Дети – агенты изменений. Как работает раздельный сбор мусора в школах Николаева

Danylo Herasymov

December 16, 2020 |

Рубрика (Rubryka) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ukraine, Mykolayiv

Україна посідає дев'яте місце в переліку країн із найбільшим обсягом сміття на душу населення. У Миколаєві міська влада та громадська організація об'єдналися, щоб сортувати відходи у школах міста. "Загалом проєкт залучив 20,000 школярів, яким за рік вдалося зібрати, відсортувати й надіслати на переробку 119 тонн сміття". Програма довела свою успішність, школярі змагаються за першість у сортуванні. Діти таки є "нашими агентами змін". Інші міста виявляють прагнення запровадити програму для власних шкіл.

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Internet Companies Don't Want to Serve the Clearfork Valley. So Residents Are Working to Build Their Own Access

Gabe Schwartzman

December 14, 2020 |

The Daily Yonder |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Clearfork Valley, Kentucky

Community advocates in Clearfork Valley created their own public internet hotspot to bridge the digital divide, especially as the pandemic rendered high-speed internet more of a necessity than a luxury. Broadband companies were reluctant to run fiber-optic cables through the valley because the rural area wouldn't bring in a profit for the internet providers. A small nonprofit, Community Tech, NY, stepped in to help solve the problem by providing Portable Network Kits which provide internet access. Although it creates a small network, it's a huge step toward "stepping onto the technology highway."

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Breaking Buildings' Addiction to Fossil Fuels

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Alex Blumberg

December 10, 2020 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

BlocPower retrofits buildings with energy-efficient equipment in financially underserved communities by offering loans to building owners for no money down. The company has completed about 1,000 projects by bundling the financing for many projects and finding investors willing to provide capital for the larger sum, which reduces investor risk. The group also created technology to reduce the costs of building inspections and energy usage monitoring. The new equipment increases building values and reduces energy costs so that owners pay less in monthly loan repayments than they would with the old equipment.

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What Comes Next for Portland's Protests?

Isabella Garcia

December 09, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Black Lives Matters protests have been sustained by an autonomously organized mutual aid network providing a range of services for protesters and community members. Requests for information and assistance are sent using encrypted communication. The groups provide medics, public protest art, legal and financial aid, and even mechanics to service protesters’ cars and a group that helps protesters replace glasses that were damaged or lost due to police encounters. The extensive mutual aid network enables flexibility to respond to a diverse set of changing needs, sustaining protests longer than in other cities.

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Budget-strapped Wyo towns bypass state with climate efforts

Dustin Bleizeffer

December 08, 2020 |

WyoFile |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Laramie, Wyoming

Several counties in Wyoming are "breaking with state policy" in order to introduce initiatives and efforts aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating the impacts of climate change. Although the state controls financial allocations, city and county governments as well as community-driven efforts have still resulted in a reduction of electrical consumption and fossil fuel consumption.

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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 sustainable refocus helps a historic Chicago community rebuild

Audrey F. Henderson

December 02, 2020 |

Energy News Network |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Green developement has breathed new life into a once-declining town that suffered from the exodus of manufacturers. A comprehensive 10-year plan revitalized the local economy of Pullman, creating jobs and bringing new manufacturers into its abandoned buildings. Housing, transportation, public safety, and recreation were also part of the plan which was funded by tax increment financing in addition to federal funding and investments from companies located there.

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Heat Waves Kill More People Than Any Other Weather Disaster. These Cities Have A Plan.

Rachel Ramirez

December 01, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: India, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

With rising temperatures occurring all over the world, cities are implementing plans to combat heat waves and protect its residents. The city of Ahmedabad in India has been a model for heat resiliency after it created its first heat action plan that centered around “community-focused social measures.” Because of the plan, a 2015 heat wave resulted in fewer than 20 fatalities compared with thousands of deaths in previous years. Other cities like New York City are also participating in heat resiliency efforts aimed at protecting all of its residents.

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In Italy, deserted railway buildings are patching up the social fabric and supporting migrants

Sofia Cherici

November 30, 2020 |

The Local |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Italy

More than 400 social service centers occupy spaces abandoned by the Italian Railway Network. The sites are managed by social stakeholders but, unlike other national assistance centers, they do not require citizenship to receive benefits, allowing people who are often left out of government programs to receive food, basic medical care, and other services like laundry and a shower. Social service groups are granted the locations for up to five years, and nearly 25,000 people receive benefits across the network each year, the majority of whom are migrants, refugees, and citizens of other countries.

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This sacred bean saved an indigenous clan from climate calamity

Agostino Petroni

November 25, 2020 |

National Geographic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Manaure

A community gardening project growing the guajiro bean has allowed Wayuu farmers in the Colombian desert to achieve food security despite the effects of climate change and external pressures. While scaling this agricultural success to other Indigenous clans can be difficult, using a low-tech irrigation system and red earthworm compost has allowed one settlement to feed its community and make their soil fertile again.

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