The Solutions Story Tracker® is a curated database of rigorous reporting on responses to social problems. We collect and tag every story, providing you with the ability to find coverage of effective or promising ideas and approaches— by issue, location, journalist, and success factor (strategic insights that emerge as patterns).
https://news.mongabay.com/2019/11/safer-at-sea-the-unexpected-benefit-of-traceability-for-small-scale-fishers?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Laura Villadiego
Mongabay
12 November 2019
Multi-Media / 1500-3000 Words
Efforts to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing also make fishermen safer at sea. Vessel Monitoring Mechanisms (VMM) and electronic catch documentation (eCDT) track the origin of fish headed to market, part of an international effort to ensure sustainable and equitable practices. Data transmission also makes fishermen safer, relaying their locations from hundreds of miles out at sea. In the Philippines, a partnership between Futuristic Aviation and Maritime Enterprise (FAME) and USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership helps cover subscription fees for FAME radio transmitter service.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-49928362/turning-paris-s-underground-car-parks-into-mushrooms-farms?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Dougal Shaw
BBC
11 November 2019
Video / Under 3 Minutes
Mushroom farms are popping up in underground parking lots in Paris. The city, facing a surplus of lots as car ownership declines, has been holding competitions to find creative, new purposes for them. Urban farmers, Cycloponics, won one of these competitions and now operates three of these mushroom farms, selling their crops to local organic grocery stores in the area.
https://www.sideeffectspublicmedia.org/post/why-group-handles-grief-boxing?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Carter Barrett
Side Effects Public Media
8 November 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
Overdose Lifeline is an organization in Indianapolis, Indiana that is using boxing classes as support groups for those struggling with grief. After noticing a pattern of anger in those the organization aimed to help, the group started "grief boxing" as a way to help work through those feelings.
https://bitterrootmag.com/2019/11/08/this-wyoming-greenhouse-is-a-place-for-employees-with-disabilities-to-grow?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Jodi Hausen
Bitterroot
8 November 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
A company called Vertical Harvest in Jackson, Wyoming employs people with developmental and physical disabilities to work in their 3-story greenhouse to address the exclusion of people with disabilities in the labor pool. Vertical Harvest, which offers positions growing and handling local produce, acts as both a safe space and source of income for employees, following a trend to open employment opportunities to often overlooked populations.
https://bitterrootmag.com/2019/11/08/the-three-keys-to-a-thriving-rural-economy?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Jake Bullinger
Bitterroot
8 November 2019
Text / 1500-3000 Words
As the Mountain West transitions away from mining and other industrial economic drivers, rural cities find their way into successful economies by relying on local entrepreneurial spirit and the surrounding landscape. Businesses like SmartLam in rural Montana rely on local resources - in SmartLam's case, timber - and sustainable, future-oriented strategy to make a ripple in the economy of the rural West.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/philly-sets-new-gold-standard-for-domestic-worker-protections?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Oscar Perry Abello
Next City
7 November 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Giving domestic workers a seat at the table elevates their voices and provides them with access to protections enshrined in labor laws. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the passage of the Philadelphia Domestic Workers Bill of Rights extends worker protections to those previously left out of traditional labor laws. The new law, passed with the combined effort of the Pennsylvania Domestic Worker Alliance (PDWA), Philadelphia’s City Council, and the support of Philadelphia AFL-CIO, grants domestic workers access to employer-funded benefits and paid time off.
https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/11/06/775118353/the-doctor-will-skype-you-now-virtual-checkups-reach-bangladeshs-isolated-island?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Jennifer Chowdhury
NPR
6 November 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Free, remote medical consultations are increasing healthcare access for the inhabitants of Bangladesh’s char islands. Using boats, laptops, and video conference software, local NGOs are bringing health services to char residents. One group, thesteps.org, provides residents with a telemedicine service called Teledaktra (TD), another nonprofit, Friendship, operates satellite clinics from a boat.
https://apnews.com/831d3b57c74443f7b3ca3f1da5321e48?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Chris Ehrmann
Associated Press
6 November 2019
Text / Under 800 Words
Hartford, Connecticut, in partnership with Lyft and the criminal justice reform group, #cut50, is providing transportation credits to formerly incarcerated individuals. The effort aims to help individuals reentering their communities with a way of getting to places like job interviews and doctors appointments – things that will help them get back on their feet.
https://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/health-trauma-self-care-community-20191105?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Jay Walljasper
Yes! Magazine
5 November 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Building resilience and self-care into daily life promotes long-term wellbeing. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Catalyst Initiative works to support the emotional and mental wellbeing of underserved groups by promoting culturally relevant approaches to self-care. Catalyst funds organizations that serve Indigenous communities, communities of color, as well as other programs that encourage people to practice mindfulness and self-care as a way to heal from trauma and stress associated with economic, personal, or social issues.
http://edsource.org/2019/a-novel-idea-for-california-requiring-students-to-fill-out-financial-aid-forms/619373?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Larry Gordon
EdSource
5 November 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Val Verde Unified School District in California requires high school students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Though advocates have documented significant positive culture changes, researchers say the impact of such requirements on college enrollemnt rates remains uncertain.
https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/could-a-tax-credit-reduce-the-impacts-of-philly-students-debt?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Rachel Chernasky
Next City
5 November 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Leaders in Philadelphia are considering offering a $7,500 tax credit to college graduates who owe $35,000 or more. The city hopes that the program will help retain more talent and chip away at Pennsylvania's high levels of student debt.
https://www.yesmagazine.org/peace-justice/food-community-detroit-garden-agriculture-20191104?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker
Biba Adams
Yes! Magazine
4 November 2019
Text / 800-1500 Words
Whereas urban farms provide supplemental nutrition, agricultural neighborhoods make farming one of their central features. In Detroit, Michigan, the Michigan Urban Farming Initiative (MUFI) has grown from a local community garden into a nationally recognized agricultural neighborhood that has fueled transformation and investment into the area. MUFI partners with other community organizations to combat food insecurity. And while providing free food to the surrounding community, MUFI also sells products like hot sauce.
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