‘With the Wind at our Back’
Ten years in, a promising change in the national mood. Now, what comes next.
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Articles & News
Local Action with Global Effects: the Saga of the Leaf Blower
There was a time when people considered the noise and pollution of gas-powered leafblowers to be merely a “First-World Problem,” a nuisance that mattered only to people with nothing more…
Outstanding Programs in Public Education from the American South
Lessons from Mississippi for the rest of the U.S.
Our Towns Returns to Eastport, Maine, Ten Years Later
Deb and Jim Fallows talk with David Dahl of The Maine Monitor.
Summer in Our Towns
How the summer of 2023 looks from the air and on the ground.
Libraries in the Age of Book Bans
Across the country, libraries are coming under political pressure. Here is how they are upholding their role as anchors for their communities, 'Open to All.'
Paths to New Prosperity and a Better Politics in Our Democracies
'It's not all a silicon valley'. What a new report of a U.S.-Midwest learning exchange and study tour for European Union and United Kingdom leaders finds.
Driving Regional Transformation through Inclusion
The Arras Foundation in Lancaster, South Carolina, is using resident input and data to empower whole-of-region progress.
Great Falls Reimagines Its Identity through Nature-Based Tourism
With community partnerships and resident input, the small South Carolina town is writing its next chapter.
Discussing the ‘Our Towns’ Journey on The News Project
Deb and Jim Fallows explore the ongoing story of Our Towns with Andrew McKeever on Greater Northshire Access Television's ‘The News Project: In Studio’.
Carbon offset pact will put solar on dozens of Habitat for Humanity homes
The District of Columbia-based American Institute of Architects is offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from a major renovation with a $500,000 donation that will cover the cost of solar panels on an estimated 72 homes.
‘Change is in the Air – in Redlands!’
A panel of residents, business owners, and community stakeholders discuss the southern California city then, and now.
How Infrastructure Funding Is Bringing High-Speed Internet to Hard-to-Reach Places
A fresh round of funds was pumped into the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s ReConnect Broadband project when the infrastructure bill passed a year ago. That investment is bringing connectivity to some of the most rugged and remote corners of the country.
Made-in-Ohio solar panels benefit from federal incentives, supply chain politics
About two decades after cadmium telluride solar panels were commercialized in Ohio, the maturing technology is finding momentum thanks in part to its domestic manufacturing and supply chain.
How a Foundation Transforms the Well-Being of Residents
Our Towns' Ben Speggen talks with the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation team to discuss how the Foundation is empowering community development, has transformed a former grocery store into an innovative hub for nonprofits, and more.
How a Community Center Helps a Town Rise Again
Residents of Fort Lawn, South Carolina used a community development model to identify 51 actionable goals to improve their town. Today, they’re checking off the list, one by one.