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

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 116 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • Can alternative living encampments help with the homelessness crisis?

    To cope with the crush of people experiencing homelessness around the West, formalized encampments like Camp Hope provide local governments with a quick, affordable way to put people into safe, temporary housing where they have ready access to health care and other services. At Camp Hope, residents live in tents and the camp provides a kitchen, running water, and bathrooms. But there’s a tension between such camps’ success at mitigating an immediate health and safety threat versus solving the problem in a more definitive way.

    Read More

  • The fire we need

    The Indigenous Peoples Burning Network works with a group of other similar networks with the shared goal of promoting prescribed fire in a positive and safe manner that will help local ecosystems and minimize the risk of unintentional wildfires. Since controlled burning has been part of Indigenous communities for much of their long history, there is an opportunity for Indigenous leaders and local fire experts to learn from each other.

    Read More

  • Public health workers innovate around social distancing guidelines

    A fleet of mobile health units across the nation have been helping low-income and immigrant communities to access public health care resources, but during the coronavirus pandemic, the focus has shifted to providing relevant safety information. Leveraging the trust that has been developed over time, public health care workers are utilizing social media to distribute information and resources until they can until they can begin "delivering medications in partnership with Federally Qualified Health Centers, a safety net for uninsured and undocumented people."

    Read More

  • Support groups grapple with social distance and isolation

    Social connection is crucial to recovery for people participating in Alcoholics Anonymous, but the quarantine mandated by the coronavirus has made that impossible. Support groups across the state of Washington are grappling with isolation and, in response, have started meeting over Zoom instead. This article talks to several participants to get their take on it. One person in particular said that meeting online has allowed them to attend more meetings, and it has been a source of comfort during quarantine.

    Read More

  • Can new bus lines chart a course to better travel options in the West?

    Private bus companies are beginning to offer an alternative method of transportation in the American West. As younger travelers seek to reduce their carbon footprint, companies like Flixbus are stepping in where rail connections are still lacking. Especially when compared to flying or owning a car, buses offer a carbon-efficient form of travel over long distances. Companies like Flixbus also offer convenience, meeting travelers on university campuses.

    Read More

  • In rural Colorado, the kids of coal miners learn to install solar panels

    As the number of mining jobs in Colorado has decreased, solar power holds the promise of future employment opportunities, as exemplified by an educational program at Delta High School. The class “Solar Energy Training” prepares high school seniors for jobs in the burgeoning solar industry. The program also helps the school reduce energy costs and engage students in a new way.

    Read More

  • When public lands become tribal lands again

    After decades of failed legislation, over 17,000 acres of public land was finally restored to the Umpqua Tribe with the passage of the Western Oregon Tribal Fairness Act. The land was a constant source of tension between the tribe, the government, and environmental conservation groups, “under the pretext that Native peoples didn’t know how to manage them.” But in December 2018, with the passage of the Act and the return of 3% of the land that was originally seized, a sense of justice was felt.

    Read More

  • The desert gets a biocrust skin graft

    Scientists in southeast America are trying to rebuild the natural biocrusts that existed centuries ago. The biocrusts, which are concentrations of cyanobacteria, moss, and lichens, are a crucial part of ecosystems in its ability to prevent erosion and soil degradation. Researchers across the region have been growing them in labs, but the implementation into the environment has posed challenges.

    Read More

  • When Arizona catches fire, prisoners step up

    As the cost of fighting wildfires rises and the number of firefighters declines, Arizona found a solution: paying incarcerated men and women to do the same job for just five percent of the standard rate for firefighting. Arizona’s Inmate Wildfire Program, while fundamentally exploitative, is seemingly more complex. Those that go through the program find a sense of meaning and are given the opportunity to learn leadership and teamwork skills – things they can translate in life upon release.

    Read More

  • The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe goes solar

    The Ute Tribe’s reservation is building its first large-scale solar array with the end goal of transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy. The reservation, spanning Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, has partnered with GRID Alternatives Colorado to implement this first installment, which will eliminate over 1,500 tons of greenhouse gas emissions in just the first year.

    Read More