Freethink
28 October 2020
Text / 1500-3000 Words
New Hampshire, United States
Co-ops that have historically brought electricity and telephone services to rural America are now providing internet service, which many consider essential for health care access, education and employment. Broadband companies don't make a profit when covering a large area with limited households per mile so co-ops have filled the need. Many co-ops are tapping into federal funds from the CARES Act to invest in the infrastructure needed to bring high-speed, affordable internet to rural areas.
http://wwno.org/post/delta-blues-part-2-when-life-give-you-saltwater-make-shrimp-ponds
Eve Troeh
New Orleans Public Radio (WWNO)
29 January 2015
Radio / 5-15 Minutes
Farmers in Vietnam face rising sea levels but rejected the city's water engineering projects. They prefer gradual measures to cope with climate change so scientists have allowed the farmers to steer the conversation.
http://wwno.org/post/delta-blues-part-3-better-together
Eve Troeh
Jesse Hardman
New Orleans Public Radio (WWNO)
5 February 2015
Radio / 5-15 Minutes
Louisiana and Vietnam both need affordable solutions to rising sea levels. Leaders from Vietnam visited Louisiana to compare ideas.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/doing-more-than-praying-for-rain
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
9 May 2011
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Most insurance companies avoid insuring poor farmers because the transaction costs are too high, but a non-profit in Kenya created a sustainable way to cover them.
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/filling-the-gap-between-farm-and-fair-trade
David Bornstein
The New York Times
25 October 2010
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The non-profit RootCaptital created a lending initiative in Mexico which helps mid-size rural farmers gain access to capital, skills, and consumer markets from which they would otherwise be excluded.
https://medium.com/bright/five-cheap-ways-tech-is-transforming-classrooms-3f0530f0c1b0
Alex Madison
Bright Magazine
6 May 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Low budget schools across the U.S. are having students use their smartphones as learning tools inside and outside the classroom. At no extra cost they can incorporate technology into the curriculum through a myriad of applications, from homework reminder apps to free cloud document platforms like Google Docs.
http://www.voanews.com/content/in-bangladesh-floating-farms-overcome-monsoon-rains/2529049.html
Amy Yee
Voice of America (VOA)
21 November 2014
Text / Under 800 Words
During rain seasons in Bangladesh, rivers flooded villages and their agriculture so that local economies and food supplies were in jeopardy. A Bangladeshi non-profit Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha introduced small floating farms designed to be run by women. Consequently, the organization has initiated 40 floating farms that serve 300 rural women and save local agriculture.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/14/illuminating-thoughts-on-power
David Bornstein
The New York Times
14 January 2011
Text / 800-1500 Words
A follow-up article on Husk Power Systems, which has created a scalable system to turn rice husks into electricity that is reliable, eco-friendly and affordable for families in India. The company bases their business model around local involvement, grassroots systems that cater to the immediate community, and continual accountability. This article fills in some information gaps from the initial piece, "Fixes: A Light in India."
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/04/how-to-grow-a-social-business
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
4 February 2011
Text / 800-1500 Words
Two columns on microconsignment, a new variation on microcredit that helps poor people living in developing countries - particularly women in rural villages - start small social businesses without taking on debt or requiring previous business skills. The organization, Soluciones Comunitarias, partners with a non-profit and a university student program to manage the supply chain and other components of the business necessary to support the social entrepreneurs in successful micro-ventures.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/18/health-care-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance
David Bornstein
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
18 October 2010
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In a mountainous region of Lesotho, a man named Tsepo Kotelo visits 20 villages every week on his new motorcycle to provide health care to local villagers. The Elton John AIDS Foundation gifted the motorcycles to Kotelo and his colleagues, allowing them to increase the number of patients they visit by 600 percent. An organization called Riders for Health helps maintain the bikes, ensuring that remote villages will continue to receive medical care.
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.
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