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Chimney Sweeps Attack Deadly Pollution Crisis

Nansalmaa Oyunchimeg

December 06, 2020 |

Global Press Journal |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar

After banning the burning of raw coal as a way to reduce air pollution in Mongolia, residents of Ulaanbaatar switched to refined charcoal to heat their homes. However, that coal also wasn’t the cleanest and contributed to hundreds suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. To fix that, the government teamed up with a private company to hire more than 1,600 people to clean and inspect people’s chimneys and stoves. While critics say the program doesn’t solve the country’s pollution problem, the service has provided jobs to those who didn’t have steady work and helped those who aren't able to clean their stoves.

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Could community collaboration be the key to a better child care system?

Jack Rooney

December 05, 2020 |

Sentinel Source (The Keene Sentinel) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Swanzey, New Hampshire

Building on an early-childhood initiative, the Monadnock district was able to quickly respond and provide childcare services for employees of the Monadnock district by partnering with the YMCA. The response was an effort to prevent employees from missing work during the pandemic due to lack of childcare. 32 children enrolled in the program. “I think of Impact Monadnock as a real beacon of the way a community can come together around early childhood [education].”

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A System for Sharing Household Heat Is Growing Beneath France

Chad Small

December 04, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

In Paris, about 7,500 buildings are heated using geothermal energy, a cost-saving and carbon neutral energy source. Water is drawn from deep below ground at a central location and heated by the earth, and then sent via underground pipes to individual buildings. The Bagneux and Chatillon district has scaled up the system, providing heat to over 40,000 people. Districts created joint ventures to reduce construction costs and residents do not notice the energy source shift because when the temperature drops to a point where geothermal energy is not viable, gas boilers automatically keeps the heat flowing.

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A grassroots push to save disappearing birds and bees forces change in Germany

Bridget Huber

December 03, 2020 |

National Geographic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Bavaria

Environmental advocates got 1.75 million signatures to change Bavarian farming laws to protect biodiversity. The Save the Bees Campaign calls for using subsidies to nearly triple the amount of organic farming, creating a network of wildlife corridors, and other actions to protect bird and insect life. Initial results show that, since the law took effect, the share of organic farmland increased and thousands of more acres of forest have been protected. Farmers have also adjusted their view of productivity, including protecting nature as a way to be productive. Similar efforts are happening across Europe.

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Amid COVID and Racial Unrest, Black Churches Put Faith in Mental Health Care

Aneri Pattani

December 01, 2020 |

Kaiser Health News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Durham, North Carolina

Black churches across the U.S. are collaborating with psychologists and counselors to offer their community access to mental health care services during the coronavirus pandemic. Although not all congregants were initially receptive to the idea of intertwining religion with virtual psychology presentations and on-site counselors, "over time, some members of the clergy have come to realize the two can coexist."

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While mainland America struggles with covid apps, tiny Guam has made them work

Cat Ferguson

November 30, 2020 |

MIT Technology Review |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Guam

To raise awareness and encourage downloads of a contact tracing app, the team of volunteers who were built the app partnered with the Guam Visitors Bureau to collaborate on a grassroots outreach campaign. Using Zoom and WhatsApp groups to create public trust with "organizations, schools, and cultural groups across the island," the effort culminated in "a rate of adoption that outstrips states with far more resources."

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In Rwanda, Learning Whether a ‘Smart Park' Can Help Both Wildlife and Tourism

Amy Yee

November 24, 2020 |

Atlas Obscura |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Rwanda

Rwanda’s Akagera National Park, once a conservation failure, has been revitalized with fences, patrols, and new technology to become a successful wildlife park. The government partnered with conservation group African Parks to manage the national park, which has led to an increase tourists, patrols, and even lions and black rhinos. Akagera also became the world first “Smart Park” after it installed a telecommunications network called LoRaWAN to securely track, monitor, and communicate between rangers, vehicles, equipment, and animals.

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In the Columbia River Gorge, a Local Program Adapts to Serve the Community Through Covid-19

Judy Bankman

November 24, 2020 |

The Daily Yonder |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbia Gorge, Oregon

The Bridges to Health program in Oregon is helping to improve community health by connecting individuals and families to resources such as housing, food aid, transportation options, and health-care facilities. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how the program works and not all clients are receptive to aid, "the program’s cross-sector model, its ability to quickly shift gears, and its resilient staff have allowed it to address the community’s changing needs."

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Connecticut's Halfhearted Battle: Response To Lead Poisoning Epidemic Lacks Urgency

Jenifer Frank

November 23, 2020 |

Connecticut Health Investigative Team |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Bridgeport, Connecticut

Cities throughout Connecticut have long struggled to enact a successful response to the statewide lead-poisoning problem, but the city of Bridgeport stands out as a model for how to get results by taking proactive action. Unlike other cities where investigations aren't triggered unless a child tests positive for lead poisoning, officials in Bridgeport focus on regularly conducting building inspections and utilizing Connecticut’s Uniform Relocation Assistance Act.

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This entrepreneur is plugging the world's drinking water into the (digital) cloud

Brianna Baker

November 20, 2020 |

Grist |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

“In 2015, nearly 21 million U.S. residents relied on water systems that violate the standards set by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.” Meena Sankaran is helping to reverse the trend. Her startup, KETOS, uses analytics and sensors that provide real-time data that can be sent through a mobile app. Instead of having to wait for people to monitor and process the data, or for people to get sick, data can be delivered instantaneously. “So far, the company has compiled 13 million data points from municipalities across all 50 states, spanning the last 18 years.”

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