Safer at sea: The unexpected benefit of traceability for small-scale fishers

https://news.mongabay.com/2019/11/safer-at-sea-the-unexpected-benefit-of-traceability-for-small-scale-fishers

Laura Villadiego

Mongabay

12 November 2019

Multi-Media / 1500-3000 Words

Efforts to reduce illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing also make fishermen safer at sea. Vessel Monitoring Mechanisms (VMM) and electronic catch documentation (eCDT) track the origin of fish headed to market, part of an international effort to ensure sustainable and equitable practices. Data transmission also makes fishermen safer, relaying their locations from hundreds of miles out at sea. In the Philippines, a partnership between Futuristic Aviation and Maritime Enterprise (FAME) and USAID Oceans and Fisheries Partnership helps cover subscription fees for FAME radio transmitter service.

Turning Paris's underground car parks into mushrooms farms

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-49928362/turning-paris-s-underground-car-parks-into-mushrooms-farms

Dougal Shaw

BBC

11 November 2019

Video / Under 3 Minutes

Mushroom farms are popping up in underground parking lots in Paris. The city, facing a surplus of lots as car ownership declines, has been holding competitions to find creative, new purposes for them. Urban farmers, Cycloponics, won one of these competitions and now operates three of these mushroom farms, selling their crops to local organic grocery stores in the area.

Why This Group Handles Grief By Boxing

https://www.sideeffectspublicmedia.org/post/why-group-handles-grief-boxing

Carter Barrett

Side Effects Public Media

8 November 2019

Text / Under 800 Words

Overdose Lifeline is an organization in Indianapolis, Indiana that is using boxing classes as support groups for those struggling with grief. After noticing a pattern of anger in those the organization aimed to help, the group started "grief boxing" as a way to help work through those feelings.

This Wyoming Greenhouse is a Place for Employees with Disabilities to Grow

https://bitterrootmag.com/2019/11/08/this-wyoming-greenhouse-is-a-place-for-employees-with-disabilities-to-grow

Jodi Hausen

Bitterroot

8 November 2019

Text / 800-1500 Words

A company called Vertical Harvest in Jackson, Wyoming employs people with developmental and physical disabilities to work in their 3-story greenhouse to address the exclusion of people with disabilities in the labor pool. Vertical Harvest, which offers positions growing and handling local produce, acts as both a safe space and source of income for employees, following a trend to open employment opportunities to often overlooked populations.

The Three Keys to a Thriving Rural Economy

https://bitterrootmag.com/2019/11/08/the-three-keys-to-a-thriving-rural-economy

Jake Bullinger

Bitterroot

8 November 2019

Text / 1500-3000 Words

As the Mountain West transitions away from mining and other industrial economic drivers, rural cities find their way into successful economies by relying on local entrepreneurial spirit and the surrounding landscape. Businesses like SmartLam in rural Montana rely on local resources - in SmartLam's case, timber - and sustainable, future-oriented strategy to make a ripple in the economy of the rural West.

Philly Sets New Gold Standard for Domestic Worker Protections

https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/philly-sets-new-gold-standard-for-domestic-worker-protections

Oscar Perry Abello

Next City

7 November 2019

Text / 800-1500 Words

Giving domestic workers a seat at the table elevates their voices and provides them with access to protections enshrined in labor laws. In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the passage of the Philadelphia Domestic Workers Bill of Rights extends worker protections to those previously left out of traditional labor laws. The new law, passed with the combined effort of the Pennsylvania Domestic Worker Alliance (PDWA), Philadelphia’s City Council, and the support of Philadelphia AFL-CIO, grants domestic workers access to employer-funded benefits and paid time off.

The Doctor Will Skype You Now: Virtual Checkups Reach Bangladesh's Isolated Islands

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2019/11/06/775118353/the-doctor-will-skype-you-now-virtual-checkups-reach-bangladeshs-isolated-island

Jennifer Chowdhury

NPR

6 November 2019

Text / 800-1500 Words

Free, remote medical consultations are increasing healthcare access for the inhabitants of Bangladesh’s char islands. Using boats, laptops, and video conference software, local NGOs are bringing health services to char residents. One group, thesteps.org, provides residents with a telemedicine service called Teledaktra (TD), another nonprofit, Friendship, operates satellite clinics from a boat.

Hartford first city to aid former inmates with Lyft rides

https://apnews.com/831d3b57c74443f7b3ca3f1da5321e48

Chris Ehrmann

Associated Press

6 November 2019

Text / Under 800 Words

Hartford, Connecticut, in partnership with Lyft and the criminal justice reform group, #cut50, is providing transportation credits to formerly incarcerated individuals. The effort aims to help individuals reentering their communities with a way of getting to places like job interviews and doctors appointments – things that will help them get back on their feet.

To Confront Effects of Trauma, Start with Self Care

https://www.yesmagazine.org/people-power/health-trauma-self-care-community-20191105

Jay Walljasper

Yes! Magazine

5 November 2019

Text / 800-1500 Words

Building resilience and self-care into daily life promotes long-term wellbeing. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the Catalyst Initiative works to support the emotional and mental wellbeing of underserved groups by promoting culturally relevant approaches to self-care. Catalyst funds organizations that serve Indigenous communities, communities of color, as well as other programs that encourage people to practice mindfulness and self-care as a way to heal from trauma and stress associated with economic, personal, or social issues.

A novel idea for California: requiring students to fill out financial aid forms

http://edsource.org/2019/a-novel-idea-for-california-requiring-students-to-fill-out-financial-aid-forms/619373

Larry Gordon

EdSource

5 November 2019

Text / 800-1500 Words

Val Verde Unified School District in California requires high school students to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Though advocates have documented significant positive culture changes, researchers say the impact of such requirements on college enrollemnt rates remains uncertain.