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How This Teen's Quest to Define 'Sustainability' Changed State Law

Geoff Dembicki

October 17, 2014 |

The Tyee |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kaneohe, Hawaii

Hawaii private school students were taught about ecological sustainability, but public school students were not. After losing a school essay contest about sustainability, a high school student convinced Hawaii’s legislature to pass a resolution requiring that every student learn the meaning of the concept. Due to this student’s advocacy, the state is also piloting a program to install solar panels on its public schools to teach children how to be more self-sustaining.

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MIT D-Lab promotes rural community innovations in Guatemala with Soluciones Comunitarias

Nancy Adams

October 10, 2014 |

MIT News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Guatemala, Santa Maria Nebaj, El Quiché

MIT's D-Lab is supporting individuals in impoverished, rural areas invent low-cost technologies to address the needs of their communities. In 2009, the D-Lab paired with SolCom, a Guatemalan community organizing enterprise, and an international development fund to bring this model to the isolated area of Nebaj, assisting locals in creating a Makerspace for microentrepreneurs. The collaboration has fostered an environment for sustainable grassroots change, in which the social and intellectual capital needed to create the needed innovations and inventions originates in the community itself.

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Reclaiming ‘We the People,' One Person at a Time

David Bornstein

September 04, 2014 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Retreat programs can improve self-awareness and understanding of others. The Center for Courage & Renewal creates safe environments for people to speak honestly with each other, something Parker J. Palmer says is needed to de-polarize society.

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Boston: There's an App for That

Ben Schreckinger

June 10, 2014 |

Politico |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Boston had a hard time solving civic problems efficiently and holding its leadership accountable. In response, a team in the Mayor's office was charged with "making Boston better through clever, low-cost hacks" such as a mobile app that allows residents to send government service requests to City Hall.

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A Grass-Roots Drive for Clean Elections in Karnataka

Ankita Rao

May 15, 2014 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Karnataka

B. Godihal is one of the thousands of communities in Karnataka that have worked to hold clean elections, stirred by a confluence of awareness campaigns by nongovernmental organizations and rising public frustration with candidates’ broken promises.

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The Fayetteville Observer's search for crime solutions takes us to Memphis

Greg Barnes

January 26, 2014 |

Fayetteville Observer |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Memphis, Tennessee

In Memphis, “school officials, politicians, business leaders, preachers, nonprofit organizations and everyday residents” came together to fight crime in a strategy known as Collective Impact. Could this approach help other cities like Fayetteville fight crime?

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TurboVote Aims to Make Voting as Easy as Renting a DVD

Josh Dzieza

December 13, 2013 |

NationSwell |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

TurboVote allows users to fill out voter registration forms online and then mails them the paperwork to sign along with a stamped envelope addressed to the user’s local election office. The site also sends email and text reminders for mailing deadlines and polling place locations to its over 200,000 registered users. TurboVote partners with 68 universities, where many students are first-time voters and/or need to register at a new address. Students at partner universities receive the forms for free (otherwise it costs $1.60 per form) and popup windows on university websites remind students to register.

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Ever Wonder Why Nobody Goes to Town Council Meetings? Meet the Folks Who Are Changing That.

Rob Gurwitt

December 11, 2013 |

NationSwell |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Omaha, Nebraska

Very few people go to city council meetings. MindMixer, a tech startup company, increased civic participation in states across the U.S. with online platforms for city officials and the community to discuss ideas.

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Iowa keeping partisanship off the map

Tracy Jan

December 08, 2013 |

The Boston Globe |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Des Moines, Iowa

In Iowa, the “redistricting” of the state’s legislative and congressional boundaries is done by mapmakers who abide by nonpartisan metrics that all sides agree are fair — a seemingly revolutionary concept in the high-stakes decennial rite of redistricting.

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Jamaica Fights to Break Grip of Violent Past

Damien Cave

August 17, 2013 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Jamaica

Marking a departure from other countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America, Jamaica has seen its crime rate fall after many years of lawlessness. A combination of factors helped bring this about, including putting resources toward combatting corruption, fostering community policing and also seeking help from outsiders to strengthen institutions. Progress may be tenuous if drug trafficking is pushed out elsewhere and lands in Jamaica, however many are optimistic permanent change has taken root.

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