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The City That Turned Its Water Into Cash

John Tierney

September 22, 2014 |

The Atlantic |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Allentown, Pennsylvania uses a creative financing strategy - leasing the city's water and sewage utilities - to pay for expensive public pension programs. To keep from raising rates for Allentown residents, the lease agreement has a strict rate cap that rises with inflation.

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How Highway Underpasses are Saving Panthers in Florida

Melissa Gaskill

August 14, 2014 |

Mental Floss |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

According to the Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission, there are fewer than 180 panthers left in the state due to high rates of animal-vehicle collision. Now, the state is trying to prevent further harming the species by introducing specially designed technology, including highway underpasses and roadside animal detection systems.

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Even rural America can have good public transportation

Ben Adler

July 23, 2014 |

Grist |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Aspen, Colorado

Rural areas are known for requiring tourists to rent a car in order to move around, which can be a significant added expense. But Aspen has developed a bus system that can bring residents or tourists from Aspen to suburban areas and back, and the area is also well geared to bicycle use.

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LED street lighting kindles interest in Michigan

Kat Friedrich

July 10, 2014 |

Midwest Energy News |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

As the traditional sodium vapor lamps used for decades in street lights begin to burn out and need replacement, many municipalities, like Detroit, are turning to LED lighting - thanks to rebates and conscientious consumer demand. Though they sometimes have higher up-front costs, LEDs have multiple benefits including long-term cost savings (as they require less maintenance), increased energy efficiency, better lighting that can help decrease crime, and less light pollution and glare.

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Why Sweden has so few road deaths

The Economist

February 26, 2014 |

The Economist |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Sweden

Sweden's "Vision Zero" program has used a comprehensive approach to infrastructure and regulation to drastically reduce traffic-related deaths, making Swedish roads the safest in the world.

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Police chief, mayor tour city's rundown neighborhoods

Greg Barnes

February 22, 2014 |

Fayetteville Observer |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Fayetteville, North Carolina

In Fayetteville, the Mayor and Police Chief have taken a personalized approach in seeking a solution for blighted, low-income neighborhoods and are working to increase the number of city staff on-hand to help address issues like decrepit buildings, as well as decrease the disparity in resources allocated to maintaining these neighborhoods. But many challenges remain, and the line between the government's role versus the private homeowner's responsibility remains difficult to define.

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Dealing with blight complaints requires new approach, Memphis says

Greg Barnes

February 22, 2014 |

Fayetteville Observer |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Memphis, Tennessee

In Memphis, a creative blight-reduction initiative called 25 Square Blocks broke down the city into blocks. Inspectors were able to quickly identify all the violations and fix them, using the same amount of funding, but less time, as the old call-and-respond model.

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India Increases Effort to Harness Biomass Energy

Amy Yee

October 08, 2013 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Punjab

With 60 percent of India's population relying on agriculture for living, the country faces a dire challenge of what to do with accumulated agricultural waste. Instead of burning it, as they traditionally would do, they are harnessing biomass energy that directly supplies the country's electrical grid.

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Out of India's Trash Heaps, More Than a Shred of Dignity

Sarika Bansal

June 12, 2013 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Pune, Maharashtra

Throughout India, wastepickers – people who scour landfills for garbage they can sell to recyclers – live at the bottom of society. But the city of Pune did something radical: with the help of a collective, they did away with expensive garbage trucks, and now all household garbage is collected by wastepickers with pushcarts. Pune saves millions of dollars each year and recycles more – and the wastepickers have decent wages and social standing. The concept is now spreading globally.

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Conservation Pays Off for Bangladeshi Factories

Amy Yee

March 21, 2013 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh

Saving money while conserving water and electricity is a win-win for the textile industry in Bangladesh. After a joint effort to improve the mechanics and upgrade the factories, the industry saw a savings of 1.2 million cubic meters of water, 16 million cubic meters of gas and 10 million kilowatt hours of electricity.

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