasing their adoption of solar power, a trend that advocates say can both influence community attitudes toward renewable electricity and help more low-income households take advantage of the benefits of clean energy. At least 64 houses … Continue reading In Massachusetts, more houses of worship are turning to solar power
Author: seshemkus
Massachusetts city’s residents ‘need to be listened to’ on pollution concerns
This story originally appeared on the Energy News Network on June 2, 2020. Photo credit: formulanone / flickr / Creative Commons As the community of Chelsea grapples with soaring rates of COVID-19 infection possibly tied to the area’s low air quality, locals are demanding a greater say in the pollution-generating projects that are developed in their … Continue reading Massachusetts city’s residents ‘need to be listened to’ on pollution concerns
To raise healthy eaters, break those rules you learned as a kid
Mandated veggies are out, the clean-plate club is a thing of the past, and playing with your food is encouraged.
In Norway, Oslo leaders are creating a ‘car-free city center.’ Could Boston be next?
This story originally appeared on the Energy News Network on July 15, 2019. This story was reported with support from the Heinrich Boell Foundation through its transatlantic media fellowship program. Rush hour in the center of Oslo, Norway, is not the snarl of gridlocked cars and frustrated drivers that marks the end of the workday in … Continue reading In Norway, Oslo leaders are creating a ‘car-free city center.’ Could Boston be next?
As Massachusetts looks to boost electric vehicle adoption, Norway offers a model
This story originally appeared on the Energy News Network on June 17, 2019. This story was reported with support from the Heinrich Boell Foundation through its transatlantic media fellowship program. Mobile Skøyen, a Nissan dealership in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, offers a full range of the automaker’s vehicles, from sedans to compact SUVs. Outselling them … Continue reading As Massachusetts looks to boost electric vehicle adoption, Norway offers a model
Parenting involves a lot of tough choices. Deciding to see the world, though, was easy.
This essay originally appeared on Washingtonpost.com on November 11, 2018. It was around 1:30 a.m. when I gave up on sleeping. I sat up in bed and pulled open the curtain to take in the humidity-hazed Tokyo skyline. My thinking muddied by jet lag, I attempted to calculate the time at home. It would be … Continue reading Parenting involves a lot of tough choices. Deciding to see the world, though, was easy.
Facing my fear: becoming pregnant again after a miscarriage
This essay originally appeared in The Guardian on July 8, 2016. The first sign we had that I was pregnant again was a home test. I peed on the plastic wand and then attempted to putter casually about the kitchen for three minutes as I waited for the result. When I finally looked, the second … Continue reading Facing my fear: becoming pregnant again after a miscarriage
Bringing the supermarket of the future to the present
This story originally appeared in The Boston Globe on May 8, 2016. The raspberries on the shelves at the South Bay Target recently were uniform in appearance — plump and pink and sealed in tidy plastic boxes. Perched in the middle, however, a simple red-and-white sign pointed out a difference. On the left were pints … Continue reading Bringing the supermarket of the future to the present
Invasive Lionfish Coming to a Menu Near You
This story appeared on Civil Eats on April 7, 2016 and on TheAtlantic.com on April 8, 2016. American seafood enthusiasts have spent years dining on salmon, shrimp, and the occasional mahi mahi. Now a new, rather unexpected fish is starting to creep onto menus and into seafood shelves at supermarkets: lionfish. As a growing number … Continue reading Invasive Lionfish Coming to a Menu Near You
Beyond cheap labor: can prison work programs benefit inmates?
This story originally appeared in The Guardian on December 9, 2015. The old cliche is true: prisoners do make license plates. But that’s not all they produce. Across the country, inmates have a hand in building desks, molding dentures, grinding lenses for glasses, stitching flags and upholstering chairs. They run prison laundry rooms and kitchens, … Continue reading Beyond cheap labor: can prison work programs benefit inmates?
Sarah Shemkus 