A Better Way to Talk About Faith

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/12/a-better-way-to-talk-about-faith

David Bornstein

The New York Times

12 June 2012

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Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) brings together college students from different faiths so that they develop respect and appreciation for each other and different traditions. IFYC also cultivates interfaith leaders and organizes campus-based campaigns called Better Together. Some students have received push back from their faith communities, but students and faculty have reported the campaigns for interfaith engagement leads to positive outcomes of increasing tolerance on campuses. The organization has trained students who have run campaigns on 106 campuses.

Conquering Food Deserts With Green Carts

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/conquering-food-deserts-with-green-carts

David Bornstein

The New York Times

18 April 2012

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Programs to get fresh produce carts to areas with no access to healthy food work best when government and determined entrepreneurs team up. Success from this model is evident in New York City, where the city has incentivized the selling of fruits and vegetables by street vendors in areas that are in the most need of the produce.

Former Black Panther Launches Oakland Urban Farm to Give Ex-Prisoners a Fresh Start

http://civileats.com/2015/09/09/former-black-panther-launches-oakland-urban-farm-to-give-ex-prisoners-a-fresh-start

Sarah Henry

Civil Eats

9 September 2015

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After incarceration, Black men and women have a difficult time re-integrating into society without financial and educational resources. A former Black Panther activist has created the non-profit Oakland &the World Enterprises to offer an urban farm as a prisoner re-entry program and community center. The Oakland project supports self-sufficiency, self-determination, and empowerment for Black people.

Growing A Solution To California's Groundwater Crisis

http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2014/08/06/growing-a-solution-to-californias-groundwater-crisis

Peyton Fleming

National Geographic

6 August 2014

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Due to drought and water shortage in California's Central Coast, community members collaborate with local government to create better water usage systems from runoff and to recycle waste water in order to irrigate crops.

Land, Co-ops, Compost: A Local Food Economy Emerges in Boston's Poorest Neighborhoods

http://www.yesmagazine.org/commonomics/boston-s-emerging-food-economy

Penn Loh

Yes! Magazine

7 November 2014

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By the 1980s, Roxbury and north Dorchester had been devastated by the disinvestment and white flight of the 1960s and 1970s. Racist banking and housing policies (“redlining”) had segregated people of color from opportunity, barring them from getting home loans except in certain neighborhoods. So the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) brought together residents to develop their own comprehensive plan to revitalize their community, building a community food system along the way.

Nudging Detroit: Program Doubles Food Stamp Bucks In Grocery Stores

http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/06/13/191427746/nudging-detroit-program-doubles-food-stamp-bucks-in-grocery-stores

Eliza Barclay

NPR

14 June 2013

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Organizations in Detroit are piloting a program to apply food stamp credits in grocery stores towards the purchase of nutritious produce, in order to increase access to healthy items. The initiative can also help the local economy prosper through increased promotion of locally grown produce.

How the Local Food Economy Is Challenging Big Food

http://nextcity.org/features/view/how-the-local-food-economy-is-challenging-big-food

Tracie McMillan

Next City

14 April 2014

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In an agricultural system designed for big-industrial growers, many farmers struggle to bridge the relationship between their produce and consumers, as well as strengthening local economies. The food hub is a collection of buildings that process and distribute the sale of local food. Eastern Market in Detroit is an example of a food hub that makes local produce accessible to low-income neighborhoods.

How the Fastest-Warming City in the Country Is Cooling Off

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/12/louisville-heat-tree-cover-113424.html#.VYmlw_lViko

Erica Peterson

Politico

9 December 2014

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Although residents turn up their air conditioners, Louisville heat is increasing the city’s death rate by 39 people every year. The city mayor launched a tree commission for planting more trees and since 2011 has planted over 12,000 trees. The canopies from the tree offer cooling shade and bring down the temperature of the city as a whole. The response also includes the installation of green roofs and in-depth research on urban heat islands.

How to Build a Better Neighborhood

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/18/how-to-build-a-better-neighborhood

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

18 June 2014

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The Oak Cliff neighborhood in Dallas suffered from recession-closed businesses and crime. Then community members used placemaking, in which people shaped their own environment to improve the quality of life, and the concept of Build a Better Block, which was a pop-up event showcasing art, food, music, and local faire. The idea gives citizens a fresh look at the possibilities through which to transform the space in which they live, and it has attracted attention across the country and around the world.

This Isn't Your Average Home Ec Class

https://medium.com/bright/this-isn-t-your-average-home-ec-class-41d74f4f432b

Bridey Heing

Bright Magazine

30 June 2015

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Culinary and agricultural education can sometimes take a backseat to the more academic side of high school. But Blue Hill is teaching high school students the importance of healthy cooking and home grown produce through a cooking class that was recently instituted in Manhattan high schools.