Hero Metrics

HM07 | The hidden cost of compute: wolves

Missteps and malfeasance - Google’s stumbling start to its Finnish data center build out created wolves as externalities.

Nov 2 • Stephen Johnston

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October 2026

HM06 | When the trees died, people did too

A beetle killed 100 million American ash trees. Deaths from heart and lung disease rose in the counties it reached.

Oct 19 • Stephen Johnston

HM05 | Closing a town’s last school shifts its politics

Close a French town’s only school and its vote swings; leave a shut Chicago school empty and nearby shootings rise. Two 2026 studies about unintended…

Oct 5 • Stephen Johnston

September 2026

HM04 | Reintroducing wolves reduced car crashes in Wisconsin

Wolves scared the deer and reduced car accidents, benefits outweighing the cost on livestock by 63x

Sep 21 • Stephen Johnston

HM03 | Removing a local newspaper raises municipal borrowing costs

When a local newspaper dies, the borrowing costs for the town go up.

Sep 7 • Stephen Johnston

August 2026

HM02 | Ambient noise impacts education scores

Ambient noise is more than an annoyance. It can damage your health, and your kids' education

Aug 24 • Stephen Johnston

HERO Metrics 001 | Proximity to Golf Courses

Living close to a golf course is associated with markedly higher Parkinson's disease burden. The presumed reason: pesticides used to keep those greens…

Aug 23 • Stephen Johnston