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Getting a Senior Discount? Here's How to Give It Away

Kerry Hannon

November 21, 2014 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Bainbridge Island, Washington

Not all seniors need the various discounts they receive. The Boomerang Giving project allows them to donate back the difference of the discounts on things like movie tickets to a charity of their choice, benefiting not only a community cause but also their own mental and physical health. Various services also assist them in selecting and investing wisely in different nonprofits.

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'Big Dry' Lessons: Southwest can learn from Australia's drought

Marty Schladen

November 17, 2014 |

El Paso Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia, Kilmore, Victoria

In Australia, the Murray-Darling Basin Ministerial Council was formed after a severe drought to bring together federal, state and regional governments and bridge parochial concerns. It was meant to manage the basin as a whole and end overuse and salinization of farm land, leveraging new technologies to adapt to new realities.

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The Company That Turns Plastic Bottles Into Fabric—and Jobs

John Tierney

November 07, 2014 |

The Atlantic |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Haiti, Port-au-Prince

Thread is a social enterprise out of Pittsburgh taking a two-for-one approach to the issues of both poverty and pollution in Haiti. They help take plastic waste out of the environment by turning it into durable fabrics that are sold to clothing and accessory companies looking to source responsible materials, and they create sustainable jobs for Haitians who collect and process the plastic waste.

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A start-up in India treats the poor as discerning customers, not aid recipients

Rhitu Chatterjee

November 06, 2014 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Tamil Nadu

Two Americans created a small start-up in rural India to help bring life-sustaining technologies to the poor. But they're not giving away solar lamps and low-power appliances: They're selling them.

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When 'Collaboration' Is More Than a Buzzword

John Tierney

October 17, 2014 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbus, Ohio

In the case of the Columbus Partnership, the word "collaboration" - which often doesn't have much meat behind it in the private sector - is at the core of the civic organization's success. The organization brings together seven Columbus tech companies (all of which are in different economic sectors and therefore don't compete with each other) together to fuel innovation and idea generation. The companies promote business growth and development in the Columbus area, taking advantage of the close-knit community that is fostered by Columbus' relatively modest population size.

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A Creative Way to Educate Low-Income Students

Deborah Fallows

October 16, 2014 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbus, Ohio

In Columbus, Ohio, a high school is pooling vouchers, donations, and earnings from its work study program to reach some of the city's students living below the poverty line.

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‘Invisible' Credit? (Read This Now!)

David Bornstein

October 02, 2014 |

The New York Times |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

54 million people in the United States, and 4.5 billion globally, have no credit to their name - making it nearly impossible for them to buy homes, apply for jobs and receive loans. Investors and lenders make an effort to help those with 'invisible credit' scores in financing essentials like homes or cars.

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The City That Turned Its Water Into Cash

John Tierney

September 22, 2014 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown, Pennsylvania uses a creative financing strategy - leasing the city's water and sewage utilities - to pay for expensive public pension programs. To keep from raising rates for Allentown residents, the lease agreement has a strict rate cap that rises with inflation.

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An Oil Discovery Revives a Dwindling Brazilian Port

Gregory Scruggs

July 15, 2014 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul

Porto Alegre, in Brazil’s Rio Grande do Sul state, has embraced a recent discovery of offshore oil as a way to renew the town as a bustling port for business and transport. The port city uses bodies of water to transport goods (like the newly found oil) rather than roads, which can prove to be more environmentally unfriendly.

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How Brazil Absorbed a Million Visitors Without Enough Hotel Rooms

Gregory Scruggs

July 11, 2014 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

Despite pushback from the hospitality sector, Brazil's Rio de Janeiro worked around their short-term housing limitations for the 2014 World Cup by taking advantage of Airbnb and other short-term, local rental options. These alternative stay options allowed visitors to stay within city limits without paying unaffordable hotel bills.

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