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Can Eggshells Save One of Mexico's Most Polluted Rivers?

Aline Suárez del Real

August 14, 2021 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Lerma, Mexico

The Lerma river in Mexico is one of the most polluted rivers in the country. Water from the river leaves behind yellow stains and causes headaches and dizziness. To help bring clean, drinking water to the community a scientist and a resident in Lerma co-found the H2O Lerma With Charm collective. One of the things the group does is create filters from eggshells they install in the local wells. Eggshels, which are high in calcium, combined with magnesium can reduce heavy metals in water by 80 percent. The collective has close to 70 members and have installed filters in seven local wells.

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Prisons try incentives, education to get staff vaxxed, with mixed results

Cid Standifer

August 09, 2021 |

FreshWater Cleveland |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Mexico

While prisons generally have struggled to contain the spread of the coronavirus among staff and incarcerated people, New Mexico's program to vaccinate staff has succeeded where others have failed. New Mexico prison and health officials mounted an extensive education program. COVID "command centers" offer individual counseling to answer questions. Wardens get briefed regularly and then spread new information through the staff. Outreach to holdouts convinces some to get vaccinated. The staff vaccination rate is at least 85%, exceeding the rate for the adult population overall.

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The social enterprise that takes on ‘Big Air' with data

Laura Joffre

August 05, 2021 |

Pioneers Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: China, Beijing

Smart Air is a social enterprise in Beijing that educates people about clean air and debunks myths about expensive air purifiers marketed by large corporations. Smart Air instead offers effective products at a more affordable price, making clean air more accessible.

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An Innovative Tool to Increase Vaccine Access? The Block Party

Emma Specter

August 05, 2021 |

Vogue |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lowell, Massachusetts

The Greater Lowell Health Alliance offered COVID-19 vaccines using a “block party” model where community members enjoy free food, music, activities, and even childcare, while also having access to information about vaccines in multiple languages as well as the ability to actually get vaccinated. This model reduced barriers for immigrants, refugees, and other people who don’t speak English fluently, as well as caregivers who can’t attend vaccine appointments due to their caregiving responsibilities. The relaxed environment, where loved ones can support each other, increased comfort with getting the vaccine.

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When Disaster Strikes

Taylor Perse

August 05, 2021 |

Eugene Weekly |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Disaster preparedness in the form of close inter-agency coordination and communication helped Cuyahoga County, Ohio, protect its unhoused population from COVID-19 to a greater extent than Lane County, Oregon. Although Cuyahoga (Cleveland) is larger, with more resources, its effective responses still offer a model to Lane County (Eugene), where a scattered approach and homeless-camp sweeps proved counterproductive. In Cleveland, hotels were quickly enlisted to house people, reducing crowding in shelters by half and street homelessness by 30%. Its largest men's shelter ended up with a low infection rate.

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Inside North Carolina's 'little Dare County,' most vaccinated county in the rural South

Andrew Yawn

August 05, 2021 |

USA Today |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Dare County, North Carolina

Dare County, a relatively isolated and rural coastal county in North Carolina, has the highest vaccination rate in the southern U.S. The successful vaccination campaign is due in part to an existing communication infrastructure that local governments and healthcare systems use to coordinate during hurricane emergencies. Existing communication channels and relationships made it easier to publicize mass vaccination sites and get people to register online. Officials also went to great lengths to get more vaccines, petitioning the state for extra doses and even driving to other counties to pick up surpluses.

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At Soccer Games, Markets and Churches, Students Offer New Ways to Get Vaccinated

Grace Wesoly

August 05, 2021 |

Queens University News Service |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

Faith in the Vaccine is an initiative to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among low-income areas and within ethnic communities. The group, often using student ambassadors, leverages the credibility of community leaders and influencers and identifies opportunities to bring vaccine clinics to where people are already gathering. For example, vaccine tents were available at a recent soccer game attended by over 1,000 Spanish-speaking fans. Attendees could get the one-dose COVID-19 shot, a $25 VISA debit card, and be entered to win two season passes to the 2022 season of the new Charlotte FC soccer team.

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The Orange Cans That Help Philly Take Out the Trash

Solcyre Burga

August 03, 2021 |

Next City |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As a solution for the garbage littering his block, a Philadelphia resident has launched a much-needed movement to keep the streets clean. Sanitation services have been affected since the pandemic, leading to staff shortages in the face of rising residential trash collection needs. I Love Thy Hood collected signatures and raised money to buy and place bright orange trash cans throughout his neighborhood, keeping excess garbage from littering the streets.

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Menstrual hygiene solutions: Kaduna girls take action

Ismail Abdulaziz Magdalene Offiong Ukuedojor Yusuf Ummul Idris Attah

August 01, 2021 |

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Kaduna

Over 200 teenage girls in northwestern Nigeria have been trained to produce reusable sanitary napkins and tampons, which they can use for personal use and sell to make extra money. In fact, they have sold over 15,000 packs of reusable menstrual hygiene products worth 3.5 million naira, both improving the lives of users and becoming a viable livelihood for communities. The kits contain three cotton-based reusable products, each of which last three to six months. The project was supported as part of the United Nations’ COVID-19 response in Nigeria.

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‘Better' podcast shines light on solutions

Allison Frost

July 29, 2021 |

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Taiwan

Taiwan responded to COVID-19 quickly, which helped keep cases low and avoid widespread shutdowns. The country had closely tracked its PPE stockpiles since the 2003 SARS outbreak, has a national health command center to coordinate responses, and uses a well-defined set of procedures to track and manage people under infectious risk or quarantine. Masks are required and provided to every citizen, inbound travelers were quickly regulated, and contact tracing and testing is widely used to prevent outbreaks. Citizens generally listen to authorities, though fines and other sanctions also encourage compliance.

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