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Plastic with a Purpose

Jill Harkins

June 03, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A new social enterprise called rePurpose asks consumers to estimate their plastic usage and pay to offset it. Then, the organization funds worker cooperatives in India that provide more stable employment and pay for workers in the recycling industry. Still in its early stages, rePurpose hopes to collaborate with businesses, schools, and individuals to offset their plastic usage.

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How West Oakland Financed Its Own Grocery Store

Oscar Perry Abello

May 30, 2019 |

Next City |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Public investment campaigns can raise capital and attract larger institutional investors. In the neighborhood of West Oakland, the Community Foods Market opened its doors by raising funds through a Direct Public Offering (DPO). In addition to using traditional grant funding and so-called “angel” investors, the Community Foods Market turned community members into investors, giving them partial ownership of their local grocery store.

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Can rice husk briquettes stem the tide of mangrove deforestation in Myanmar?

Wudan Yan

April 23, 2019 |

Mongabay |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Myanmar, Kyaiklat

Recycled waste from rice mills offers an alternative to mangrove forests as a fuel source. In the Irrawaddy Delta in Myanmar, rice mills are beginning to use their byproducts to create rice-husk briquettes. The logs, made from byproducts previously discarded by rice mills, provide a fuel source for individuals and other businesses that traditionally rely on charcoal. Using recycled rice husks reduces waste and offers a way to alleviate the exploitation of mangrove forests, which act as a vital natural barrier against cyclones.

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The zero-waste revolution: how a new wave of shops could end excess packaging

Stephen Moss

April 21, 2019 |

The Guardian |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Crickhowell

All across the UK, zero-waste shops are gaining traction, with over 100 stores popping up in the last two years. They encourage shoppers to buy in bulk, minimize plastic waste, and ponder the power they have as consumers in where they shop. It’s part of a broader trend of reuse and repair that is making it easier to shop and live in an environmentally friendly way.

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This cafe in India is fully run by acid attack survivors

Soumya Karlamangla

April 18, 2019 |

Los Angeles Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Agra, Uttar Pradesh

Sheroes’ Hangout is a cafe entirely run by acid attack survivors in Agra, India. Acid attacks are unfortunately still prevalent worldwide, usually as a result of a woman turning down a man's advances, but punishment for committing these crimes is still lackadaisical. This cafe, founded in 2006 by an activist organization called Stop Acid Attacks, allows women to not cover their faces, talk openly about their attacks, and just be comfortable with themselves.

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

Peter O'Dowd

April 16, 2019 |

WBUR |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

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.

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Thomas, WV: The Town the Arts (Re) Built

Bryce Oates

April 16, 2019 |

The Daily Yonder |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Thomas, West Virginia

Renewing distressed economies can be done through reinvesting in arts and culture. By building successful partnerships with rural Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) like the Woodlands Community Lenders (WCL), the town of Thomas, West Virginia, has found a new identity as a hub of arts and culture after the collapse of its coal-based economy.

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How giving entrepreneurs 30 days of free retail space revived a North Avenue storefront and built a collective

Sarah Hauer

April 12, 2019 |

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Pop-Up MKE was a pilot program that provided a risk-free way for artists to see if their products would sell in a retail space by giving 19 urban entrepreneurs 30 days of free retail space and mini-grants up to $2,000. Four participants formed The Bronzeville Collective MKE LLC and, after negotiating to stay in the retail space, they doubled their own sales and feature products from other creatives, particularly entrepreneurs of color. They split the rent four ways and collect a 20% vendor fee. Other participants in the pilot moved to permanent storefronts and/or expanded their retail presence.

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Borussia Dortmund: The structures behind the club's fight against the far right

Felix Tamsut

April 09, 2019 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia

A highly popular German sports club named Borussia Dortmund is taking advantage of its fanbase and following to promote anti-extremist messages, praise diversity, and celebrate inclusion. They do so in a variety of ways, including elevating and supporting independent fan initiatives like ballspiel.vereint!, requiring fan clubs and members to sign statues that reject far-right ideology, hosting educational field trips to former concentration camps for youth, and donating over a million dollars to the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem.

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Coffee helps protect Uganda's endangered mountain gorillas

Caleb Okereke

April 09, 2019 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

For many poachers near Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, hunting is crucial to their livelihoods, even as regulations against the practice have increased. To help combat this, social enterprises like Gorilla Conservation Coffee are working to make coffee farming a sustainable and financially stable alternative. However, the model still needs some tweaks to ensure that farmers are adequately supported and the business can meet demand.

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