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How to Trick People Into Saving Money

Rob Walker

May 01, 2017 |

The Atlantic |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Salem, Illinois

A large number of Americans are "unbanked or underbanked"—meaning they are not tied to traditional financial institutions to manage their money—which makes saving difficult. Walmart has managed to serve this population with a debit card program called MoneyCard that provides financial incentives to users to regularly put aside money into a "vault." This approach effectively takes into account behavioral economics in terms of how humans approach short- versus long-term rewards. Launching in August 2016, the program's membership had grown more than 130% and savings increased by 38% by December 2016.

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Chicago Sees Big Shift in Grocery Shopping Habit

Rachel Dovey

April 25, 2017 |

Next City |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

What happens when you get charged for something? People will be less likely to do it, that’s the theory behind taxing plastic bags, a move that is seeing big results in cities like Chicago.

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Inside the Nudge Unit of New South Wales

Medha Basu

April 24, 2017 |

GovInsider |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia, New South Wales

Missing a doctor's appointment has a significant cost. Hospitals lose money and doctors lose time that they could be using to attend to other patients. Dr. Alex King believes that through testing and then implementing certain behavioral nudges, hospitals will stop losing as much money and patients will benefit from a better experience.

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The world's greenest island

Tom A. Peter

April 16, 2017 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Denmark, Samso

Samsø, a small island in Denmark, has done what no other city has reached; energy independence. People on the island use a combination of wind, solar, and biomass, energy. How is such a large feat accomplished? Local leaders say it wasn’t because of technological breakthrough, but through collective action.

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Smart idea: Dump your waste, get paid

Mayank Manohar

April 16, 2017 |

The Times of India |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: India, New Delhi

In order to encourage people to properly dispose of their waste, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has installed smart vending machines for recyclable waste at Connaught Place and India Gate. In return for making the sustainable waste choice, users receive monetary rewards via e-wallet.

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Guess Who's For a Carbon Tax Now

Tina Rosenberg

April 11, 2017 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

In the face of the global climate crisis, conservative politicians and energy leaders in the US are an unlikely source for climate action. Through the promotion of a carbon tax, in which each ton of emissions gets taxed, these leaders are jumpstarting new forms of climate response. While some are hesitant towards both their support and the logistics of the tax, it may appear the best hope for climate action in the current political climate.

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Indigenous peoples in Colombia play crucial role in the fight against climate change

Bart Crezee

March 30, 2017 |

Mongabay |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Colombia

Protecting forests against deforestation is key to reducing CO2 emissions, which is what the UN mechanism- REDD+ aims to do by creating contracts with rural areas for them to protect their area's forest for 30 years in exchange for compensation. So far several problems have arisen that question the effectiveness of this mechanism which need attention going forward.

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Northern Lights: Large-Scale Solar Power Is Spreading Across the U.S.

Cheryl Katz

March 23, 2017 |

Yale Environment 360 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Once largely confined to the desert Southwest, solar power is making its way across the United States. Due to decreasing prices in installations, coupled with government incentives and increasing knowledge of energy harvesting capabilities, solar has recently found its way into places such as Idaho, Maine, Alabama, Iowa, Kentucky, and Nebraska - with places like Georgia and Florida are looking to expand. Despite the pushback from the newest presidential administration, even cynics of the solar power movement are declaring it the most viable option.

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What Hospitals Waste

Marshall Allen Tristan Spinski

March 09, 2017 |

ProPublica |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Maine

U.S. hospitals waste an estimated $765 billion every year (National Academy of Medicine), and a large portion of this is wasted in the form of discarded medical supplies. Usually, these supplies are still in their original packaging and aren't even close to expiring. An organization called Partners for World Health collects these supplies from hospitals near Portland, Maine and ships them to other countries and medical clinics in need.

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Larimer caseworker crisis slows child welfare work

Jacy Marmaduke

March 08, 2017 |

Coloradoan |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

High caseworker turnover in Larimer County has led to poorer outcomes for children and high stress for the caseworkers themselves. To help combat this high turnover the salaries have been increased, retention incentives have been implemented as have job participation rewards and other methods.

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