Today’s Solutions: May 16, 2024

Good Governance

What does good governance look like? In this good news section, we share international examples of good governance, from efforts directed at the protection of civil rights to initiatives aimed at the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of the environment.

Cross Bronx Expressway

Community and the environment get a boost with NY freeway transformation

Many urban highways from the 1950s and 1960s were deliberately built through neighborhoods primarily occupied by people of color, effectively walling these families off from economic opportunity and disrupting their sense of community. These same roads also increase the risks of air pollution for Read More...

New York skyline as seen from Brooklyn

New York City opens the country’s first safe injection site

Harm reduction strategies are gaining traction as a more effective way to quell the ever-growing opioid crisis. These strategies, like making clean needle exchanges available and decriminalizing drug possession, understand that criminalization alone will not reduce drug abuse, nor does it protect Read More...

Sunset in the Sierra Nevadas

Department of the Interior moves to change derogatory US land names

We recently wrote about a California ski resort’s choice to change its derogatory name. Now, more sites around the US, specifically federal lands, will also get name changes as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has ordered the department’s Board on Geographic Names to remove derogatory and racist Read More...

EVs charging in a row

US allocates $6.6 million to Midwest Tribes for EV network

The US Department of Energy has approved $6.6 million in funding to create an electric vehicle charging network for Native American Tribes in the Midwest. Awarded to Native Sun Community Power Development and Standing Rock Renewable Energy Power Authority, the funding will be used to purchase Read More...

Small green plant in front of a city skyline

Could you build a net-zero city? This game lets you find out

More and more cities and countries are pledging to achieve net-zero emissions, but this task isn’t as easy as it seems. Some strategies, like installing renewable energy sources and electrifying public transport, are intuitive, but what about private households and emissions from landfills? To Read More...

Historic Albuquerque, New Mexico

Albuquerque launches alternative to policing for mental health emergencies

Following fatal interactions between the police and those experiencing mental health crises, the city of Albuquerque, New Mexico, has followed in the footsteps of Denver and Oakland and established Albuquerque Community Safety (ACS), a public safety branch that operates in addition to police and Read More...

Olympic flag at sunset

Olympic Committee issues more inclusive guidelines on trans athletes

Laurel Hubbard made history as the first transgender athlete to compete in the Olympics this summer, and following this milestone, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced a new framework supporting trans athletes. The new guidance comes after two years of consultation with 250 Read More...

Teens sit in circle during class discussion

7 Reasons to sign your teen up for Model UN

Following the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow, your child may be asking some questions about what exactly the UN is and how they can get involved in advocating for a better world through diplomacy. Fortunately, Model UN (MUN) programs in school are a perfect place for young adults to get Read More...

Youth activists march at COP26 climate conference in Glasgow

7 takeaways from COP26

The 26th annual United Nations climate change summit has officially come to a close. We shared a few updates along the way about coal pledges, carbon-neutral countries, and Indigenous forest protection, but now that COP26 is wrapped up, let’s take a broader look at what the summit Read More...

Wetland in the Everglades with waterlilies

Florida rejects plan to drill oil well in ecologically sensitive Everglades

From rising sea levels to more frequent and powerful hurricanes, Florida is highly threatened by climate change. That’s why it makes a lot of sense that state environmental regulators have recently rejected a plan to drill for oil in the Everglades. The Florida Department of Environmental Read More...