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Using financial incentives ×
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Can Green License Plates Help Plug Electric Cars?

CityLab

Feargus O'Sullivan

25 October 2019

London, United Kingdom

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800-1500 Words

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The United Kingdom has started cracking down on high-emission vehicle drivers by creating restricted zones that fine drivers of cars that emit a designated amount of pollution into the air; the carbon emissions in thi...

Erie Hit ‘Rock Bottom.' The Former Factory Hub Thinks It Has a Way Out.

Wall Street Journal

Ruth Simon

Kris Maher

7 October 2019

Erie, Pennsylvania, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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Erie, Pennsylvania uses creative financial incentives for companies and businesses that invest capital gains in low-income areas of the city in order to pull itself out of economic hardship caused by the decrease in i...

Do plastic bag taxes or bans curb waste? 400 cities and states tried it out.

Vox

Matthew Zeitlin

27 August 2019

Chicago, Illinois, United States

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800-1500 Words

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Across the world, countries are reckoning with its astounding single-use plastic bag waste by instituting legislation that taxes or all-out bans them. Research has shown that taxing the bags has been a more effective ...

West Marin tenants benefit from second-unit program

Marin Independent Journal

Richard Halstead

24 August 2019

Marin, California, United States

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A program run by the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin uses government vouchers to encourage landlords to create additional affordable housing units with extra rooms in their home. The program, which prim...

Rural Western States Work Together to Tackle Physician Shortages

U.S. News & World Report

Casey Leins

21 August 2019

Laramie, Wyoming, United States

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800-1500 Words

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Building networks of physicians in rural areas helps reduce shortages of healthcare specialists. A partnership between Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana, known collectively as WWAMI, brings doctors to th...

New Texas nonprofit offers novel approach for preserving coastal lands, combating global warming

Houston Chronicle

Perla Trevizo

HUB MEMBER

14 August 2019

Sargent, Texas, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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To protect the natural lands of the Texas coast and battle climate change, a new nonprofit is working to create a carbon dioxide storage program in partnership with private landowners. The innovative models give lando...

Gun owners in New Zealand voluntarily surrender more than 10,000 firearms

CNN

Julia Hollingsworth

12 August 2019

Wellington, New Zealand

Multi-Media

Under 800 Words

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Since July 2019, New Zealand has held gun buybacks across the country and collected over 10,000 firearms. After a mass shooting at Christchurch mosque, the government rushed through legislation to ban semi-automatic a...

New Zealand gun buyback: 10,000 firearms returned after Christchurch attack

The Guardian

Eleanor Ainge Roy

11 August 2019

New Zealand

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Under 800 Words

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A month after a mass shooting at New Zealand’s Christchurch mosque, New Zealand’s government has bought back over 10,000 firearms. The country passed legislation banning automatic and semi-automatic weapons a month af...

'You bring your gun, we ask no questions': The history of gun buybacks in Kansas City and Missouri

KSHB

Cat Reid

5 August 2019

Kansas City, Missouri, United States

Multi-Media

3-5 Minutes

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As Kansas City tries to decrease violent crime in the area, it looks to a decades-old initiative that may have worked in the past: gun buybacks. Such a response was first tried in 1994, and saw a decline in homicides ...

Doctors in Debt: These Physicians Gladly Struck a Deal With California

The New York Times

Emily S. Rueb

Karen Zraick

25 July 2019

California, United States

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800-1500 Words

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California is offering up to $300,000 of debt relief to doctors who accept Medicaid in an attempt to incentivize physicians to move to the state and serve low-income communities. The program is funded through revenue...

Rural Michigan needs doctors. Paying their debts may be an answer

Bridge Magazine

Robin Erb

22 July 2019

Grant, Michigan, United States

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A state-funded loan repayment program makes Michigan stand out in a competitive market for doctors and health care professionals. To help reduce the shortfall of healthcare professionals in underserved, rural communit...

Hartford's largest nonprofits contribute more

Hartford Business Journal

Matt Pilon

8 July 2019

Hartford, Connecticut, United States

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800-1500 Words

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Hartford, Connecticut looks to Boston as an example of a city that has succeeded in establishing a connection between nonprofits - who can donate payments to the city that are exempt from property taxes - and the loca...

What about city spending?

Hartford Business Journal

Matt Pilon

Greg Bordonaro

8 July 2019

Hartford, Connecticut, United States

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Under 800 Words

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Hartford, Connecticut has made significant cuts to city spending in an effort to ensure the revenue they get from taxes goes further. The mayor ensured tight spending by working with local union groups, ceasing new bo...

Alternative revenue sources could bolster city budget, lower mill rate

Hartford Business Journal

Matt Pilon

Gregory Seay

8 July 2019

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

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800-1500 Words

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Hartford looks to local governments nearby that have found success in the adoption of creative taxation, from restaurant meal taxes to taxes levied on hotel stays. Massachusetts, which has raised significant funds fro...

