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Change Convos monthly top picks: 5 links we loved May 2016

With the trees in full leaf on the hillsides, lush and green are the signs of May in Vermont. Abundance is an apt term for the fodder published last month for thinkers and leaders of change too. Here, ICYMI, are our top picks from what we were reading (and watching) in May.

Monthly top picks: 5 links we loved in May

Where’s the Community Accountability in Impact Investing? (Nonprofit Quarterly)

Impact investing is all the rage, so the series of questions posed here are a welcome invitation to consider the potential problems as well as the potential of the trend for the many seeking ways to channel the power of capitalism.

#ImpactInvesting #Nonprofits

“The lack of intellectual diversity is a real problem in higher education" (New York Times)

Nicholas Kristof tackles a taboo subject: “We’re big on diversity, but not when it comes to conservatives in academia.” This is an excellent piece that explores the hypocrisy inherent in supporting free speech for our own beliefs while quickly dismissing talk from those we disagree with as hate speech.

#academia #bias

DERAILED (Time)

Across the country, roads, bridges and dams are crumbling — which makes the stakes for a new approach for the Washington, D.C. Metro huge for all of us.

#transportation #infrastructure #climate

Caveat Eater (Tampa Bay Times)

Ouch. As someone drawn to “fresh and local”, this series on the rampant abuses riding the rise of the farm-to-table movement hit home. While the expose focuses on the Tampa Bay area, the implications are national and have particular impact in Vermont. Don’t be discouraged by farm-to-fable though. The last article, “How to tell if your ‘local’ food is actually local” offers resources and tips, which hopefully few Vermonters will need.

#farm2table #badbusiness #localfood

See for Yourself (Pew Research Center)

I’m a pushover for data well done, and the Pew Research Center regularly delights with information visualizations that make research data accessible. In the waves of statistics on the shrinking middle class and increasing urbanization, “The American middle class: Who is in it, and who is not, in U.S. Metropolitan Areas” is a fascinating look at the shifting socioeconomic factors affecting us all. #middleclass