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The buildings heated by human warmth

Chermaine Lee

September 08, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Stockholm

Harnessing body heat provides energy-saving heating to commercial and residential buildings. The Stockholm Central station in Sweden and the Mall of America in Minnesota both capture body warmth to provide some of the buildings' heat. Each has over 100,000 daily visitors during non-coronavirus times, generating substantial heat that can be captured by energy-efficient construction. Body heat is also utilized in residential spaces, where thermal insulation helps keep the warmth inside. Using body heat requires energy-efficient building materials and generally cannot provide all of a building's heating needs.

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Inside the Student-Led Movement to Depolarize College

Gregory Scruggs

September 04, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

BridgeUSA is a student-led organization aiming to find what unites students across college campuses, who may hold opposing views. The organization started in Notre Dame and has spread to the University of California - Berkeley, Oregon State and many others. The model consists of hosting small group discussions on a variety of hot topics like immigration or police brutality and aims to help people find commonalities by engaging in empathic dialogue.

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Why Pennsylvania is ground zero for mail-in voting debate

Christa Case Bryant

September 04, 2020 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

Learning from the failures of the 2020 Pennsylvania primary, where a sharp increase in mail-in voting led to a 2-week delay in certifying election results and many ballots being invalidated, officials introduced a bill to address those problems. Anticipating 3 million mail-in presidential election ballots, the bill would allow mailed in ballots to be opened before election day, which is currently prohibited. The bill would also notify voters and allow them to prove their identity in the case of signature mismatches. While officials are optimistic, there is not much time left to pass and implement the bill.

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An Ohio county had the second-highest infant mortality rate in the nation. Then they started listening to Black moms.

Sarah Stankorb

September 03, 2020 |

The Lily |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cincinnati, Ohio

A local collaborative in Hamilton County, Ohio has reduced infant mortality by initiating regional educational campaigns and creating “sacred spaces” where Black women meet and learn how to become empowered to "tell the government what pregnant Black women needed." The program, which focused on three pilot neighborhoods and included leaders from the largest maternity systems in the county, resulted in the county recording the "lowest levels of infant mortality ever."

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Where Calling the Police Isn't the Only Option

Sarah Holder Kara Harris

September 03, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

As the "defund-the-police" campaign sparks interest in alternatives to police-only responses to crises involving mental illness or similar problems, cities as disparate as Eugene, Oregon, and Stockholm serve as exemplars of ways to handle thousands of calls per year without involving the police. Like Eugene's CAHOOTS program, Stockholm's Psykiatrisk Akut Mobilitet (PAM) sends mental health and medical professionals to help people suffering mental crises. Now Oakland, Portland, Denver, New York, and other cities are exploring how to customize such programs to their own communities' needs.

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Work obsessed Japanese learn to take it easy, with a ‘workation'

Julian Ryall

September 02, 2020 |

South China Morning Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan

The Japanese government is embracing the idea of "workation" trips for employees across industries as a means to "help the travel industry and keep the economy ticking" as the country moves forward in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Discounts for various travel resources have encouraged 4.2 million people to try out the idea which has been made even more feasible due to the widespread adoption of remote teleworking.

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Can we harness the Arctic's methane for energy?

Amy Yee

September 01, 2020 |

Arctic Today |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Rwanda

Alternative energy systems in Africa could help inform how to trap methane in the Arctic. Due to permafrost thawing and glaciers melting, methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, is leaking into the atmosphere. In Rwanda, a lake-based methane power plant extracts methane from the water and turns it into electricity. But questions remain about how similar systems and infrastructure could work in the Arctic landscape.

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Should U.S. look to UK's single-payer National Health Service for next health care moves?

William Brangham

September 01, 2020 |

PBS NewsHour |

Broadcast TV Programs |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United Kingdom

The United Kingdom's single-payer health insurance system, known as the National Health Service, has helped citizens obtain the essential care they need without having to worry about the cost of the care. While the model has shown proven success in reducing overall health costs and increasing positive health outcomes, some citizens say that care can be delayed due to demand, which leads them to pursue supplemental insurance.

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How Philadelphia Has Tried to Address Water Debt

Emily Nonko

September 01, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

An income-based payment structure has alleviated water debt in Philadelphia. Decreasing federal aid to municipal water utilities in conjunction with rising costs associated with climate change has increased the cost of water, making it unaffordable for many. Philadelphia created an income-based program, which caps water bills at three percent of income. The Tiered Assistance Program, or TAP, also provides debt elimination for those who make their minimum payments. Advocates have successfully pushed for similar reforms in Baltimore.

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A clever way to provide life-saving oxygen

Craig Langran

August 27, 2020 |

BBC |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Uganda

A hospital in Uganda is using a new device created by scientists that produces oxygen without the use of electricity. Since the device has been introduced, 500 children have been treated with it and the mortality for children who have faced breathing problems has been reduced drastically.

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