Decent food close to home
With a growing percentage of Americans living in cities, you can get affordable, healthy food from stores that don’t require you to take public transportation just to get to the first aisle.
Also, this editorial board is not in the business of supporting retailers, with the exception of Albany’s South End Grocery. Located on the corner of Madison Avenue and South Pearl Street, the store waters a food desert previously dominated by a handful of small corner shops and chain outlets. I can afford it.
The new grocery store is the work of a coalition of civic groups led by the Blue Light Development Group and the African American Cultural Center of the Metropolitan Area, and has its own headquarters across from the former McDonald’s location. The closure of has dealt another blow to the Southend after decades of many challenges.
These challenges are ongoing, and no one is suggesting that new grocery stores will be enough to turn things around. It shows that it can make a difference. The success of one such project increases the likelihood of the next 3, 7, or 20 projects succeeding.
To the people of the South End: Congratulations on your new neighborhood property. And for those who don’t live there but may find themselves at the foot of Madison on the way home one evening: swing by and check it out – I hear the banana pudding is top notch.
A fair question on green energy
Fossil fuel companies disguised as think tanks and their hired guns have spent years protecting vested interests and denying global warming so much that they dismiss concerns about green energy as just another red herring. But with society undergoing dramatic changes in how and where power is obtained, there should be room for careful consideration.
There is legitimate concern in the town of Galway that solar panels are replacing farms, forests and other open spaces. Supervisor Michael Smith says he’s not against them, but wonders, “What’s the net profit if you’re cutting down acres of forest?”
That’s a fair question, and it definitely takes multiple planning meetings to address such issues. The town is considering a moratorium on solar arrays, either to preserve rural character and keep them out of the way of progress, or against the ability of property-rich, cash-starved farmers to thrive. I’m taking the time to figure out how to strike a balance between There are also environmental concerns to consider, such as loss of wildlife habitat.
The community should have this kind of discussion as long as they are approached honestly and not with the ulterior motive of protecting their coal, oil and gas interests. But soon. The climate clocks we have warned about for years are ticking.