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Can Green License Plates Help Plug Electric Cars?

Feargus O'Sullivan

October 25, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

The United Kingdom has started cracking down on high-emission vehicle drivers by creating restricted zones that fine drivers of cars that emit a designated amount of pollution into the air; the carbon emissions in this type of zone in London has decreased by more than a third in six months. Now, the U.K. is taking their sustainability initiative a step further by labeling low-emission cars with green license plates that allow them to be easily recognized - and rewarded.

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Amador County builds community college pipeline for mental health workers

Sammy Caiola

October 15, 2019 |

CalMatters |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Amador County, California

To increase the number of mental health professionals in Amador County, California, the county has created an online program that culminates in a certificate or associate degree in human services. Preference to this small program is offered first to those that have personal experience with mental health issues, which adds an element of peer support to their skillset.

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City Campaign Finance System Charts Path—and Highlights Challenges—for State Reform

Kate Pastor

October 09, 2019 |

City Limits |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York City's campaign finance system has offered a blueprint for a similar statewide system. Since it was implemented, the city's campaign finance program, which awards public funds up to a certain limit to candidates, has helped grassroots candidates launch competitive campaigns against entrenched, deep-pocketed opponents.

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Erie Hit ‘Rock Bottom.' The Former Factory Hub Thinks It Has a Way Out.

Ruth Simon Kris Maher

October 07, 2019 |

Wall Street Journal |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie, Pennsylvania, uses creative financial incentives for companies and businesses that invest capital gains in low-income areas of the city in order to pull itself out of economic hardship caused by the decrease in industrial jobs. The city looked to Cincinnati as an example of a city that turned around a failing neighborhood through collective action, sustainable funding practices and investment in nonprofit organizations that support development efforts.

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How a teacher program uses scholarships to bring educators to rural towns

April McCullum

October 02, 2019 |

Burlington Free Press |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Willow Springs, Missouri

A scholarship program in Missouri encourages students to stay and teach in their hometowns or nearby areas. In return for funding for tuition, young teachers prepare to work in the rural schools that have faced challenges retaining a workforce in recent years.

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Do plastic bag taxes or bans curb waste? 400 cities and states tried it out.

Matthew Zeitlin

August 27, 2019 |

Vox |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Across the world, countries are reckoning with its astounding single-use plastic bag waste by instituting legislation that taxes or all-out bans them. Research has shown that taxing the bags has been a more effective strategy with less unintended consequences, as banning often leads to a sharp increase in thicker plastics or paper bags. In places that have instituted the tax, they’ve seen a 40 percent decrease in usage, and arguably more importantly, a cultural shift away from single-use plastics.

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This Lake Belongs to Everyone

Daniel J McGraw

August 24, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Euclid, Ohio

For years, much of the coastline along the Great Lakes has been privately owned. In an effort to stabilize cliff erosion off the coast of Lake Erie, the city of Euclid, Ohio, worked with property owners to acquire those waterfronts. Despite some initial skepticism, the city convinced the owners that turning over their waterfront property would save them money on erosion control and allow public access to the coast. This collaborative approach is being watched by other coastal cities as a potential model for shoreline management.

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West Marin tenants benefit from second-unit program

Richard Halstead

August 24, 2019 |

Marin Independent Journal |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Marin, California

A program run by the Community Land Trust Association of West Marin uses government vouchers to encourage landlords to create additional affordable housing units with extra rooms in their home. The program, which primarily focuses on "junior accessory dwelling units" that offer small but low-price units to individuals, has created 22 affordable units over the last three years.

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Rural Western States Work Together to Tackle Physician Shortages

Casey Leins

August 21, 2019 |

U.S. News & World Report |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Laramie, Wyoming

Building networks of physicians in rural areas helps reduce shortages of healthcare specialists. A partnership between Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, and Montana, known collectively as WWAMI, brings doctors to the Northwestern states by offering tuition waivers to doctors who train and remain in rural communities. The program is based out of the University of Washington’s Medical School and connects students with clinics across the partnering states.

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New Texas nonprofit offers novel approach for preserving coastal lands, combating global warming

Perla Trevizo

August 14, 2019 |

Houston Chronicle |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sargent, Texas

To protect the natural lands of the Texas coast and battle climate change, a new nonprofit is working to create a carbon dioxide storage program in partnership with private landowners. The innovative models give landowners money in exchange for not developing or selling their land for the next decade, paid for by businesses or individuals who donate the equivalent of their "carbon footprint." Texas Coastal Exchange creates a carbon dioxide storage program with the goal of protecting the coast's natural lands and fighting climate change.

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