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Crypto power: Can solar boost cheap, green homes in S.Africa?

Kim Harrisberg

April 22, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa, Cape Town

Watergate Estate is working on two issues in South Africa: affordable housing and renewable energy. The housing development is installing solar panels for its residents that are being bought by people all over the world using cash or bitcoin as a way to offset their own carbon costs. Not everyone agrees that gated communities like this are helping to fight social inequalities, crime, and unemployment, but about 470 people bought solar cells for the apartment complex and some residents say they feel safer in their community.

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Pragmatic Housing Policies Considered

Jonathan L. Wharton

April 21, 2021 |

CTNewsJunkie |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Connecticut

A shortage of affordable housing options in Connecticut may be mitigated if proposals such as those in nearby states are implemented. New York and New Jersey require developers to set aside a certain percentage of new constructions for affordable housing and offer financial incentives that increase the supply of housing in neighborhoods that need them most. Vocational housing, which is income-based housing set aside specifically for public employees, allows teachers and officers to live in the neighborhood they serve. Transit-oriented development increases housing near existing transportation hubs.

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The Price Of Affordable Housing In Connecticut

Tom Kuser

April 19, 2021 |

WSHU Public Radio |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Connecticut

Innovative housing solutions in nearby states may help alleviate the lack of affordable housing in Connecticut. Vocational housing in New Jersey has enabled teachers and police officers to live in the areas they serve. Across the Northeast, housing has been built near transportation hubs in a policy known as transit-oriented development. Financial incentives for developers have also created housing in neighborhoods that need it most and mandatory quotas for every new construction project ensure a steady supply of new affordable housing.

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Is Seaweed The Key To Carbon Offsets?

Teresa Carey

April 17, 2021 |

Freethink |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Maine

Running Tide Technologies, a shellfish hatchery in Maine, is betting on kelp forests as a way to store carbon deep in the ocean and sell that carbon to corporations looking to combat climate change and offset their own emissions. The startup is growing mini-farms of kelp on biodegradable floats and after a few months, they sink to the seafloor. More research is needed to see if it works, but they already have about 1,600 floats adrift in the ocean and the e-commerce company Shopify is the first to buy carbon offsets from them.

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With phones and seeds, jobless Kenyans tackle illegal logging

Kagondu David Njagi

April 15, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Kwale

As a way to combat unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent further deforestation in Kenya, local rangers are using smartphones, satellite feeds, and global mapping to monitor their forests. The project employs more than 250 people and allows them to target vulnerable areas more effectively. Because of their efforts, there have been lower incidences of illegal logging and forest fires from poachers.

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Rivers of Milk, Islands of Prosperity

Lyudmila Maslova

April 13, 2021 |

Transitions Online |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ukraine, Andriyivka

A dairy cooperative in Ukraine has brought jobs to farmers in the region and allowed them to work together to sell their milk on the market. An international nonprofit helped the Andriyivka Prosperity cooperative get off the ground. While villagers were skeptical of joining at first, and there are still challenges with operating the cooperative, there are 129 members that sell their milk. “The cooperative has halted the extinction of the village, allowing young people to stay in their homelands and have jobs and a livelihood,” says one of the villagers.

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Green space in cities can bring considerable health benefits for communities, but access is unequal

Ambika Chawla

March 19, 2021 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Platte Farm Open Space used to be a garbage dumping ground in Denver, but it’s now an urban green space thanks to the efforts from community members, organizations, and the government. This community-led project was able to secure funding to replace the contaminated land with fresh soil that now attracts animals and includes walking paths and a playground for children. This project offers lessons on how to build a green space in a diverse neighborhood and the health benefits that come from such an initiative.

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How Jersey City Middle Schoolers Stopped a Flood

Phil Roberts

March 12, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Jersey City, New Jersey

In a science class in a local New Jersey school, students came up with a green solution to a storm water management and flooding problem in their parking lot when it rained. With help from the Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program out of Rutgers University and funding from city agencies, they were able to build planters and install concrete to absorb the runoff. The project galvanized the community, encouraging the school to expand their STEM curriculum.

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Midwest cities look to 'pay to move' programs to attract remote workers

Celisa Calacal

March 10, 2021 |

The Kansas City Beacon |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Topeka, Kansas

In a bid to revitalize the local economy, Topeka, Kansas is attracting residents through the Choose Topeka program. The city is paying up to $10,000 for remote workers who move to Topeka. Other Midwestern cities like Tulsa, Oklahoma, have successfully launched similar programs with a retention rate of 90 percent of applicants who stay beyond the first year. The program seeks to strengthen the economic and social fabric of the city.

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The magic greenhouse

Julie Ball

March 09, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Somalia

A greenhouse that is cooled by seawater and the wind is allowing farmers in Somaliland to grow crops like tomatoes and vegetables despite extreme heat. By creating an environment that is higher in humidity and cooler in temperature, plants don’t need to drink as much water — almost 10 times less water because of the cooling system. There are challenges to scaling the response, but these greenhouses offer farmers the potential to increase their revenue in Africa.

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