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Half a billion people need reading glasses. Why can't they get them?

Adrian Ma, Sylvie Douglas

October 09, 2025 |

NPR |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Mexico, Zacatecas

RestoringVision addresses the global shortage of reading glasses by tackling supply and demand challenges. On the demand side, they partner with local NGOs and governments to provide vision screenings and free initial glasses, particularly for those in regions who either don’t know reading glasses are an option or don’t realize they’re losing their vision. On the supply side, they work to build retail networks and educate employers about productivity benefits, as workers receiving glasses show productivity increases up to 32%.

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Could beavers be the secret to winning the fight against wildfires?

Benjamin Goldfarb

July 06, 2025 |

National Geographic |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Beaver restoration programs across the American West are creating fire-resistant green refuges, improving water storage and quality, and supporting wildlife recovery by partnering with the dam-building rodents rather than eliminating them, demonstrating that a nature-based approach can simultaneously address wildfire risk, drought, and ecosystem degradation.

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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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Maine's Heat Pump Boom Has Been Promising for Rural Workforce Development. Can It Last?

Kristian Moravec

June 10, 2025 |

The Daily Yonder |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Maine

To meet the state’s clean energy goals, Maine communities and institutions like Kennebec Valley Community College are launching training initiatives to bolster HVAC, refrigerant and electrical knowledge to support the clean energy workforce. With the help of these initiatives, in Somerset County alone, where KVCC is located, the number of clean energy workers has grown by 44% since 2020.

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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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No Bull: Nepal's Biogas Revolution Reaches a Turning Point

Manish Koirala

June 09, 2025 |

The Xylom |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nepal

Between 1992 and 2011, Nepal and the Netherlands collaborated to install 260,000 domestic biogas digesters across the country that convert livestock and human waste into clean cooking fuel to address energy security and deforestation challenges. The program has helped families save $111 annually on gas and prevents over-consumption of firewood.

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Nebraska invested in having special education students learn alongside their peers — and is seeing promising results

Jackie Mader

June 09, 2025 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Scottsbluff, Nebraska

Nebraska’s Journey to Inclusion program focused on providing educators with training and resources to help schools keep more students with disabilities in general classrooms rather than separating them in specialized classrooms. Since implementing changes, the state has seen proficiency rates and graduation rates rise among students with disabilities.

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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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Local, organic, and bipartisan: How Vermont is challenging Big Food

Stephanie Hanes

June 08, 2025 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

Vermont's community-led movement to build a thriving local agriculture economy, through nonprofit infrastructure investments, diversified farming practices, and bipartisan collaboration, has revitalized small farms, boosted food resilience, and offered a viable economic alternative to industrialized agriculture.

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