What are three to six key points or impressions that you will take away from these stories?

The story I am focusing on is the 2nd one in this collection, called "NYC's Green City Force." The most important key point that I took away from this story is that it is possible to make a connection between a sustainable lifestyle and urban living. Also, this connection can help increase economic activity in otherwise poor neighborhoods. 

Write a 200-word reflection that engages, analyzes, critiques, expands upon, and/or questions what you read or listened to.

In 2009, Lisbeth Shepherd founded Green City Force as a way to improve two important issues: youth unemployment and sustainable cities. New York City is a hotspot for environmental movements but most of them do not focus on the impoverished areas of the city. Green City Force is a 1-year service program that empowers young adults, typically 18-24 years old, from New York City’s public housing developments with the highest crime rates. This service year teaches young adults how to live sustainably while getting paid to teach others the same. This organization is an amazing opportunity to produce economic activity in poor neighborhoods while also teaching people on our environmental issues. This story is important in a city as large as New York City in which people are often being forgotten or left behind by the larger movements. My original concern with this organization is the fact that it only employs people for 1 year and I was concerned with what they would do after graduation from the program. However, the article and video continued to point out that they do a lot in terms of networking with bigger corporations and employers that may offer job opportunities for graduates. The article did however fail to mention how this organization gets their money to pay their employees. 

Share your reflections on your experience reading, watching or listening to the solutions journalism stories. Did you learn new information; gain new understanding; see things with a different perspective than you had in the past? Did the stories reinforce an idea or thought you'd previously had? Did you meet new people, or learn about opportunities you were previously unaware of? 

My undergraduate studies has been a combination of sustainability and urban planning, this issue is something I have always been familiar with. I am passionate about housing development and low-income housing through sustainable design. Additionally, I am from Long Island, New York and I am very familiar with the impoverished neighborhoods throughout New York. This story provides an innovative and unique approach to an issue that I am very close to and I think it does an amazing job at doing so. 

Were there other stories this week that you’d like to give an “honorable mention” -- that you enjoyed, but were not your top choice to share?

I would also like to mention the other article in my collection named "This new Florida neighborhood has zero emissions, tons of smart tech, and is hurricane-proof." Before finding the article on Green City Force I was originally going to talk about this article instead. This article is important because it relates to students at UF since it is happening right here in the state of Florida. 

What else would you like to share?

I would like to point out that there are many organizations throughout NYC that provide similar approaches to the issues of sustainable cities and unemployment but this is the only one that addresses both and effectively. I believe this story needs to get more attention and should be expanded on a national level.