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The Bakery That's Owned by an Idea

Oscar Perry Abello

February 16, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Firebrand Artisan Breads hires people with high barriers to employment, such as people experiencing homelessness or who were formerly incarcerated. The higher-than-minimum-wage starting salary, paid time off, and insurance benefits provide sustainable and secure employment to people whose life circumstances make it harder to get a job. In order to raise capital while maintaining their employment model, the owner worked with lawyers to become a perpetual purpose trust, an alternative ownership model that allows the company to sell shares to private investors while ensuring their principles remain in place.

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Oonee Wants to Fix New York Bike Parking with Free, Secure Storage Pods

Ira Boudway

February 11, 2021 |

Bloomberg |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

An early-stage startup with big plans to change bicycling culture and commuting habits has notched one victory already, with its first secure-parking pods in New York City: Out of 60,000 times they've been used, the pods have only suffered one theft, at a time of rampant bike theft. Startup Oonee provides an alternative to locking up bikes and scooters on the street during work hours. Parking in an enclosed shelter is advertising-supported, so it's free to users. Ultimately, Oonee hopes to surround parking with a suite of services useful to two-wheeled commuters.

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An Architecture Firm's Push to Build Net-Zero Apartments—on a Budget

Russell Gold

February 05, 2021 |

Wall Street Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Apartments at Front Flats, a new residential building in Philadelphia, is powered by 492 solar panels that are wrapped around the building. The point: to demonstrate that developers can design buildings that are energy-efficient and be built at an affordable cost. It’s not clear yet if the building is “net zero” in terms of producing as much energy as it consumes, but residents are paying only $40 a month for utilities.

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Covid-Certified Businesses Try to Woo Leery Patrons

Christie Aschwanden

February 04, 2021 |

KFF Health News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Grand Junction, Colorado

Colorado counties have launched "The 5-star Certification Program" as a way to incintivize businesses to comply with COVID-related precautions. Businesses that join the program must agree to adhere to certain public health protocols, and in return they are held to less stringent rules that those who are not part of the program. Although it is yet to be seen if this is an effective method to slow the spread of the virus, the program has spread to other states as a way of avoiding economic devastation.

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Nonprofit Grocery Store May Be A Solution for Food Desert In Southern Dallas

Sujata Dand

February 03, 2021 |

KERA News |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Waco, Texas

When a Dallas nonprofit failed to attract a corporate grocery owner to one of the city's food deserts, a nonprofit looked to Waco's Jubilee Market as a model for a nonprofit, community-based grocery. Jubilee's parent organization, the nonprofit Mission Waco, carefully researched the market before taking the plunge into this low-margin business. Though it doesn't quite turn a profit yet, Jubilee has improved the surrounding community and the lives of people who once lived miles from the nearest quality produce and other affordable groceries.

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Planting crops — and carbon, too

Gabriel Popkin Gabriella Demczuk

January 22, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rock Hall, Maryland

Maryland farmer Trey Hill became the first seller in a tech startup’s carbon marketplace, paying him $115,000 for initiating regenerative farming practices. By introducing cover crops, he has been able to sequester about 8,000 tons of carbon in the soil, which then buyers can purchase the credits to offset the carbon they produce. If more farmers get on board, supporters say it can be a tangible solution to curbing climate change.

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With women-only transport, South African city tackles sexual abuse

Kim Harrisberg

January 18, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: South Africa, Cape Town

To combat high rates of sexual violence in the Cape Flats neighborhood, an entrepreneur steeped in activism founded a women-only driving school. Hundreds of women have learned to drive without having to fend off assaults or harassment from male instructors, while gaining a skill that frees them from the risks inherent in taking public transportation or taxis. To tackle the latter risk, the same entrepreneur, Joanie Fredericks, recently started Ladies Own Transport, an all-female taxi service.

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An Algorithm Is Helping a Community Detect Lead Pipes

Sidney Fussell

January 14, 2021 |

Wired |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Flint, Michigan

BlueConduit, an analytics startup, applies statistical models to identify neighborhoods and households that might have lead pipes. The models include dozens of factors, such as the age of the home and proximity of other homes where lead has been found, to help predict likely locations of lead pipes and create a ranking by likelihood that cities can use to prioritize which pipes to examine. In Flint, MI, about 70% of the homes identified using the models had lead pipes, compared to about 15% of homes where excavations did not use the model. The company is working with organizations in dozens of other cities.

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Indigenous agroforestry revives profitable palm trees and the Atlantic Forest

Xavier Bartaburu

January 13, 2021 |

Mongabay |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Sao Paulo

The Jussara Fortress program helped the indigenous Guarani people turn small-scale production of jussara palm hearts, a delicacy, into the main source of income. Sustainable growing techniques protect the jussara, which was endangered by deforestation and over-harvesting. This, in turn, provides for a biodiverse system with environmental and health benefits for the Ribeirão Silveira Indigenous Territory. The program planted more than 100,000 of the trees, which need a decade to yield a small amount of marketable product.

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In a Brooklyn kitchen, a Statue of Liberty spirit offers a fresh start

Sarah Matusek

January 13, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Newly arrived immigrants, refugees, and asylum-seekers have found a pathway to employment through Emma’s Torch. The nonprofit eatery pays students to learn culinary skills. The program is an important stepping stone for the new arrivals to gain a foothold in the restaurant industry.

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