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

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  • Breaking Buildings' Addiction to Fossil Fuels

    December 10, 2020 |

    Gimlet Media |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, New York, New York

    BlocPower retrofits buildings with energy-efficient equipment in financially underserved communities by offering loans to building owners for no money down. The company has completed about 1,000 projects by bundling the financing for many projects and finding investors willing to provide capital for the larger sum, which reduces investor risk. The group also created technology to reduce the costs of building inspections and energy usage monitoring. The new equipment increases building values and reduces energy costs so that owners pay less in monthly loan repayments than they would with the old equipment.

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  • Michigan's weakened environmental laws lead activists to embrace other tactics

    December 10, 2020 |

    Planet Detroit |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

    Environmental deregulation and budget cuts opened the door for a loose coalition of environmental attorneys and activists to do the accountability work for the regulatory system. The groups sue to force companies to follow the law, contest permits, and run media campaigns to raise awareness of corporate misdeeds. Their efforts have been effective, forcing the closure of a toxic incinerator, pushing utilities towards clean energy, and revealing environmental abuses of major companies. The groups work with residents in impacted communities to determine priorities and organize support among neighbors.

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  • A secret settlement hid an officer's misconduct. Outside Maine, it would have been different.

    December 09, 2020 |

    Bangor Daily News |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Colorado

    A Colorado law enacted in 2016 requires law enforcement officers to disclose their past disciplinary records when seeking a new job at a different agency. By making such disclosures automatic, the law standardizes hiring practices statewide, protects past employers from liability for making the disclosures, and most importantly prevents rogue officers from hopping from one job to the next undetected. Maine has no such requirement., and so some of its agencies might unknowingly hire an officer with a record of misconduct.

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  • Pandemic Offers Surprising Opportunity for Farmers

    December 08, 2020 |

    Global Press Journal |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Zimbabwe, Mutoko

    The coronavirus pandemic,and related lockdowns and travel restrictions caused farmers across Zimbabwe to lose substantial income as crops spoiled. But the crisis led to a shift in strategy, with many farmers participating in bartering networks that have opened new markets closer to home. Having to travel shorter distances creates greater income stability, as reliable transportation was an issue well before the pandemic. Farmers also shifted the types of crops they sell with an eye towards adding value. Dried produce and herbs increase profits by up to 30% and allow farmers to supply crops out of season.

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  • This Kauai Nonprofit Is Trying To Change How People Buy Their Food

    December 04, 2020 |

    Honolulu Civil Beat |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Moloaa, Hawaii

    Food hub projects are gaining momentum in Hawaii as a means to connect farmers with customers. The projects go against the narrative that produce should be sold to big-box supermarkets, and instead focuses on "allowing farmers to concentrate on farming and creating a seamless ordering system so consumers can order food online for delivery or availability at central pickup points."

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  • A System for Sharing Household Heat Is Growing Beneath France

    December 04, 2020 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: France, Paris

    In Paris, about 7,500 buildings are heated using geothermal energy, a cost-saving and carbon neutral energy source. Water is drawn from deep below ground at a central location and heated by the earth, and then sent via underground pipes to individual buildings. The Bagneux and Chatillon district has scaled up the system, providing heat to over 40,000 people. Districts created joint ventures to reduce construction costs and residents do not notice the energy source shift because when the temperature drops to a point where geothermal energy is not viable, gas boilers automatically keeps the heat flowing.

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  • As cases rise, college students take COVID-19 prevention into their own hands

    December 04, 2020 |

    CalMatters |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, California

    From zoom workshops that teach people about the misconceptions of COVID 19, to Google docs, to Instagram profiles that shame people who are partying during the pandemic, university students are holding their communities accountable. Across the country a myriad of student-led efforts have sprung up in response to careless behavior by college students. “I just thought it would be a good idea to sort of hold each other accountable and then be safe.”

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  • A grassroots push to save disappearing birds and bees forces change in Germany

    December 03, 2020 |

    National Geographic |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Germany, Bavaria

    Environmental advocates got 1.75 million signatures to change Bavarian farming laws to protect biodiversity. The Save the Bees Campaign calls for using subsidies to nearly triple the amount of organic farming, creating a network of wildlife corridors, and other actions to protect bird and insect life. Initial results show that, since the law took effect, the share of organic farmland increased and thousands of more acres of forest have been protected. Farmers have also adjusted their view of productivity, including protecting nature as a way to be productive. Similar efforts are happening across Europe.

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  • How To Feed The World Without Destroying It

    December 01, 2020 |

    The Huffington Post |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Virginia

    The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragility of the U.S. food supply chain, yet for indigenous led-operations there has been little interruption thanks to practices that rely on shorter supply chains that "work with local ecosystems, not against them." In Virginia, one farmer is using the lessons from this traditional knowledge to create a small-scale farming collective.

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  • In Italy, deserted railway buildings are patching up the social fabric and supporting migrants

    November 30, 2020 |

    The Local |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Italy

    More than 400 social service centers occupy spaces abandoned by the Italian Railway Network. The sites are managed by social stakeholders but, unlike other national assistance centers, they do not require citizenship to receive benefits, allowing people who are often left out of government programs to receive food, basic medical care, and other services like laundry and a shower. Social service groups are granted the locations for up to five years, and nearly 25,000 people receive benefits across the network each year, the majority of whom are migrants, refugees, and citizens of other countries.

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