Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • Fragile cities are being inundated with people fleeing the impacts of climate change. How can they cope?

    Durable Solutions Initiative (DSI) aims to create long-term solutions to help internally displaced people in under-resourced urban areas, many of whom fled climate-related disasters. DSI relies on ideas from the displaced communities about how to move towards self-reliance. In Somalia, the participatory and locally-created approach led to Midnimo I, a donor-funded initiative that created short-term jobs, built or upgraded community-prioritized infrastructure projects like schools and hospitals, and improved relations between authorities and displaced communities, benefiting nearly 350,000 people directly.

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  • Ajo bands together to fight COVID food insecurity

    The Ajo Center for Sustainable Agriculture has helped the town of Ajo in Arizona distribute affordable and nutrient-dense food to the community after the coronavirus pandemic created a significant financial strain on many families. Additional support has come from the town's participation in the Environmental Protection Agency's program Local Food, Local Places which "provides technical support and expertise to help towns leverage food systems to boost economic development."

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  • The marathon: How Ontario succeeded in former GM plant's redevelopment this time

    The city of Ontario, Ohio, redeveloped the site of a former General Motors plant in an endeavor to bring back jobs. Extensive cleanup, construction, and collective action resulted in a clean facility and a bright future. The site will soon be home to the first new tenant: A specialty bags production plant.

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  • The Island Where Everyone Owns the Wind

    Denmark’s Samso Island has not only succeeded in generating 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy - which is the nation’s goal by 2030 - it is now carbon negative. Locals initially pushed back on the idea of loud and unsightly windmills but had a change of heart when part ownership of the turbines was offered. Samso Island’s success in addressing climate change so effectively was a result of civic participation and the opportunity for economic development.

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  • When money is running short, print your own

    A community currency was introduced to boost the local economy in the Berkshires region of Massachusetts. $133,000 worth of BerkShares, as the currency is known, are in circulation and accepted by small businesses in town. The concept arose from the desire to support “a strong commitment to speak with buying choices.”

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  • Lessons From Portland's Protest Movement

    Organized groups of volunteers helped sustain over four months of Black Lives Matters protests, with centralized information sources keeping the public informed and essential support services provided. A network of over 160 medics tended to protesters' health needs and organizers provided air filters to deal with tear gas. Protestors getting out of jail were given food, water, and other resources, and affected neighborhoods were cleaned up by teams of volunteers. Such support created other ways to participate while also providing critical infrastructure to sustain months of protests for racial justice.

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  • Saving mums and their unborn babies

    Women who faced difficulty getting to the nearest hospital when they were in labor, organized to raise money to buy a car that could be used as an emergency vehicle. Although having the car has helped significantly with accessing the hospital, it's not a fail-proof system and can be costly for the community to maintain. The state government was impressed with the scheme, however, and has launched an initiative that helps provide financial incentives to drivers for the program.

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  • Prescribed burns and wildfire in Santa Cruz County

    The number of prescribed burn associations in California is on the rise, advocating for more controlled fires that could prevent larger wildfires. There are at least 13 in the Golden State with the latest being the Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association. Their mission is to help private landowners through the complex process of organizing a prescribed burn and to educate them about the effectiveness and limitations of the technique. So far, they’ve had 125 who are interested in getting involved and they received a grant of more than $300,000 from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

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  • Everyday resilience in a Lesvos refugee camp

    People living in the Kara Tepe refugee camp find creative ways to withstand the oftentimes inhumane conditions. To supplement insufficient food rations, volunteers bake and distribute up to 400 pieces of bread a day while others fish to provide their own food. The NGO Yoga & Sport for Refugees organizes swimming, running, and team sports to provide mental health outlets. Residents also organize non-formal educational activities because no formal schooling is provided for camp residents. The Instagram account Now You See Me Moria publishes photos taken by camp residents to raise awareness of these issues.

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  • Cook County, Minnesota, has kept COVID at bay

    In Minnesota, cross-sector collaboration, contact tracing, and a focus on adhering to public health safety protocols have helped Cook County avoid an outbreak of COVID-19 cases, despite being a tourist destination. Local health officials and industry leaders presented a united front, while residents and business owners focused on ways to "keep the tourists from infecting the locals." With only seven residents contracting the virus by summer's end, the efforts appear to have been successful.

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