Hothouse

Today marks 250 years of the United States’ independence, an occasion that invites both celebration and reflection. While founded on the principles of liberty and equal rights, the nation’s economy—raised on cotton, tobacco, and rice—was built on anything but. Many of the landscapes shaped by slavery continue to impact people’s lives through enduring disparities in wealth, health, and environmental exposure. Between 1619 and today, the American landscape has been repeatedly remade.

Hello dear readers, It’s been a moment. I have sat down to draft a note to you a half dozen times over the last five months, but I struggled to find the words. Truth be told, I’m still looking for them. What I can say for now is that the hiatus was a form of wintering, not an abandonment of the work. If anything, over the course of the last year, I have sunk even deeper into the work. The more time that lapsed, though, the greater the pressure to write something that justified the long silence.

This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts

Sometime back in 2022, when Michael Coren was still building Hothouse with me, he once remarked how I seem to just ā€˜seeā€™ thingsā€”from editorial taste or direction to business ideas. Others have commented on how I seem able to put words to things that make the intangible and abstract, concrete and vivid. I imagine I have my father to thank for much of that.

This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts

Hello, dear Hothouse readers, I’m still digesting the new administration and the devastating L.A. Fires. I imagine I’m not alone. Given everything January threw at us, I’m working to pull together a dispatch to help us navigate the months ahead. In the meantime, before current events entirely eclipse recent memory of the L.A. Fires, I wanted to share this critical story by Capital & Main. This reporting previews lessons from the housing crunch unfolding now in Los Angeles County following the fires.

This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts

Happy New Year! We hope you’re celebrating it with a couple of loved ones. 🎆 2024 is drawing to a close, but there’s still time to support critical climate journalism by making a tax-deductible donation to Hothouse by midnight. Through Hothouse’s participation in NewsMatch, your contribution will be doubled dollar-for-dollar—up to $1,000 per individual. Beyond the dollar amount, the number of individual donors is also a key metric when we approach funders.

This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please turn on JavaScript or unblock scripts

Dear Reader, We’re nearly at year’s end. That means there are still a few days left to make a tax-deductible donation to a climate-solutions organization making a real impact in your communities. For the past few years, we’ve partnered with Giving Green, a nonprofit aimed at simplifying your route to donating to nonprofits tackling climate change. Giving Green’s climate shortlist will help you find charitable contributions that will go the farthest to advance promising climate solutions.