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This startup lets villagers create mini power grids for their neighbors

Adele Peters

September 28, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh, Shikarpur

Solshare, a fast-growing startup in Bangladesh, created a system in which “neighbors can sell extra electricity to each other.” The number of home solar panels has been increasing since a 2014 government program put solar power as a priority on its agenda. Even though more and more people have power, up to 30% is estimated to be wasted. Solshare created a microgrid in which cabling connects people who want to buy and sell power.

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Here's What Investing in Economic Justice Looks Like

Oscar Perry Abello

September 28, 2018 |

Next City |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montgomery, Alabama

Hope Credit Union has a mission: serving mostly black, marginalized communities in the South whose capital was historically displaced through slavery. In 2017, the credit union gave out $100 million in loans. ‘That total includes 61 business loans, 2,825 consumer loans, and 287 home mortgages, of which 87 percent went to first-time homebuyers.”

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Forget autonomous cars — rural Japan is betting on self-driving buses

Fergus Peace

September 25, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan

Japan is taking major steps to putting autonomous buses on the roads in rural areas because there is a need for reliable transportation and not enough funding as more young people move to the cities. It has the potential to save labor costs and provide more reliable transportation options while delivering necessary data to companies looking to expand driverless technology. However, this also requires more detailed mapping, which is often not available for smaller and more rural roads.

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A Boost for the Worker-Owned Economy

Fran Korten

September 25, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Over two million baby boomers own their own companies, and with retirement looming, the government stepped in with a solution. A portion of a 2018 federal bill included language that will push the Small Business Administration to help baby boomers transition ownership of their companies to their employees if they wish. This will mitigate job loss often associated with a retiring business owner putting the company up for sale. Employee owners on average make a higher salary and have higher job stability, supporting the idea that employee ownership is beneficial for everyone involved, as well as for the econom

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In Sweden, Trash Heats Homes, Powers Buses and Fuels Taxi Fleets

Amy Yee

September 21, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Linköping

In Sweden, waste is not just waste, or so the country explains with a total of 34 waste-to-energy power plants that turn garbage into electricity. With an already staggering low percentage of waste ending up in landfills, 50 percent of the portion that does is transformed into energy through an incineration process that plays a large part in heating many homes throughout the winter.

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Rooftop farming: why vertical gardening is blooming in Kampala

Nils Adler

September 19, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Kampala

As the population of urban areas in Uganda grows, many farmers are finding that they are running out of space to cultivate successful business in agriculture. One solution that has surfaced has been to build up instead of out.

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As legal cannabis comes to Canada, communities welcome accompanying job boom

Sara Miller Llana

September 19, 2018 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Kincardine, Ontario

In Canada, where the legalization of marijuana will become official in mid-October, some towns are gearing up by creating employment opportunities related to the now burgeoning industry. The so-called "green rush" is expected to lift up a new class of entrepreneurs and investors, but there are still many unknowns that might hinder success.

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Lango women find wealth in shea tree

Bill Oketch

September 19, 2018 |

Daily Monitor |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Otuke

In a town in Uganda, women are taking control of their financial stability by joining together to market shea butter. Through a team effort, the women are able to make and sell lotion, bathing soap, edible oil and jelly from the shea butter they harvest from the local forest. This has allowed the women to both educate and provide housing for their families.

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Nosara Firefighters Manage to Respond to 260 Emergencies This Year With Their Cell Phones

Noelia Esquivel

September 18, 2018 |

La Voz de Guanacaste |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica, Nosara

In Costa Rica, a group of volunteer firefighters use donated equipment, gear, and their own cell phones to fill in a big gap in emergency services. More residents are now accustomed to calling them directly for fires and other emergencies, and the community supports them financially. The firefighters are trying to integrate their work into the country's emergency alert system and to build their own fire station.

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The Movement for Urban Tree Expansion Is Growing

Maria Dolan

September 18, 2018 |

Pacific Standard |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Austin, Texas and King County, Washington are both participating in a new experiment by non-profit City Forest Credits (CFC) that uses creative financing to fund green spaces and tree-planting in cities. More specifically, CFC is piloting a new way that private entities can "offset their carbon emissions by buying credits for tree planting or preservation." Although the work is costly at the beginning, organizers hope the public benefits of more urban trees will make the program a worthy investment.

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