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Fridge detectives

Jo Mathys Tom Heap

August 31, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Guatemala

In the first half of this episode, the producers discuss "Tradewaters," an organization that disposes of canisters inside refrigerators. These canisters hold potent greenhouse gases. One 30-pound canister can leak up to 131 tons of Co2, or a year's worth of driving for 54 cars. The organization disposes of thousands of canisters across Central America, Chile, South Africa, and India. The practice of disposing of these canisters saves between one to two percent of global Co2 emissions, according to estimates.

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Virginia project helps low-income homeowners ditch fossil fuels

Elizabeth McGowan

August 30, 2021 |

Energy News Network |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Charlottesville, Virginia

Two organizations partnered to help eight low-income households convert their homes to become all-electric in Virginia. It entailed replacing fossil-fuel based heating and cooling systems like stoves and water coolers with electric ones. Some of the households saw a reduction in their utility bills. Organizers estimate that over the course of 20 years the changes will result in the households avoiding the emission of over 2 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

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Model homes: Sixteen years on it's time to learn lessons from post-Katrina housing initiatives

Sarah Ravits

August 23, 2021 |

Gambit |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Various initiatives in New Orleans have created affordable housing in New Orleans specifically for musicians and artists as a way to both provide housing and revitalize neighborhoods after the widespread damage from Hurricane Katrina. “Artists are creative, they care about their neighborhood and other people follow. It's kind of a no-brainer.”

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How a handful of Iowa towns thrive, rise above rural decline

Lyle Muller Pat Kinney

August 17, 2021 |

IowaWatch |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Iowa

A few small towns in Iowa have seen an increase in their populations despite the opposite trend across the state. An investigation by IowaWatch of 58 towns showed the services and amenities that were common in those towns: vibrant arts scene, health care, child care, infrastructure for reliable internet access as well as roads, strong schools, safety, and a sense of community, among other factors.

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The Car Crashes That Go Undetected

Laura Bliss

July 15, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

The Vision Zero program many cities use to reduce traffic deaths depends on data to inform where to target safety measures like redesigned streets and speed limits. But, when significant numbers of crashes, particularly involving pedestrians and bicycles, go missing in the data, the interventions miss the problems. Racial disparities in unreported crashes or unresponsive police mean that the problems are compounded in under-served areas. Data improvements in D.C., San Francisco, and other cities aim to fill the gaps so that the benefits of Vision Zero can extend to places where they're needed most.

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Keeping People Out of Jail Keeps People Out of Jail

David Byrne

July 12, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

When prosecutors in Boston and Baltimore stopped prosecuting certain non-violent, minor offenses, crime of all sorts, from minor to violent, went down. Getting prosecuted and jailed can in itself increase the probability that people will get in more trouble. When their mistakes are not compounded by an arrest record that limits their job and housing prospects, they are apt to stay out of trouble. The prosecutors and research found that simply excluding cases of non-violent, minor drug possession, disorderly conduct, shoplifting from the system does not encourage more crime; probably the opposite.

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Could miniature forests help air-condition cities?

The Economist

July 03, 2021 |

The Economist |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan

The Miyawaki method of planting miniature natural forests in cities as a way to reduce air pollution and cool down temperatures is gaining ground throughout the world. The process involves planting a variety of trees in a particular way that allows for them to grow rapidly. While this method is very labor intensive and can be difficult to scale, there are more than 1,500 of these types of forests in Japan, India, and Pakistan.

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How Creative Thinkers Are Reinventing Local News in the Midwest

Mark Jacob

June 21, 2021 |

Medill Local News Initiative |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

Local news is undergoing a transformation in order to stay viable. Innovations in the local journalism industry in Akron, Ohio, have resulted in a variety of solutions from niche newsletters, to solutions journalism newsrooms, and even a news outlet owned by the readers it serves.

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ShotSpotter tech eyed as possible tool in gun violence prevention

Maria McGinnis

June 21, 2021 |

The Land |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

An audio alert service called ShotSpotter uses audio sensors and algorithms to detect gunfire and report it to the Cleveland police. The technology is helping to bridge the gap in unreported gunfire in the city.

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Western's sexual assault prevention program is up for renewal — does the online training do more harm than good?

Lauren Gallup Makenna Marks Payton Gift

June 14, 2021 |

The Front |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Bellingham, Washington

Research shows that online training isn’t successful at changing attitudes or beliefs on sexual assault. This article takes an in-depth look at EverFi, an online sexual assault module that students at Western Washington University are required to take. The program is used at 1,300 other institutions. Researchers recommend programs that target specific individuals. Other methods that have been successful include implementing activities like group discussions, lectures, and policy changes. The programs should also take a long time to complete, for example, a semester-long training versus the few minutes,

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