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The Feat in Hojancha, the Town that Lost its Forest

Noelia Esquivel

January 21, 2019 |

La Voz de Guanacaste |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica, Hojancha, Guanacaste

In 1976, the Costa Rican city Hojancha preserved only 2% of its land as forest, and as a result their water supply (the Río Nosara river basin) dried up from the lack of vegetation. Sixteen years into the crisis, two friends conceived and ran an initiative to reforest the land by asking every family in the city to donate ¢1,000 a month until they could buy back the land in full from the ranchers who owned it. Now, the land is thriving again, though the project of regrowing the forest continues still today.

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San Francisco gives kindergartners free money for college. Could it work statewide?

Felicia Mello

January 20, 2019 |

CalMatters |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In San Francisco, every kindergarten enrolled in public school gets a college savings account that their families can contribute to. The program is encouraging more families to think of college as a reality and teaching kids saving habits, though, without a full understanding of the intentions, some parents are weary of the accounts.

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This Woman Is Using Her Platform To Uplift Black Artists

Brittney Oliver

January 16, 2019 |

Essence |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Memphis, Tennessee

Creating new platforms allows underrepresented and often "tokenized" artists to drive their own narrative. To address the lack of representation of Black artists in legacy institutions, an art nonprofit in Memphis, The Collective (CLTV), empowers Black artists by creating an organization that reflects the community at large. In addition to grants and stipends, the CLTV relies on support from the community and donors to remain financially independent.

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How high-tech agriculture is transforming the fortunes of Nigerian rice farmers

Olivia Cuthbert

January 16, 2019 |

The Telegraph |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Kebbi

New planting and harvesting techniques and improved seeds are transforming farmers' fortunes and boosting harvests in Nigeria, where rice is a staple food but local supply fails to keep up with high demand. Farmers are also relying on agriculture apps like RiceAdvice and WeedManager, which quickly determine fertilizer quantities and identify harmful weeds.

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Has New York Found the Secret to Linking Retiring Farmers and Eager Upstarts?

Lisa Held

January 08, 2019 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

Connecting new farmers to community partners facilitates the process of buying and selling land. In addition to linking buyers and sellers, the Hudson Valley Farmlink Network (HVFN) enrolls local organizations such as GrowNYC’s FARMroots program, the Hudson Valley AgriBusiness Corporation, as well as micro lenders to make the sale of the land possible. The network increases the resources available to farmers in New York.

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No Tuition, but You Pay a Percentage of Your Income (if You Find a Job)

Andrew Ross Sorkin

January 08, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

At Lambda School, students pay nothing up front, with the understanding that they will contribute a set percentage of their future salaries to the school's operating costs. Now, Lambda is experimenting with expanding the Income Share Agreement model from its current coding focus to a broader range of disciplines, such as nursing and cybersecurity and traditional four-year college majors.

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Where the Rainforest Meets the Road

Kate Schimel

January 08, 2019 |

bioGraphic |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Papua New Guinea

In northeastern Papua New Guinea, community leaders and the government set aside 360,000 hectares of the Managalas Plateau as a protected conservation area in 2017. The project has strong local support. But facing destructive resource extraction and land use, conservation's longevity hangs on whether the community can create markets for sustainable agriculture, as well as workable infrastructure.

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Oregon Promise: How Oregon makes college possible for low-income and first-generation students

Ryan Nguyen

January 07, 2019 |

Daily Emerald |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

The Oregon Promise, which will pay a portion of an in-state student's tuition towards one of Oregon's community colleges, has been a game changer for some undocumented, first-generation, and low-income students. While the program still has kinks to iron out and has not proven the right fit for all students, it has made higher education a reality for many students who didn't formerly think pursuing education beyond high school was a realistic option.

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Dutch eco initiative halves energy bills in first UK homes

Adam Vaughan

January 07, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Nottingham, England

By piloting a Dutch initiative to make homes more energy efficient with new windows and solar panels in the United Kingdom, tenants are seeing their monthly energy bills decrease by almost half. More than 150 social housing homes in Nottingham are testing the “Energiesprong” approach, which has already seen success in the Netherlands.

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To Fight Blight, One City Turned to Courts

J. Brian Charles

December 21, 2018 |

Governing |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Petersburg, Florida

An initiative in St. Petersburg has reduced the number of vacant houses while increasing access to affordable housing. The city takes ownership of vacant lots and abandoned homes, then sells the properties to affordable housing developers or auctions them off. The initiative helps make land cheap enough to build affordable housing.

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