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Local farmers open virtual farmers market to fill gap left by restaurant orders during COVID-19

Zach Ben-Amots

March 30, 2020 |

WLS-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Chicago-based Closed Loop Farms, dependent on farmers markets, had to pivot to online sales with the closure of many public spaces as a response to COVID-19. Running a virtual farmers market, the local grower also sells sustainable, local products from other Chicago businesses. People are able to order their fresh produce, honey, and kombucha online and have it delivered to their door.

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London's Trees Are Saving the City Billions

Feargus O'Sullivan

March 09, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

A recent study on London's trees revealed benefits far beyond city beautification. The report found that trees saved the city billions of pounds in air cooling, air purification, carbon sequestration. The report also found trees brought workers increased productivity.

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Graffiti-removal company hires only homeless or formerly incarcerated workers

Terri Akman

February 11, 2020 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Powered by a workforce made up exclusively of the formerly incarcerated and people experiencing homelessness, Philadelphia start-up company Graffiti Removal Experts gets paid to clean up signs of blight while giving people an employment opportunity they otherwise might lack. Besides cleaning up graffiti, the team removes stickers and fixes broken glass throughout Center City and surrounding neighborhoods. The company’s clients include neighborhood associations, property managers, and individual businesses who pay monthly or one-time fees that turn into $20-per-hour wages for the company’s employees.

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City crews clean up homeless encampment near Dan Ryan Expressway: ‘They've got to do it before someone gets hurt back there'

Sophie Sherry

February 11, 2020 |

Chicago Tribune |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In Chicago, city workers take care to clear debris and abandoned tents but not informal settlements belonging to homeless populations. Workers with the Department of Streets and Sanitation worked with community lawyers and local homeless programs to make sure that the necessary cleaning did not displace people in the encampment.

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Thousands Of People Are Growing 'Climate Victory Gardens' To Save The Planet

Kyla Mandel

February 06, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbia, Maryland

Across the United States, people are growing “climate victory gardens” in an effort to reconnect people with nature, fight climate change, and produce healthy food. These gardens prioritize soil health above all else, as doing so can help retain carbon that would otherwise enter our atmosphere. Nonprofits like Maryland’s Community Ecology Institute are leading the way, with the hope that change at the individual and local levels will lead to larger actions toward fighting climate change.

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‘IKEA, but for Parks' Project Streamlines Community Green Space Development

Hannah Chinn

January 30, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Vacant lots in the city are being greened with an idea dubbed “IKEA, but for parks” which provides preassembled options to create parks in vacant lots. Community members are given layout and design options to choose from based on how the neighborhood decides to utilize their empty lots. Residents are then provided with supplies and training to build and maintain a public green space. The model allows for efficiency and speed while promoting civic participation.

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The secret gardens of Rohingya refugees

Guillaume Pajot

January 28, 2020 |

Equal Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh, Ukhia, Cox's Bazar

The Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh, the largest refugee camp in the world, is overcrowded and increasingly isolated. A program by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the Bangladeshi NGO BRAC offers refugees equipment, advice, fertilizer, and seeds to make their own garden. These gardens have become hugely popular, taking up what little space there is between tents, but also offer refugees a source of peace and a food source to supplement their meals. Compost for these gardens are prepared outside of the camp by Bangladeshi women, which helps improve the relationship between the two groups.

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2 Years Ago, Kenya Set The World's Strictest Plastic Bag Ban. Did It Work?

Sophie Mbugua

January 23, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Kikuyu

In 2017, Kenya implemented a plastic bag ban and to ensure it was followed, set hefty fines and even jail time for those who broke the law. The law has had an impact – streets are cleaner and the use of single-use plastic bags has reduced, but there is still work to be done. The replacement bags, reusable ones made from polypropylene, have come under scrutiny for their lack of quality, and Kenyan residents cite confusion and fear as a result of not knowing which bags are allowed and which are not.

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How 17 Outsize Portraits Rattled a Small Southern Town

Audra Burch

January 21, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Newnan, Georgia

The small Southern city of Newnan, GA considered themselves to be a fairly open and accepting place. This attitude was shattered when 17 huge portraits of ordinary people who make up Newnan were hung across the city and prompted a racially-tinged backlash. The purpose of the portraits was to open up a dialogue around the diversity in the city, but it also exposed new and hidden racial tensions. The portraits were ultimately allowed to stay up, but the conversations surrounding the issue are ongoing.

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The Ohio River community of Newport bands together to slow runoff and add greenspace

Bonnie Jean Feldkamp

December 19, 2019 |

Eye On Ohio |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Newport, Kentucky

To promote the implementation of greenspaces while also decreasing the likelihood of runoff after heavy rain storms, community groups in Newport, Kentucky worked together to implement strategic depaving. This practice of removing pavement has now led to the creation of a park which will soon have rain and pollinator gardens.

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