As Massachusetts looks to boost electric vehicle adoption, Norway offers a model

Energy News Network

Sarah Shemkus

HUB MEMBER

17 June 2019

Oslo, Norway

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800-1500 Words

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Financial incentives in Norway have contributed in a huge switch to electric vehicles. By eliminating certain taxes and tolls, drivers of electric vehicles reap financial benefits. Improved infrastructure in recent ye...

A South Burlington Nonprofit Aims to Recycle Every Tennis Ball in America

Seven Days

Ken Picard

HUB MEMBER

12 June 2019

South Burlington, Vermont, United States

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800-1500 Words

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The Vermont nonprofit, RecycleBalls, has partnered with over 950 tennis facilities to collect and recycle used tennis balls. The organization has collected more than 1.7 million thus far, and using a processor is able...

These voters are using democracy vouchers to influence Seattle's City Council races

The Seattle Times

Daniel Beekman

12 June 2019

Seattle, Washington, United States

Multi-Media

1500-3000 Words

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In Seattle, taxpayers are funding a program called democracy vouchers, in which registered voters and other eligible residents receive $25 vouchers that they can contribute toward city council races. In this program u...

The latest YouTube craze? Videos that show you what it's like to live in prison.

Washington Post

Peter Holley

3 June 2019

Chesapeake, Virginia, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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As former inmates face the immense challenge of finding employment post-incarceration, some have turned to YouTube as a way of turning their stories into financial security. With just a handful of prison channels garn...

Luring Refugees: N.Y. Cities Desperate for People Try a New Strategy

The New York Times

Christina Goldbaum

13 May 2019

Utica, New York, United States

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800-1500 Words

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Places like Utica, New York are working to convince refugees and new immigrants to move to their cities to stimulate the local economy and counteract population decline over the decades. Through more comprehensive ser...

State of decay: How Maine's dentists get help to practice in underserved areas

WGME

David Singer

2 May 2019

Portland, Maine, United States

Broadcast TV News

3-5 Minutes

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Rural areas of Maine were being underserved when it came to dental hygiene, so the state opened a dental college and a loan repayment program in order to increase the amount of industry professionals. Since opening, t...

In Uganda, Threatened Chimps Find Protection in Former Poachers

Undark

Michele Catanzaro

1 May 2019

Budongo forest, Uganda

Multi-Media

Under 800 Words

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In Western Uganda’s Budongo forest, the Budongo Conservation Field Station is saving chimpanzees by giving poachers the opportunity to do something different. The organization operates on two levels: First, employing ...

One overlooked way to fight climate change? Dispose of old CFCs.

National Geographic

Juli Berwald

29 April 2019

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Multi-Media

1500-3000 Words

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Banned refrigerants called CFCs are being cleaned up and recycled to help offset climate change. The refrigerants were banned decades ago as part of the Montreal Protocol due to the extremely destructive effects they ...

Paying and Scraping in Pursuit of Zero Waste

Next City

James A. Anderson

22 April 2019

Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

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Over 3000 Words

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Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) is a model that charges residents of a given city for the trash they throw away, aiming to spur people to decrease the amount of waste they dispose. Acting like a utility payment, this model ha...

Can Community Investment Trusts Help Slow Down Gentrification?

Pacific Standard

Brendan Seibel

15 April 2019

Portland, Oregon, United States

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1500-3000 Words

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In East Portland, Oregon, a new Community Investment Trust is working to ensure that low-income residents have the opportunity to build equity by investing in their real estate. The program is limited to four zip code...

As Climate Change Depletes Forests, One Of India's Greenest States Turns To Its People

IndiaSpend

Disha Shetty

23 March 2019

Mawphlang, Meghalaya, India

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1500-3000 Words

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In 2007 a program in Meghalaya, India called The Khasi Hills Community REDD+ Project was created to bring together the community members in an agreement to protect the sacred groves there. This was part of the larger ...

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Photos Credits

Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:

Fondriest Environmental, David De Wit / Community Eye Health, Linda Steil / Herald Post, John Amis / UGA College of Ag & Environmental Sciences – OCCS, Andy B, Peter Garnhum, Thomas Hawk, 7ty9, Isriya Paireepairit, David Berger, UnLtd The Foundation For Social Entrepreneurs, Michael Dunne, Burak Kebapci, and Forrest Berkshire / U.S. Army Cadet Command public affairs

Photos are licensed under Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license, and are credited to the following photographers:

Ra'ed Qutena, 段 文慶, Fabio Campo, City Clock Magazine, Justin Norman, scarlatti2004, Gary Simmons, Kathryn McCallum, and Nearsoft Inc

Photos are licensed under CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication Creative Commons license / Desaturated from original, and are credited to the following photographers:

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Photos are licensed under Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) and are credited to the US Army Corps of Engineers.

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Photo Credit: Kevork Djansezian via Getty Images

Photo Credit: Sonia Narang