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  • Can we keep lumber out of the landfill?

    July 08, 2021 |

    Living Here |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada

    Pollution caused by demolition is expected to be 2.2 billion tons by 2021. However, up to 75 percent of materials in a demolition can be recycled. An alternative method to demolition is deconstruction or unbuilding. The method always for lumber and other materials that are recyclable to be salvaged. Cities like Vancouver that have passed ordinances encouraging recycling saw results. One company, "Unbuilders," that specializes in deconstruction shows that using methods like tax receipts and appraisals can lead to both profit and better results for the environment.

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  • How Bogotá's Waste Pickers Reinvented Their Jobs for a Modern City

    July 05, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Colombia

    In Colombia, there are about 50,000 waste pickers, they collect and sort through trash to findrecyclabless to make a living. Their livelihood was threatened in the 1990s after Colombia adopted neoliberal policies that privatized trash collection. However, in 2016 the government officially recognized wastepickers as recycling service providers under a decree. That same year, the government introduced a "second payment," that supplement the income of waste pickers. Coupled, these two policies have improved the livelihood of wastepickers.

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  • How a Kansas City neighborhood is transforming its dangerous and abandoned buildings

    June 28, 2021 |

    The Kansas City Beacon |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Kansas City, Missouri

    A neighborhood association is renovating dilapidated and neglected houses into livable homes that have transformed the look and feel of neighborhoods in Kansas City. The Lykins Neighborhood Association is able to assume ownership over houses slated for demolition by using Missouri’s Abandoned Housing act. “The result: A neglected house becomes a livable home.”

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  • Oregon Bottle Bill at 50

    June 23, 2021 |

    Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

    Radio |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Oregon

    In 1971, Oregon became the first state to adopt a law that established refundable deposits on beer and soft drink containers. So, if a consumer returned their plastic bottle, they would get their deposit back and that bottle then gets recycled. The Bottle Bill turned 50 this year and has proved to be a huge success. In 2019, it had a 90 percent return, meaning nine out of ten containers were being recycled. Other states are looking towards Oregon to replicate the model.

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  • Virginia law cleared a path for condo owners to install charging stations

    April 27, 2021 |

    Energy News Network |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Virginia

    In Virginia, as more and more people turn towards electric cars like Tesla, homeowner associations will have to accommodate resident's request for electric charging stations. Because of that very reason, one legislator created Senate Bill 630, which prohibits homeowner and condominium associations from prohibiting installation in a resident's parking space. This story goes into detail about how one man used SB 630 to get three charging stations installed in his condominium.

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  • City officials expand free internet access to Philadelphia prekindergarten students

    April 26, 2021 |

    Chalkbeat |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Families with students in prekindergarten in Philadelphia now are eligible for PHLConnectED, a program that provides students with free internet access during remote learning. The program has already reached out to over 12,000 families.

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  • Syracuse Couldn't Fine Its Way to Clear Sidewalks, So It's Trying Something New

    April 14, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Syracuse, New York

    The city of Syracuse is taking matters into its own hands, where it comes to snow removal. Relying on residents to remove snow from sidewalks wasn’t effective so the city is removing snow itself and levying a fee for property owners.

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  • This Real Estate Co-Op is Looking for Investors Who Want to Put Community First

    April 13, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

    The 2012 federal JOBS Act (Jumpstart Our Business Startups) took some time to gain traction, but in recent years it has democratized the financing of worker-owned co-ops and other community-based entities that ordinarily would be frozen out of capital markets. By making possible what is called a direct public offering, the law has made it easier to finance businesses that promise greater social benefits than just profit maximization, by opening investment opportunities to a more diverse and egalitarian mix of investors.

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  • This Sacramento-area city is paying homeless people to clean up camps — and it's paying off

    April 07, 2021 |

    Sacramento Bee |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Elk Grove, California

    Residents experiencing homelessness in Elk Grove, California, are being paid to clean up their encampments. The job was done by public services employees prior to the pandemic and cost the city upwards of $10,000. Now, the city is saving money while providing residents with gift cards that allow them to purchase basic necessities such as hygiene products and food.

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  • The Clever Architectural Feature That Makes Life on Bermuda Possible

    March 31, 2021 |

    Atlas Obscura |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Bermuda

    There is no natural freshwater source on Bermuda, so residents turn to rainfall as a way to fulfill their water needs. The white limestone Bermuda roofs are used to catch and redirect rain into underground tanks that serve as their primary source of freshwater. Droughts happen, which has led to other solutions, but the limestone roofs are still primarily their largest source of freshwater.

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