7 hopeful climate stories from around the world

http://www.cgdev.org/blog/7-hopeful-climate-stories-around-globe

Jonah Busch

Center for Global Development

20 April 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

Evidence continues to build that humans are contributing to a climate change issue that is nothing but bad news for the planet. Hopeful stories from seven countries, including India, Indonesia, and China, show that efforts to combat climate change might finally be working.

Africa's quiet solar revolution

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2015/0125/Africa-s-quiet-solar-revolution

Lorena Galliot

Christian Science Monitor

25 January 2015

Text / Over 3000 Words

Electricity is hard to come by in much of Africa. Now, skipping over the fossil fuel age, solar panels are bringing a cheap form of electricity to the continent.

A Light in India

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/a-light-in-india

David Bornstein

The New York Times

10 January 2011

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Access to electricity in India takes a huge economic, educational, and health-related toll. A small company called Husk Power Systems has created an innovative system that is turning rice husks into electricity and illuminating India’s poorest state.

Bill Gates Can't Build a Toilet

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/opinion/bill-gates-cant-build-a-toilet.html

Jason Kass

The New York Times

18 November 2013

Text / 800-1500 Words

Ecological toilets that use natural composting to break down waste are simple to construct, waterless and are easy to fix. But as philanthropists are finding, getting these to those that need it most is harder than anticipated.

‘Waste' Fuels Scientists' Efforts

http://www.journalismwithoutwalls.com/kenya2013/?p=635

Dipti Kumar

Michael Ruiz

Ansa Varughese

Journalism Without Walls

3 February 2013

Video / 3-5 Minutes

In order to hunt for the oldest fossils in Africa, scientists needed to produce alternative forms of energy to allow them to live in these desert regions. One such project is the gasifier, which turns discarded doum palm nuts into energy.

Can Free College Save American Cities?

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/04/kalamazoo-the-promise-save-american-cities-105366.html#.VYmmCflViko

Cassie Walker Burke

Politico

3 April 2014

Text / Over 3000 Words

Huge numbers of students lack the chance to go to college because of financial problems. Recently, Kalamazoo schools received more funding allowing them to have the chance to help and pay for students to then go to college and receive a higher education.

Can We Fix the Climate by Being More Like Hawaii?

http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/09/29/Fix-Climate-Hawaii

Geoff Dembicki

The Tyee

29 September 2014

Text / 1500-3000 Words

Amidst a world struggling with smart ways to confront climate change, Hawaii's 2050 Plan for sustainability is working to be a model for the rest of the world. So far, it is on it's way to being a leader in solar energy, with Honolulu having the most "solar panels per capita than any other North American city," and the state is working to produce more food locally, as well.

Charter school takeovers: As York schools near privatization, lessons from New Orleans and Michigan

http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/01/busted_unions_and_broken_promi.html

Daniel Simmons-Ritchie

PennLive

12 January 2015

Text / 800-1500 Words

York schools are considering changing public schools into charter schools, following the example of New Orleans and Michigan, in order to help their crumbling school system. The privatization of these schools can help the facilities become more financially stable, in turn preventing school closures and instability for their students.

Climate Change Mitigation's best-kept secret

http://ensia.com/features/climate-change-mitigations-best-kept-secret

Jim Motavalli

Ensia

6 January 2015

Text / 1500-3000 Words

The breakdown of the ozone layer is one of the most well-known effects of climate change. Citizens enact different ways to protect the atmosphere from a build up of methane gas.

Crime and blight still remain

http://www.fayobserver.com/article/20140222/News/302229724

Greg Barnes

Fayetteville Observer

22 February 2014

Text / 800-1500 Words

Civic leaders in the U.S. struggle to effectively help their distressed neighborhoods. East Lake, Atlanta, created a replicable model that mixes residents of differing socio-economic status, and focuses on education and health in the area.