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Conservation Pays Off for Bangladeshi Factories

Amy Yee

March 21, 2013 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh

Saving money while conserving water and electricity is a win-win for the textile industry in Bangladesh. After a joint effort to improve the mechanics and upgrade the factories, the industry saw a savings of 1.2 million cubic meters of water, 16 million cubic meters of gas and 10 million kilowatt hours of electricity.

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Why A Principal Created His Own Currency

David Kestenbaum

December 14, 2012 |

NPR |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

School MS 53 in Queens experienced extremely poor student attendance, a high rate of student suspensions, and an increase of staff and teacher resignations—all causing the city’s department of education to give the school and “F”. New principal Shawn Rux incentivizes students by creating “Rux Bux,” a currency system that can help students win prizes the more often they attend school. The school went from an “F” to a “C” and daily attendance has increased to around 90%.

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How Nonprofits Can Use Data to Solve the World's Problems

Victor Luckerson

December 10, 2012 |

Time Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

Like their for-profit counterparts, charities are starting to embrace Big Data as a means to perform more efficiently and share that performance with potential donors. Data gathered is used both to measure successes and to highlight areas where program structure could be improved.

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Green Roofs in Big Cities Bring Relief From Above

Tina Rosenberg

May 23, 2012 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

New York City black tar roofs cause a number of environmental problems, including air pollution, heat absorption that raises energy consumption, and storm water runoff in the sewer system. Efforts to turn these old roofs into green spaces cool the buildings, enable the containment of more rainfall, reduce sewer discharge, generate energy, and absorb carbon emissions. New York City has a pilot program offering financial help for green roofs.

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Conquering Food Deserts With Green Carts

David Bornstein

April 18, 2012 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Programs to get fresh produce carts to areas with no access to healthy food work best when government and determined entrepreneurs team up. Success from this model is evident in New York City, where the city has incentivized the selling of fruits and vegetables by street vendors in areas that are in the most need of the produce.

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One Acre Fund: a Nonprofit's Business Approach to Helping Small Farmers

Fred de Sam Lazaro

April 03, 2012 |

PBS NewsHour |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Bungoma

International development organization One Acre Fund opts to set up shop in rural locations like Bungoma, Kenya rather than major cities like New York and Nairobi and treat its stakeholders as customers instead of beneficiaries. This non-profit's business-like approach has helped it grow from 5,000 farm families in 2006 to 125,000 in 2012, and around 99 percent of families repay their farm loans. As One Acre Fund farmers sell their excess produce, they can invest in basic necessities like education for their children.

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Out of Jail, and Into a Job

Tina Rosenberg

March 28, 2012 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Most programs to cut recidivism don’t significantly reduce rates of repeated arrests or incarceration, but one called the Center for Employment Opportunities that started in New York City is making a dramatic dent. The program provides newly-released prisoners with transitional services - most significantly, distinct working crews where they can be constructively monitored and learn teamwork - effectively helping keep them out of jail and transition back into society.

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Prizes With an Eye Toward the Future

Tina Rosenberg

February 29, 2012 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Agencies across the corporate, government, and nonprofit sectors are recruiting ideas from the public by offering prizes for solving challenges. Prize incentives have spurred innovation for centuries, but fell out of favor as the preferred method in the 1800s. Now, prize-based incentives are back, in part because of a flood of new philanthropic money, and because prizes cast a wider net to a largely more educated and tech-savvy global population.

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For Weight Loss, a Recipe of Teamwork and Trust

Tina Rosenberg

November 15, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Irving, Texas

While weight loss can be challenging to maintain, different structures are being created to help. Certain support groups, financial incentives, and tough love are proving to be effective.

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Trusting Families to Help Themselves

David Bornstein

July 19, 2011 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

To give support to struggling families without prescribing solutions requires respect and discipline. The Family Independence Initiative (F.I.I.) encourages low-income families to define their own goals and work towards them in mutual support groups, while carefully documenting their successes.

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