Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • A tiny garden in Boulder is showing signs of stress from smog. The scientist behind it is thrilled.

    A garden at Boulder, Colorado’s Museum of Natural History is being used to track the effects of smog and educate visitors as well. Called an “ozone garden,” this plot – and other like it around the world – shows researchers and visitors how plants are damaged by ground-level ozone levels. Beyond education, the researchers behind the ozone garden are using it to show how crops and food availability will diminish as climate change continues.

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  • Gun owners in New Zealand voluntarily surrender more than 10,000 firearms

    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.

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  • New Zealand gun buyback: 10,000 firearms returned after Christchurch attack

    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.

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  • The complicated legacy of ‘broken windows' policing

    "Broken windows policing" evolved into destructive, heavy-handed tactics because its original notions of solving minor problems before they contribute to an atmosphere conducive to serious crimes became misused and distorted. Instead of a focus on high numbers of arrests and "zero tolerance" for any and all perceived misbehavior, this theory of policing was meant to be paired with community-building and problem-solving strategies. When that connection wasn't made, it became synonymous with the kinds of racially disparate enforcement alienating neighborhoods from police.

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  • The desert gets a biocrust skin graft

    Scientists in southeast America are trying to rebuild the natural biocrusts that existed centuries ago. The biocrusts, which are concentrations of cyanobacteria, moss, and lichens, are a crucial part of ecosystems in its ability to prevent erosion and soil degradation. Researchers across the region have been growing them in labs, but the implementation into the environment has posed challenges.

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  • Oregon Rethinks Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Life After the Chinese Import Ban

    After China stopped buying recycling near the end of 2017, Oregon faced mounting piles of mixed recycling that seemed bound for the landfill--a move that might have been illegal under Oregon law. Instead, the state's recycling industry made adjustments, including limiting the types of items to be recycled and using local processing plants instead of Chinese ones.

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  • Anatomy of a failure: How an XQ Super School flopped

    In 2016, a proposal for a new innovation school which would incorporate elements of private and charter schools into a public school in Somerville, Massachusetts won a $10 million XQ grant, funding awarded to promising nontraditional high schools. Despite years of planning and early support from town leaders, in 2019, the school was unanimously vetoed by the school committee. Why did the plan fall through?

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  • A Public Library of, by, and for the People

    A public library in Brownsville, Texas continues to remain relevant through its dedication to learning from failed initiatives, investing in new technology, and ensuring that the space keeps up with ever-changing town culture. Beyond housing a plethora of books, the library has invested in 3D printers for local creators, studio space for a local television channel, and a colorful computer lab for teens to utilize.

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  • When Arizona catches fire, prisoners step up

    As the cost of fighting wildfires rises and the number of firefighters declines, Arizona found a solution: paying incarcerated men and women to do the same job for just five percent of the standard rate for firefighting. Arizona’s Inmate Wildfire Program, while fundamentally exploitative, is seemingly more complex. Those that go through the program find a sense of meaning and are given the opportunity to learn leadership and teamwork skills – things they can translate in life upon release.

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  • Colorado to allow medical marijuana for pain instead of opioids

    States are looking for solutions to the nationwide opioid crisis, and marijuana may be one answer to that search. Two states, with a third on the way, are recommending medical marijuana in place of opioids to both reduce addiction and "normalize the conversation around the issue."

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