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Paying and Scraping in Pursuit of Zero Waste

James A. Anderson

April 22, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Worcester, Massachusetts

Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) is a model that charges residents of a given city for the trash they throw away, aiming to spur people to decrease the amount of waste they dispose. Acting like a utility payment, this model has been successfully implemented in a handful of cities, even decreasing trash by half in Worcester, Massachusetts. Some cities have even aimed for zero waste by adding in composting programs - though there’s still a long way to go.

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The zero-waste revolution: how a new wave of shops could end excess packaging

Stephen Moss

April 21, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Crickhowell

All across the UK, zero-waste shops are gaining traction, with over 100 stores popping up in the last two years. They encourage shoppers to buy in bulk, minimize plastic waste, and ponder the power they have as consumers in where they shop. It’s part of a broader trend of reuse and repair that is making it easier to shop and live in an environmentally friendly way.

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Congestion Pricing Works — and It Might Be Headed to Your Town Next

Jaime Buerger

April 19, 2019 |

NationSwell |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

After successful reports from countries around the world about the positive effects of congestion pricing, New York City looks to charge drivers in the most congested areas of the city in order to reduce traffic and environmental impact. The revenue from congestion pricing, which acts as a barrier for drivers in crowded city limits, is funneled back into the city's public transportation budget.

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For Refugee Children, Reading Helps Heal Trauma

Rachel Cernansky

April 17, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Jordan, Zaatari, Mafraq Governorate

We Love Reading, an organization backed by UNICEF and USAID, works with all of Jordan's Syrian refugee camps and one of Ethiopia's South Sudanese camps to use storytelling as a tool for psychological healing. It started in 2006 out of Amman, Jordan, and has since gained respect with children specialists and international aid organizations. We Love Reading works on the premise that story time boosts healthy development by giving children the courage and language to speak about what they are going through.

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How Nature Therapy Can Help People of Color in Traumatic Jobs

Padmini Parthasarathy

April 15, 2019 |

Outside |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Berkeley, California

People who work in caring professions often experience vicarious trauma, and don't always take the time to seek care for themselves. Rino Consulting Solutions aims to help solve this issue, especially as it impacts people of color, through "a unique mashup of professional guidance and outdoor-based therapy."

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How Norway designed a more humane prison

Gina Barton Christophe Haubursin

April 12, 2019 |

Vox |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Norway, Halden

Halden Prison in Norway has re-designed itself so that the look and feel of prison life isn’t an added punishment to restricted freedom. Designers took into consideration the role campus design plays in promoting or disrupting guard-inmate relations and created a campus that promotes community rather than violence and isolation. Also included was landscaping, more natural light, and the use of softer materials, like glass and wood, instead of metal and brick.

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This Appalachian town was America's ‘fattest city.' Here's how it slimmed down.

Jane Black Brent Cunningham

April 10, 2019 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Huntington, West Virginia

After gaining attention in 2008 for having an obesity crisis, the city of Huntington, West Virginia started making slow and steady changes that have culminated into positive changes in the community's overall health. From a food market that gives back to the farmers and artisans that contribute to it to school cafeteria reform, the city has seen their obesity rate decrease and has shifted to a collective healthier mindset overall.

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Millions of dollars' worth of food ends up in school trash cans every day. What can we do?

Lela Nargi

April 09, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Across the United States, schools, government agencies, and individuals are taking steps to reduce food waste in our schools’ cafeterias. There are collaborations that are trying to change the systemic processes by creating guides on how to conduct food waste audits, providing research frameworks for innovative change, and providing policy guidance. A large effort is underway to change how children think about food, which means bringing them to farms and into kitchens to bring them closer to the process.

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Barcelona wants to build 500 superblocks. Here's what it learned from the first ones.

David Roberts

April 09, 2019 |

Vox |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Spain, Barcelona

Calming traffic reduces noise and brings new public spaces to urban neighborhoods. Across Barcelona, Spain, neighborhoods designated as superblocks—where through traffic is prohibited—now serve as shared-use spaces. Existing superblock projects, created through years of collaboration between Urban Ecology Agency of Barcelona and the city’s administration, serve as pilot programs for the city’s broader vision to create hundreds of such spaces.

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Change the narrative: how a Swiss group is beating rightwing populists

Jon Henley

April 07, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Switzerland

A group called Operation Libero in Switzerland has successfully rallied against rising right-wing populist groups by using different approaches like small-scale crowdfunding, eye-catching tongue-in-cheek campaigns, and viral social media videos. During one campaign, young Operation Libero volunteers handed out branded condoms to nightclubbers.

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