Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 2504 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

This rag-tag group of DIYers has an answer for rural PA's internet problem

Min Xian

March 03, 2020 |

WHYY |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Huntingdon County, Pennsylvania

The Rural Broadband Cooperative took matters into its own hands after local and state politicians failed to provide high-speed internet for their rural Pennsylvania county. Telecommunications companies did not consider Huntingdon County a priority so community members who include carpenters, welders, and crane operators all came together to find a solution for a problem that affected everyone from children to business owners and realized all they needed was a radio tower on a mountaintop. The group built and installed it themselves, spending only $50,000 and providing internet for 1,000 locals.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How the Knox County Land Bank is affecting local communities

Cheryl Splain

March 02, 2020 |

Knox Pages |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Mount Vernon, Ohio

The Knox County Land Reutilization Corporation, also known as the Knox County land bank, takes abandoned properties that are vacant and tax delinquent, revitalizes them, and then sells them to new owners. This eliminates blight around the county and encourages economic development. The Land Bank President estimates that for every $1 the land bank spends, they generate $33.82 in redevelopment. Operating in earnest since the fall of 2018, the land bank has brought $3.5 million in reinvestment into the county. They are now looking to acquire even more buildings and financially support individual homeowners.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Beautiful Place that Stopped Big Bottled Water

Hannah Wallace

March 02, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cascade Lockes, Oregon

Washington State could pass one of the toughest restrictions on water bottling operations in the United States, thanks to activists who raised environmental concerns over a bottling facility that wanted to open in a town. Their advocacy is modeled after a similar legal fight in Oregon, where environmentalists, Native American tribes, and labor unions came together behind the campaign. Their success could provide a plan for similar efforts in other communities.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Great Tulsa Remote Worker Experiment

Sarah Holder

February 28, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Tulsa, Oklahoma

In an attempt to spur the economy and reverse years of a declining population, Tulsa, Oklahoma is paying remote workers $10,000 to live in the city for a year. The carefully-selected 100 members of this project, known as Tulsa Remote, are treated to subsidized housing, several perks, and a curated experience designed to create a sense of community and belonging in hopes that they choose to remain in Tulsa. The first phase resulted in 25 percent of participants purchasing homes, a step toward the long-term economic and social boost the experiment was designed for.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Jacksonville Organization Attacks Violence, Blight With Holistic Approach

Claire Goforth

February 27, 2020 |

Juvenile Justice Information Exchange |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Jacksonville, Florida

After the residential real estate market collapsed a decade ago, a developer that had been revitalizing an impoverished Jacksonville neighborhood with single-family homes pivoted to a broader approach to reducing crime and blight. Progress has been difficult, and violence in the neighborhood remains high. But, by building larger complexes and offering an array of services and interventions, Northwest Jacksonville Community Development Corporation is achieving slow but steady social change.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Growing together: Mansfield microfarm cooperative heads into second year

Sarah Donaldson

February 20, 2020 |

Farm and Dairy |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ohio

An urban sustainable food system project at the Ohio State University enabled 10 newly established farmers to start microfarms, which produce crops year-round, at only the cost of their time and labor. The individuals formed a cooperative so they can sell to larger institutional buyers together, while the cooperative handles marketing and finding buyers. With the potential to make up to $30,000 a year, the program aims to provide economic options to city residents, including formerly incarcerated individuals. The coop needs to find extended funding, but 6 microfarms were already built with 4 more planned.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Our Closet provides clothing—and dignity—to Philadelphians of all walks of life

Jessica Press

February 19, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A Philadelphia program called Our Closet offers a judgement-free way for people to access high-quality donated clothes without any barriers to entry—no paperwork, referral, or ID needed. As their services grew, they joined with Jewish Family and Children’s Services (JFCS) to open 18 pop-up retail-style locations around the city. 90% of their donations come from community members, and "in 2019 alone, Our Closet held 85 pop-ups, distributing 33,451 items of clothing, shoes, and accessories via 6,208 shopping experiences and 575 crises and reentry packages with the help of 2,524 volunteers."

Read More
Go to Original Story
LIRR pilot program lowering cost to travel between Queens, Brooklyn Manhattan is a success

James Ford

February 19, 2020 |

WPIX-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

A pilot program between Queens and Manhattan, New York on the Long Island Railroad gives commuters a cheaper way to travel. The Atlantic Ticket serves 10 stations along a route between Brooklyn and Southern Queens for only $5.00, saving commuters money and time in their daily commute.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Can rationing carbon help fight climate change?

Frank Swain

February 17, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia, Norfolk Island

As countries wrestle with how to reduce their carbon emissions, grassroots carbon rationing experiments are taking shape around the word. On an Australian Island of 800 people, a quarter of them participated in a test that calculated their carbon footprints with a goal of reducing their fossil fuel use by 10 percent. The average household reduced their usage by 18 percent and almost two-thirds of participants wanted to continue. Other experiments in Finland and the United Kingdom have taken place, yet some question if carbon rationing is equitable.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How America's shrinking cities can 'rightsize'

Matt Krupnick

February 13, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Once-bustling cities contend with population decline by rethinking their use of space for those who remain. Baltimore, New Bedford, and Youngstown have implemented strategies that range from knocking down abandoned houses and factories to developing community gardens and creating public waterfront spaces. Racial and class tensions have arisen when choosing where to spend limited government funding.

Read More
Go to Original Story