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Civic engagement academies helping Kansans train for local government's learning curve

Stan Finger

July 27, 2021 |

The Kansas Leadership Center Journal (KLC Journal) |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kansas

Civic engagement academies throughout Kansas provide participants with behind-the-scenes views of how their local government operates. Participants meet with emergency responders, learn how city officials put together a budget and hear from those who maintain municipal utilities. Understanding the inner workings of city operations helps citizens become more engaged in bettering those operations and find ways to be involved outside of running for office. Participation often brings to light city resources they didn’t know existed, which they are quick to share with their fellow residents on social media.

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Fighting plastic waste: a double-edged sword

Justice Nwafor

July 26, 2021 |

SciDev.Net |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Lagos

Teams of recyclers in Nigeria gather plastic bottles from the streets and landfills and brings them to recycling plants where they can exchange the waste for money. HISL Recyclers collects this waste — which usually contains polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, a dangerous chemical — as a way to remove the waste from the environment. However, more work needs to be done to get more people to participate in the program and to scale the operations. So far, they’ve been able to recycle up to 20 tonnes of plastic waste a month.

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Reimagining Public Spaces: The Share-It-Square in Portland, Oregon

Laura Puttkamer

July 13, 2021 |

Culture Days |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

The Share-It-Square is a public space intended to foster a sense of community. Neighbors started the idea as a way to get to know each other. The intersection in Portland has grown from a simple meeting place to one that now boasts a library, a playhouse, a message board and a kiosk that’s always full of tea.

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A ski company built a power plant fueled by methane. It's a success, but can it be replicated?

Annie Gowen

May 28, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Somerset, Colorado

A ski company and oil and gas executive were able to work out a deal to turn the Elk Creek Mine into a power plant that puts out 24 million kilowatt hours a year and prevents hundreds of billions of methane each year from escaping into the atmosphere. The plant hasn’t made a profit yet for its investors and regulatory red tape could make it difficult to implement in other places, but officials say the plant has been successful and could be a way to combat climate change.

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Can Removing Highways Fix America's Cities?

Nadja Popovich Josh Williams Denise Lu

May 27, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rochester, New York

One of the first cities to undo the damage that mid-20th-century urban highways did to neighborhoods has filled in a sunken highway and opened streets to new shops, pedestrians, and bikes. After more than two decades of planning, Rochester got rid of part of the Inner Loop that bisected the east side of its downtown during a phase of highway construction that prized suburban commuters' convenience over city residents' homes. The conversion to a thriving neighborhood will take more than just new streets and buildings, but the project serves as a template for dozens of infrastructure projects nationwide.

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What to Do With Piles of Plastic Waste?

Breanna Draxler Tonderayi Mukeredzi Madalitso Wills Kateta Natasha Chassagne

May 10, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Malawi, Lilongwe

From collecting plastic to transforming it into infrastructure, communities all over the world are implementing solutions to tackle the growing amount of plastic waste. In Malawi, women are separating garbage from plastic and creating new products like fire briquettes, doormats, and organic compost that they can sell to others. A town in Tasmania turned their plastic waste into a road made of recycled asphalt that is expected to last 15 percent longer than regular asphalt. And Zimbabwe is employing youth to recycle plastic into eco-friendly construction materials.

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'We Need To Act Now': This Small Wisconsin City Is Boosting Its Use Of Renewable Energy To Fight Climate Change

Danielle Kaeding

April 22, 2021 |

Wisconsin Public Radio |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, River Falls, Wisconsin

The city of River Falls in Wisconsin built the state’s first city-owned solar garden, taking steps to reduce their use of fossil fuels and encourage community members to go green. Now, all city buildings are 100 percent run on renewable energy and residents can sign up for a program allowing them to buy renewable energy. Getting people to take action can be difficult, but city officials say they found the right message to get its residents on board.

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The Southwest Offers Blueprints for the Future of Wastewater Reuse

Frederick Clayton

April 17, 2021 |

Truthout |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Diego, California

As the U.S. Southwest continues to navigate ongoing water crises, several places — including Las Vegas; Orange County, California;, and San Diego — are turning wastewater into drinking water. Their various systems are recycling and treating wastewater as a way to save money and create a reliable supply of drinking water for residents in arid climates. Outreach and education in these communities helped make these systems successful and could be a model for others looking to supplement their traditional water supplies.

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Helping animals cross the road and other obstacles

Daniel Gordon

April 06, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Indonesia, Java

As human infrastructure continues to threaten animal habitats, researchers are coming up with ways to use artificial structures as bridges for these creatures to get where they need to go. In Indonesia, irrigation pipes help farmers water their crops, but they’re also used by slow lorises to cross over the farmlands. In Brazil, a bridge crossing a major highway will be used by golden lion tamarins to avoid the busy traffic.

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How Jersey City Middle Schoolers Stopped a Flood

Phil Roberts

March 12, 2021 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Jersey City, New Jersey

In a science class in a local New Jersey school, students came up with a green solution to a storm water management and flooding problem in their parking lot when it rained. With help from the Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program out of Rutgers University and funding from city agencies, they were able to build planters and install concrete to absorb the runoff. The project galvanized the community, encouraging the school to expand their STEM curriculum.

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