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In an 'out-of-school-time desert,' organizers connect kids to opportunities

Taylor Allen

September 24, 2018 |

WHYY |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The After School Activities Partnership (ASAP) in Philadelphia offers free and low-cost afterschool and summer activities to students in low-income areas that otherwise do not have access to extracurriculars. ASAP has served over 5,000 kids with over 351 different programs, which include drama, chess, Scrabble, and debate.

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Locals Unite to Stop Hog Farms From Polluting Their Community

Wyatt Massey

September 24, 2018 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Iowa

When large-scale hog farms began moving into rural Iowa, many local families were forced to start making decisions about their ways of life, especially concerning their own farms and health. To fight back, the community gathered together to create a covenant. Although small in scale, other communities in the state have reached out in hopes of following their so-far successful approach.

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Students explore nature in densely built Los Angeles

Ruxandra Guidi

September 24, 2018 |

High Country News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

A principal in one of the most park-poor and low-income areas of LA is imploring students to "find nature in the unlikeliest of places." By setting up a community garden, sharing a passion for birdwatching, and sparking interest in the schoolyard's habitat, Brad Rumble is instilling in future stewards the key principles of urban conservation.

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A Grassroots Call to Ban Gerrymandering

Erick Trickey

September 23, 2018 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lansing, Michigan

In Michigan, a group of people decided they were done with gerrymandering: a political process in which district maps are redrawn to favor one party over another. They formed a group called “Voters Not Politicians,” and did what no one thought they would be able to do. “The crowdsourced campaign held 33 town-hall meetings in 33 days, wrote a ballot proposal to give redistricting powers to a citizens’ commission” and “collected 425,000 petition signatures in four months to secure a spot on Michigan’s ballot—a rare feat, usually accomplished only by hiring paid signature gatherers.”

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Germany launches world's first autonomous tram in Potsdam

Kate Connolly

September 23, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Potsdam, Brandenburg

Radar, lidar, and sensors guide the world’s first autonomous tram across Potsdam. While not yet commercially viable, the tram is an advancement in driverless technology. It can respond to road hazards faster than a human and runs on energy from wind and solar.

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Rooftop farming: why vertical gardening is blooming in Kampala

Nils Adler

September 19, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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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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Citizen Engagement 101

Gillian McGoldrick

September 19, 2018 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Citizens Planning Institute has equipped 500 residents with the relationships and the know-how to make a difference at the local level in their communities. The institute is a seven-week course supported by a city’s Planning Commission, and these institutes now exist across the U.S. and even are spreading as far as Australia. By engaging with local civic leaders, ordinary citizens have a chance to learn and then make improvements that are meaningful to themselves and their neighborhoods.

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The Movement for Urban Tree Expansion Is Growing

Maria Dolan

September 18, 2018 |

Pacific Standard |

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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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'For me, this is paradise': life in the Spanish city that banned cars

Stephen Burgen

September 18, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Spain, Pontevedra

Rather than attempt to change traffic flow, the city of Pontevedra cut straight to the source of their congestion frustrations; they eliminated cars from their streets entirely. The city center, which now fills to the brim with walkers and bicyclists each day, has seen a massive reduction in traffic accidents and carbon emissions since closing the streets to cars.

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Recycling can be a hard sell in rural Colorado. That hasn't discouraged a resourceful nonprofit effort in Swink.

Kevin Simpson

September 18, 2018 |

The Colorado Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Swink, Colorado

Recycling doesn't come easy for small, rural towns where the cost to export recyclables often realistically outweighs the benefits of this sustainably practice. Clean Valley Recycling, a nonprofit launched by local community members in the tiny town on Swink, Colorado, has gone against all odds though and serves not just as a recycling resource for the town, but for the surrounding region as well.

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