Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 17309 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • Facing Segregated Schools, Parents Took Integration Into Their Own Hands. It's Working.

    When City Hall was slow in addressing the issue of the deeply segregated schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn, parents took the matter in their own hands and drafted a proposal to integrate the students more. High-achieving students will enroll in low-performing schools and vice-versa, as well as doing away with the competitive admissions process to open up more spaces for students who are poor, homeless, learning English, or more. City Hall eventually approved the proposal with very little input from the mayor, but parents still maintain that they have a lot of work ahead of them still.

    Read More

  • Graffiti punished by reading - 'It worked!' says prosecutor

    After graffitiing a historic landmark with swastikas and racist phrases, a juvenile prosecutor chose to educate rather than punish the perpetrators. Each teen was given a list of 35 books that covered topics like race, religion, and culture, and they had to pick 12 and do monthly assignments for a year. The books included titles like, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou, and Night, by Elie Wiesel. After the year, the learning opportunity given to the teens showed demonstrable success.

    Read More

  • How Drones and GPS Are Helping Indigenous People in Ecuador Save the Amazon

    The indigenous Cofan community in Ecuador, battling miners and other seeking to use their ancestral land, have a new tool to fight them: mapping. By working with non-profits who trained locals to use data and GPS technology, the Cofan now map the environmental resources worth protecting. They are using this data to make the case for why the land should stay in their hands.

    Read More

  • Meet Mr. Trash Wheel: Baltimore Harbor's Googly Eyed Garbage Gobbler

    A trash interceptor floats along a tributary of the Baltimore Harbor removing trash from the water before it can reach the ocean. Known to the community as Mr. Trash Wheel, the machine is powered by the river’s current and collects floating debris that moves along a conveyor belt and ends up in a dumpster. While it doesn’t solve the problem of how trash gets into the water in the first place, it has collected 1,100 tons of trash and one million Styrofoam containers since it started 2014.

    Read More

  • Six years later: Learning from the deadly West fertilizer plant explosion

    Following a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant, cities in Texas are taking preventative measures. Emergency Management Specialists have updated and are employing software that tracks hazardous material storage in facilities around the state and generates disaster scenarios. The software can be used in real-time by firefighters and other emergency responders on their way to the scene.

    Read More

  • This Website Empowers People in Need to Make Art — And Sell It for Thousands of Dollars

    For individuals who are homeless or otherwise disadvantaged, art can be more than therapeutic—it can be lucrative. ArtLifting, a public benefit corporation started in Boston, MA, specializes in helping homeless and disabled artists sell their art. Business including Staples and Microsoft have bought art for their offices. ArtLifting splits the profits with artists and also funds art programs.

    Read More

  • Bernalillo County's Mobile Voting Unit

    A mobile voting unit in Bernalillo County helped 1,733 people vote in 2018. The county rented a large RV, customized it with voting stations, and sent it to public areas, including senior centers where people can have a difficult time getting to the polls. The RV had a wheel chair lift but no stair rail, so staff helped people walk in and out. Staff was also trained to operate the equipment and keep it stocked with ballots and supplies. The county plans to purchase its own RV for future elections and has fielded inquiries from other localities that want to implement mobile voting units in their districts.

    Read More

  • One Way to Combat Climate Change: A Smartphone App That Lets Farmers Control Where Their Cows Graze

    A San Diego startup called Vence has created a device that can help farmers control their livestock’s movements and behavior. The new technology – a collar with accompanying software – buzzes when an animal is somewhere it shouldn’t be and shocks them if they keep going. While the practice of shocking animals isn’t universally approved, doing so can prevent overgrazing and thus improve overall land health.

    Read More

  • A Shave, a Haircut – and a Blood Pressure Check

    The African American community is disproportionately impacted by high blood pressure, but barbershops across Los Angeles County are stepping up to fill a gap between diagnosis and care. The businesses offer a detection and management program to that includes checking patrons blood pressure as well as connecting the client with an on-site pharmacist.

    Read More

  • Can Community Investment Trusts Help Slow Down Gentrification?

    In East Portland, Oregon, a new Community Investment Trust is working to ensure that low-income residents have the opportunity to build equity by investing in their real estate. The program is limited to four zip codes with a maximum contribution of $100 to ensure that the investments stay open only to the members of the community it's intended to serve. More than 95% of investors have kept their money in the trust, but the model might be difficult to scale nationally without effective partnerships.

    Read More