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How to reduce light pollution, an underestimated threat to our environment

Alisha McDarris

January 11, 2019 |

Popular Science |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Flagstaff, Arizona

There is so little artificial light in Flagstaff that you can see the Milky Way from downtown. The city has banned sweeping searchlights, required outdoor light to be shielded downwards, and switched illumination on all roadways and parking lots to low-pressure sodium lights. Annual “star parties” and other events keep residents committed to reducing light pollution, which has big impacts on human and animal health.

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Lawrence reborn: A polluted mill town reclaims its future

Story Hinckley

January 11, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lawrence, Massachusetts

Grants from the US Environmental Protection Agency empower local communities—and workers—to redevelop abandoned industrial sites. These sites, known as brownfields, are often left in disuse because of the presence of hazardous pollutants. In Lawrence, Massachusetts, public and nonprofit job training programs funded by the EPA retool locals in environmental remediation. These new jobs help economically disadvantaged communities platform toward a more sustainable future; and they promote new development, attracting further investment.

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Part of an age-friendly city: advocacy training for elders - The Bay State Banner

Sandra Larson

January 10, 2019 |

The Bay State Banner |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

The Boston Senior Civic Academy teaches older adults how to stay informed about and involved in local politics, covering issues from financial insecurity to dementia-friendly city planning. The program, which serves elders across the city and is part of a world-wide push to create elder-friendly cities, invites older adults to take an active role in politics and advocacy, and gives them the tools to do so.

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A radical idea for an ancient African conflict: talking to the enemy

Ruth Maclean

January 10, 2019 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Nassarawa

Intense and violent conflict between herders and farmers has long plagued the Nigeria's middle belt region. Community members and a humanitarian organization are taking steps to mend these complicated relationships, however, through organized meetings on neutral ground that allow the herder and farmer to talk about forgiveness and shared interests.

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How This Southern City Is Making Tech Work for People

Audrey F. Henderson

January 09, 2019 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Birmingham, Alabama

Successful public private collaborations promote civic innovations that add value to communities. Programs that bring together nonprofits, tech start-ups, universities, and city leaders are helping Birmingham, Alabama, emerge as a model city for tech innovation in the region. Initiatives such as Innovate Brigham and the NHabitBham housing database use grants from the city and federal government, and donations from other partners to fund collaborations. While empowering residents by gathering and providing access to data on the wellbeing of Birmingham’s communities, these programs also add value to the city.

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Do You Do the 'Dutch Reach' When Exiting a Car? It's Coming to America.

Daniel C. Vock

January 09, 2019 |

Governing |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Netherlands

Illinois and Massachusetts have adopted a new traffic safety measure in its road safety manuals. Coined the “Dutch reach,” the international maneuver consists of a person opening their car door with their far hand. Doing so makes people look over their shoulder, increasing the visibility of cyclists on the road. While it is a seemingly small response, it’s part of a larger, cultural shift towards bike safety and inclusivity.

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How Dutch Transit Agencies Fend Off Fare Evaders

Feargus O'Sullivan

January 08, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands

Dutch public transportations are trying some innovative techniques to cut down on fare-evaders, emphasizing that consequences for those evading fares should not just impose fines but convince them to become ticket buyers. Other strategies include barring access to stations themselves without tickets and including a card pre-loaded with 10 rides when a person is penalized for fare-evading.

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U.S. Faith Communities Are Tackling the Housing Crisis

Charlotte West

January 08, 2019 |

Medium |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

In cities like Denver, Seattle, and Chicago, faith-based communities use their land to aid in the affordable housing crisis. Because many communities of faith sit on large expanses of valuable land within city limits, they've begun using their land to offer housing for low-income families and other underserved community members.

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After A Run Of Tainted Food Scandals, Women In This Country Took Control Of The System

Daniel Hurst

January 08, 2019 |

The Huffington Post |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan, Koriyama City, Fukushima

Following the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, a group of women took the initiative to ensure that the food they consume meets radiation standards twice as strict as the government's. The Seikatsu Club formed in 1965 and has since built itself up to 400,000 members (about 90% of whom are women) and works with 200 producers. The group is highly productive: they run their own milk factory, join with worker collectives to sell goods like jam or cookies, operate a fund for farmers whose products are tainted, offer child and elder care, and much more. Seikatsu is a success due to its local citizens' control.

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In India's Fast-Growing Cities, a Grassroots Effort to Save the Trees

Vaishnavi Chandrashekhar

January 08, 2019 |

Yale Environment 360 |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Mumbai

In booming cities across India, residents and nonprofits are fighting to save trees from rampant development. One protest in Delhi brought 1,500 citizens out, stalling a proposal to fell 14,000 trees in the city. And the Center for Environmental Research and Education in Mumbai plant's new trees with an unusually high survival rate of 90 percent. But to stem destruction, these groups must help city planners and politicians understand the many benefits that urban trees provide.

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