South Mountain HS cross-country team pushing for electric school buses
https://www.azfamily.com/news/arizona_schools/south-mountain-hs-cross-country-team-pushing-for-electric-school/article_cf6ccc1e-bfb5-11e9-8457-b372e6d5447e.html?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Kristine Harrington
AZFamily.com
16 August 2019
Multi-Media / 5-15 Minutes
Because of a collaborative effort between a high school cross country team and Chispa, an environmental advocacy group, Arizona’s Phoenix Union High School District has bought its first electric school bus. While nearly three times more expensive than a regular school bus, the school district considered the long-term sustainability, not just in terms of fuel and maintenance costs, but in regards to larger, environmental efforts as well.
The Biggest Police Department In The US Has A Suicide Crisis. Another Department Thinks They Have An Answer.
https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/amberjamieson/nypd-suicide-crisis?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Amber Jamieson
Buzzfeed
16 August 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
California’s Los Angeles Police Department has built mental health into its force. The department has 16 psychologists on staff, offering free counseling and debrief sessions after traumatic incidents. As the New York Police Department faces an increase in officer suicides, it looks to the LAPD as it rolls out its new suicide prevention initiatives, like a mental health app, mental health insurance, and access to counseling.
Watershed moment: How Chesapeake Bay turned its H2O around
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Progress-Watch/2019/0815/Watershed-moment-How-Chesapeake-Bay-turned-its-H2O-around?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
David Karas
The Christian Science Monitor
15 August 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
After decades of conservation and cleanup, the 42% of the entire Chesapeake Bay meets water quality standards. The Chesapeake Bay Program organized a regional collaboration between nonprofits, the government, and educational institutions, worked together to protect and clean the Bay, which is home to fishing, tourism, and agriculture. While much progress has been made, the group recognizes the amount of work left if they are to ever see a majority clean watershed.
To help first-generation students succeed, colleges enlist their parents
https://hechingerreport.org/to-help-first-generation-students-succeed-colleges-enlist-their-parents?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Aaron Cantú
The Hechinger Report
15 August 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Today, one in three college students is the first in their family to attend college; of these first-generation students, about a third drop out. A growing number of higher education institutions are reaching out to parents as one way to improve retention rates -- from offering online courses about life on campus to creating programming for parents during standard orientation schedules, colleges are increasing the chances that students make it through the challenging first year.
What do you do with a derelict Center Parcs? Map out a waste-free world
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/14/center-parcs-waste-free-bluecity-rotterdam-circular-economy?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Holly Dicker
The Guardian
14 August 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Abandoned buildings can become spaces for economic innovation and experimentation. An abandoned resort spa in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, now houses BlueCity, an ecosystem of sustainable enterprises. The initiative aligns with The Netherland’s 2050 circular strategy, which aims to reduce waste and implement circular design into the economic. At BlueCity, the businesses are leaders in sustainable innovations, from brewers that share byproducts with bakers to companies that recycle plastic.
Gun owners in New Zealand voluntarily surrender more than 10,000 firearms
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/12/asia/new-zealand-firearms-christchurch-intl-hnk/index.html?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Julia Hollingsworth
CNN
12 August 2019
Multi-Media / Under 800 Words
Since July 2019, New Zealand has held gun buybacks across the country and collected over 10,000 firearms. After a mass shooting at Christchurch mosque, the government rushed through legislation to ban semi-automatic and automatic firearms, offering owners of such weapons cash and a no-questions-asked policy. Such legislation has been implemented in other countries as well, including Australia, who in 1996 collected over 600,000 weapons.
New Zealand gun buyback: 10,000 firearms returned after Christchurch attack
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/aug/12/new-zealand-gun-buyback-10000-firearms-returned-after-christchurch-attack?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Eleanor Ainge Roy
The Guardian
11 August 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
A month after a mass shooting at New Zealand’s Christchurch mosque, New Zealand’s government has bought back over 10,000 firearms. The country passed legislation banning automatic and semi-automatic weapons a month after the event, setting aside $150 million New Zealand dollars for the buyback, and offering a no-questions-asked policy for those that do turn them in.
How a State Plans to Turn Coal Country Into Coding Country
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/10/us/wyoming-computer-science.html?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Dana Goldstein
The New York Times
10 August 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Since Wyoming passed legislation in 2018 requiring all grade levels to teach computer science curriculum by 2022, teachers have spent significant time outside of work getting themselves up to speed. The idea is that these coding skills will transition the state's economy away from the coal industry and keep young people in the state. However, some critics note that there are few success stories of technology clusters in remote areas.
As law enforcement nationwide faces scrutiny, cameras protect both public and officers
https://www.wral.com/as-law-enforcement-nationwide-faces-scrutiny-cameras-protect-both-public-and-officers/18535660?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Amanda Lamb
WRAL 5
9 August 2019
Multi-Media / 3-5 Minutes
Across the United States, 95 percent of law enforcement agencies have started using body cameras. In North Carolina, the majority of departments have started using such technology in the hopes of increasing transparency, trust, and accountability. While the use of body cams is wanted by both police and the community, finding the funding to purchase and maintain them has been a challenge for some departments.
In wealthy Silicon Valley, a $500 million plan to save threatened farmland
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-farming-land-feature/in-wealthy-silicon-valley-a-500-million-plan-to-save-threatened-farmland-idUSKCN1UY1B6?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Johnny Magdaleno
Reuters
8 August 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
In Santa Clara County, California, the Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation program is funding an effort to prevent development and bolster agriculture on local farmland. The County, home to Silicon Valley, purchases land at market prices to protect it from development, incentivize agriculture, and prevent sprawl. While still in the beginning stages, the county looking long-term to see how this program will be financially sustainable.
Tribal communities in Michigan use traditional knowledge to tackle modern public health crisis
https://www.michiganradio.org/post/tribal-communities-michigan-use-traditional-knowledge-tackle-modern-public-health-crisis?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
April Van Buren
Michigan Radio
8 August 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In Michigan, infant mortality for Native American babies is almost triple the rate of infant mortality for white babies. To combat this troubling reality, tribal communities are working to reintegrate traditional knowledge into parenting practices, starting with culturally aware breastfeeding classes. The program is helping to ensure that indigenous communities and families have the resources they need to keep their babies safe and healthy.
Garden Project starts weekly fresh produce distribution
https://durangoherald.com/articles/288881-garden-project-starts-weekly-fresh-produce-distribution?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Mary Shinn
Durango Herald
7 August 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
Thanks to a two-year grant from Colorado’s Health Foundation, several food-centered nonprofit organizations are working to help residents of southwestern Colorado replace high-calorie, low nutrition food with seasonal vegetables. The Garden Project, the Good Food Collective, and the Manna Market deliver food boxes every week to community organizations including senior centers in La Plata and the Women’s Resource Center. Food distributions also take place in undisclosed locations for immigrants.
