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Trash sucks: A Norwegian city uses vacuum tubes to whisk waste away

Nicolás Rivero

June 11, 2025 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Norway, Bergen

Bergen, Norway’s pneumatic waste system uses high-powered vacuum tubes to suck trash and recycling from central receptacles to nearby waste stations, reducing the need for garbage trucks and helping to keep the streets cleaner. According to city officials, the system, which is still in the process of being built out, has helped to reduce air pollution, cut diesel emissions, and save the city money on waste collection.

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How client advocates are quietly reshaping criminal defense

Amanda Hernández

June 10, 2025 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Partners in Justice pairs trained client advocates with public defenders to help people facing charges get access to support and resources that can improve their outcomes in court. One study found that this type of holistic model helped reduce expected sentence length by 24 percent.

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This city is exploring an unconventional solution to water scarcity: sewage

David Condos, Ryan Kellman

June 09, 2025 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, St. George, Utah

St. George, Utah, is building wastewater recycling plants to convert sewage into usable irrigation and drinking water, a solution already proven effective in communities like Las Vegas in conserving water resources and supporting sustainable urban growth.

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Finding election workers is hard. Arizona is doing something about it.

Jen Fifield

June 09, 2025 |

Votebeat Arizona |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Arizona

The Arizona Fellows in Election Administration program taps college students to work in county and state election offices, with the goal of creating a pipeline for positions that are often difficult to fill. During the 2024 presidential election cycle, 18 students and recent graduates participated in the program, and three went on to take permanent positions in their respective election offices.

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Where the garbage goes

Jaclyn Moyer

June 01, 2025 |

High Country News |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Soap Creek, Oregon

A grassroots community initiative (VNEQS) organized local expertise, advocacy, labor activism, and legislative collaboration to oppose a landfill expansion and push for stronger environmental monitoring and accountability, resulting in increased public awareness, regulatory scrutiny, and pending policy reforms.

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Most new cars in Norway are EVs. How a freezing country beat range anxiety.

Karla Adam

May 30, 2025 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Norway

Norway achieved nearly 90% electric vehicle adoption through a 25-year strategy of generous tax incentives (including a 25% VAT exemption), government-subsidized charging infrastructure, and legal guarantees for charging access, resulting in EVs becoming cheaper than gas cars and transforming even remote Arctic regions into EV-dominant markets.

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This program helps 6 million families pay their energy bills. Here's what's at risk if it's cut.

Jessica Kutz

May 27, 2025 |

The 19th |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program helps people under financial strain cover their utility costs, including bills for heating and air conditioning, which continue to rise as the climate changes. But proposed federal cuts to safety net programs have put the funding in jeopardy, potentially affecting 6 million people nationwide who benefit from the assistance.

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Maine is training an army of HVAC pros to meet its heat pump goals

Kristian Moravec

May 23, 2025 |

Canary Media |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Maine

Maine's coordinated workforce training programs—including state-funded community college labs, apprenticeships, and business-led initiatives—are rapidly building a skilled HVAC workforce, significantly accelerating heat pump adoption to meet the state's ambitious climate and employment goals, though challenges around training consistency, licensing standards, and funding uncertainty remain.

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How a California County Eliminated PFAS From the Water Supply

Carl Smith

May 15, 2025 |

Governing |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Yorba Linda, California

The Orange County Water District’s treatment plant uses ion exchange, a process that draws PFAS “forever chemicals” from the supply using positively charged resin beads. The plant distributes water with no detectable PFAS to roughly 80,000 customers.

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Ditch Democracy: Northern New Mexico's Acequia Culture

Ilana Newman

May 14, 2025 |

The Daily Yonder |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Mexico

An acequia irrigation system depends on an indigenous coordinated community governance designed to sustainably manage water for agriculture and daily life. Via democratic control, shared participation in annual cleaning, Mayordomo authority, and cooperative decision-making, the system fosters community cohesion and ecological sustainability.

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