Author Archives: Nicky Smit

In recent news, Tacoma voters just passed city Initiative 1B, which gradually raises the minimum wage for Tacoma from its current $9.47 to $12 over the next three years. They chose this over the options of going straight to $15 this January, and of doing nothing. That makes our first ever podcast outdated already! In our interview with UPS’ Executive Director of Community Engagement and Associate Vice President for Business Services, John Hickey, we asked how the University might react to the two different increases if they were enacted. Give it a listen!

Farming in cities? What are you, MAD? Believe it or not, farming in cities is not only widespread, but has tons of benefit. Urban agriculture accounts for up to 15% of the world’s food. Japan, The Netherlands, and Chile have more urban than rural farms. Sydney, Australia produced a billion dollars worth of agricultural goods alone, some 12% of the state’s production. In 2014, Detroit produced enough to feed over 600 people for a year, and in 2008, Philadelphia produced 2 million pounds of vegetables. Urban agriculture doesn’t take one form. A good portion is in the style of community Continue reading Urban Farming→

Last week I had the pleasure, nay, the honor, to attend the joint Canadian and United States Ecological Economics (CANUSSEE) Conference. Its host was the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada, and so it was a drive but worth every grueling second. I jest. My company was fellow Sound Economics writer Miranda Kraus and chauffeur/Professor Lea Fortmann, and for three days I ate, drank, and sneezed economics. Scholars spanning the states and provinces flew in and paid mega sums of money to give PowerPoint spiels, violently network, and occasionally yell “Bullshit!” during each other’s talks. With more than 70 Continue reading Oh Say CANUSSEE→