The Solutions Story Tracker® is a curated database of rigorous reporting on responses to social problems. We collect and tag every story, providing you with the ability to find coverage of effective or promising ideas and approaches— by issue, location, journalist, and success factor (strategic insights that emerge as patterns).
https://www.ozy.com/fast-forward/a-lesson-for-the-toy-industrys-future-sharing/93617?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Maroosha Muzaffar
OZY
11 October 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Millennials are having less children and caring more about environmental impact, so the toy industry is now experimenting with a newly popular "toy subscription" service. Rather than accumulating mass quantities of plastic, children can now receive monthly boxes filled with toys that are designed to pique their interests and can even be themed. Parents say that children look forward to a new box each month and that the plastic consumption could be cut in half if kids share. Large companies like Amazon are now creating their own toy sharing services.
https://medium.com/the-slowdown/this-charcoal-coated-seed-could-bring-kenyas-forests-back-to-life-35d3d48661f2?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Randi Eicher
The Slowdown
10 October 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
To combat the rapidly decreasing forest density in Kenya, an organization created "seedballs," or seeds from trees coated in charcoal and other nutrients that help the seeds survive long enough to germinate. The organization created a competition for schoolchildren to scatter the seeds using slingshots and encourages other creative ways to spread the seeds across the country.
http://nationswell.com/restorative-justice-navajo-tradition-peacemaking?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Monica Humphries
NationSwell
7 October 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Brooklyn’s Red Hook Peacemaking Program, part of the Red Hook Community Justice Center, is bringing together individuals in conflict to practice restorative justice. The program accepts cases coming through various courts, schools, and personal references, and brings together families, friends, and adversaries to participate in moderated, peacebuilding discussions. Seeing over 100 cases each year, the program has decreased recidivism rates and spread to other cities in New York.
https://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/west-laurel-hill-cemetery-green-burial?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Courtney Duchene
The Philadelphia Citizen
6 October 2019
Multi-Media / 800-1500 Words
Philadelphia’s West Laurel Hill Cemetery has gone green. While the burial business may be notoriously filled with chemicals, this cemetery has introduced 50 different sustainability initiatives, including banning machinery use, only allowing biodegradable caskets – or no caskets at all – and keeping the grounds flourishing with native plants instead of manicured lawns. The efforts also include community engagement to bring residents into the environmental shift as part of a larger, cultural trend toward sustainability.
https://www.greenmatters.com/news/2018/02/19/2m3wBf/border-collies-forest?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Desirée Kaplan
Green Matters
5 October 2019
Multi-Media / Under 800 Words
In the wake of over 100 forest fires in Maule, Chile, hundreds of burned acres of forest are being replanted by three Border Collies named Das, Olivia, and Summer and an organization called Pewos. The dogs bound through miles of terrain with special backpacks that release native seeds to regrow the area. So far the dogs have worked in 15 forests in the region and plants are starting to come back.
http://nationswell.com/sea-turtles-illuminated-nets?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Monica Humphries
NationSwell
4 October 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
Fishermen are attaching LED lights to the gillnets they use to trap fish to ward off unintended captures like turtles, dolphins, and sea lions. The lights warn the wildlife that something is there so they don’t get caught and has led to global decreases, as much as 60%, in the amount of sea turtles accidentally trapped. In order to increase accessibility to this response, organizations like the World Wildlife Foundation and governments are partnering with scientists to create subsidies.
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/09/08/751086394/how-a-prenatal-bootcamp-for-new-dads-helps-the-whole-family?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Juli Fraga
NPR
4 October 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Some health care providers across the U.S. have started to offer single-sex prenatal classes for men that are tailored to the needs and questions of new dads: "While a new mother's role in modern society is often directed by her baby's needs to breastfeed, cuddle and sleep; a new father's role isn't always spelled out." Research suggests that when men feel prepared they are better able to support their partner.
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/04/764637564/how-penn-state-is-cutting-greenhouse-emissions-in-half-and-saving-money?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Dan Charles
NPR
4 October 2019
Multi-Media / 5-15 Minutes
Enrolling administrators and financial planners in sustainable projects takes proving that investments pay for themselves. With the help of pressure from students and faculty, Penn State Universities administrators have adopted a long-term strategy to reduce the university’s carbon footprint and implement sustainable practices. Students produced the data that illuminated the university’s unsustainable practices; the numbers now show that their efforts are paying off.
https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-08-23/humans-are-damaging-fragile-galapagos-ecosystem-maybe-coffee-can-help-save-it?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Deepa Fernandes
Public Radio International (PRI)
3 October 2019
Radio / 3-5 Minutes
Scalesia, is a species of tree native to the Galapagos Islands that is quickly disappearing thanks to human activity. With much of the island's wildlife dependent on this tree, the ecosystem is threatened with the tree's extinction. Conservationists have taken action, however, by planting thousands of the trees as part of a shade-grown coffee operation.
https://www.npr.org/2019/10/03/766706906/5-decades-later-communities-land-trust-still-helps-black-farmers?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Debbie Elliott
NPR
3 October 2019
Radio / 5-15 Minutes
The New Communities Land Trust was created in the 1960s as a way to build power and equity for and among African Americans in Georgia. The Trust works with Black farmers on many different levels, including helping them strengthen their farming practices and businesses. While the Trust was lost in 1985 due to discriminatory bank practices, it was restarted with a $12 million settlement from the federal government.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/10/03/765783296/after-hurricane-dorian-the-wikipedia-of-maps-came-to-the-rescue?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Joanne Lu
NPR
3 October 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Humanitarian, crowdsourced street mapping has become a crucial part of disaster relief efforts. Initiatives like MIssing Maps and OpenStreetMaps call on volunteer cartographers – professional or not – to fill in maps and data gaps so that emergency humanitarian efforts can help as many people as possible. Such platforms became necessary after Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas in September 2019, with over 100 people coming through to map previously unidentified roads and buildings.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/02/opinion/turkey-stray-dogs.html?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Didem Tali
The New York Times
2 October 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Thanks to increased awareness and public pressure, Turkey has shifted from culling street animals to catching, neutering, and vaccinating them. Following social media campaigns and the work of activists, Turkey's government has changed its policies. Today, instead of being poisoned, street dogs are treated and tagged by animal welfare teams funded by the state. The vaccinations help reduce the risk of diseases like rabies, while neutering the animals avoids the use of chemicals potentially harmful to humans.
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