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Stopping US teens from smoking, one town at a time

David Karas

October 14, 2018 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

Activists hope to reduce the number of young smokers by raising the legal smoking age to 21. Instead of working for a national change, they're tackling the issue one small town at a time.

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The Crime Machine, Part II

PJ Vogt

October 12, 2018 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

CompStat seemed like a miracle of technology and data when it was rolled out in New York City in the 1990s. Crime dropped as police leadership demanded precincts report every crime and what they were doing about it at weekly meetings where they were pressured to conform to this new system. But this also resulted in police distorting actual crime data to avoid reporting crimes in their districts and the push for increased police activity resulted in cops targeting minorities for minor offenses.

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To Protect the Environment, Buddhist Monks Are Ordaining Trees

August Rick

October 11, 2018 |

Sojourners |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Cambodia

In Cambodia, it is Buddhist tradition and protocol to ordain a tree when a new monk was inducted. Since it is taboo to harm a monk, this practice inadvertently doubled as a conservation tactic by preventing deforestation ongoings, eventually leading those of this faith to be dubbed ecology monks.

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Mass tourism is ruining historic cities. Only government can stop it

Jennifer Guay

October 11, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Spain, Barcelona

With tourism on the rise, governments are figuring out how to limit overcrowding and environmental damage. Replicable ideas include marketing beaches and other attractions off the beaten path, regulating hotels and vacation rentals, and even requiring that every tourist must be accompanied by a local guide.

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In A Drying Climate, Colorado's 'Water Cop' Patrols For Water Thieves

Luke Runyon

October 11, 2018 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Montezuma, Colorado

In Colorado’s water-scarce Montezuma County, having a designated law enforcement official for water conflict is necessary. Dave Huhn is a sheriff’s deputy specializing in water law, responding to 60-100 calls each month – most of which are about water theft. As the region becomes more arid, it also becomes more ripe for conflict, making those who know the intricacies of water law more necessary than ever.

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The Crime Machine, Part I

PJ Vogt

October 11, 2018 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The creation of CompStat fostered a huge drop in crime rates in New York City by the 1990s. The idea came from an odd and obsessive transit cop was to track every single crime daily in every precinct and use that data to systematically go after everything from murders to low-level crimes once ignored by police. It was a drastic shift in the way NYPD worked and was credited with making the city far safer, but was also flawed.

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The Fight to Save the Last Swimming Camels on Earth

Anna Kusmer

October 11, 2018 |

Gizmodo |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Kutch, Gujarat

The existence of the Kharai camels living in regions within the western Indian state of Gujarat is increasingly becoming threatened due to industrialization. As a conservation-minded society, however, local organizations are working together to preserve the species by preserving their habitat.

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Fighting fires with goats

Ammar Ebrahim

October 10, 2018 |

BBC |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: Spain, Girona, Catalonia

In northern Spain, the Fire Flocks project uses goats to clear vegetation between grassland, bushes and treetops because this can help stop the spread of future wildfires. This depends on shepherds moving herds to key areas that are vulnerable to fire. It’s a difficult life, so the project supports shepherds by encouraging butchers to sell goat products with the Fire Flocks brand to get support for the organization’s efforts.

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Why do we demolish buildings instead of deconstructing them for re-use?

Nate Berg

October 09, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Each year, roughly 500 million tons of waste from the tearing down of buildings goes into landfills in the United States. Deconstruction, the idea of dismantling old buildings instead of the traditional method of tearing them down, diverts some of the waste, provides jobs, and makes affordable building materials more accessible. Though deconstruction does not work in all scenarios, it is a growing alternative with many benefits.

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Banning refugees from having jobs hurts, not helps, local workers

Fergus Peace

October 09, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Turkey

Host governments tend to be wary of allowing refugees to move freely and work legally. However, integrating refugees into the labor market as quickly as possible reduces the concentration of newcomers in the informal sector, benefiting both locals and refugees in the long run.

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