Struggles from below

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Icelandic PM wants tougher foreign land ownership rules →

July 26, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

The prime minister says it is clear that land should not be viewed simply as a tradeable commodity like goods and services. She says that there is support across the political spectrum for restricting the purchase of land in Iceland by wealthy individuals. RÚV

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July 26, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
land, community, inequality
Comment

Opportunity Zoning →

July 26, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

An inside look at how three cities are aligning a new tax incentive with land-use plans to revitalize neighborhoods. URBAN INSTITUTE

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July 26, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
community, urban development
Comment

Choosing between God and the gang in El Salvador →

July 26, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

A church deep in La Dina, San Salvador is holding a service with a difference: many of the men here used to be in a gang. Eben-ezer is a functioning church but also runs a rehabilitation project for men who repent their past gang life. BBC NEWS

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July 26, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
gangs, rehabilitation, crime
Comment

Interview - Ecuador to launch new anti-human trafficking plan →

July 25, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

The plan outlines priorities to tackle and monitor trafficking and calls on authorities to improve how they work together, implement programs and allocate resources. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

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July 25, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
human trafficking
Comment

Free-range fish farming →

July 25, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

This free floating, untethered deep ocean fish habitat looks like a giant underwater hamster ball: Aquapods are giant, free range fish farms that float deep under water and provide a solution to the fact that the world’s seas could soon run out of fish. ATLAS OF THE FUTURE

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July 25, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
overfishing
Comment

Smart Works: 'A free designer suit changed my life' →

July 25, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

Going for an interview can be a daunting experience, especially after a period of unemployment. Two women explain how being given free designer clothes by a charity championed by the Duchess of Sussex helped them get new jobs. BBC NEWS

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July 25, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
employment, empowerment
Comment

The buildings of the future are alive! →

July 25, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

In the not-so-distant future, our homes could grow, live, breathe—and even reproduce. FAST COMPANY

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July 25, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
urban design, climate change
Comment

Could the biblical practice of gleaning cut food waste? →

July 25, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

It is a hot July day in Lancashire and a dozen people are gathering on a dusty farm track two miles outside the market town of Ormskirk. They are gleaners - volunteer harvesters picking what's left in the ground. BBC NEWS

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July 25, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
food waste
Comment

Food labeling is broken. Kind Bar is on a not-so-nutty quest to fix it →

July 24, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

Kind Bar is pushing the FDA to strengthen its food-labeling requirements. Some of its competitors aren’t thrilled. FAST COMPANY

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July 24, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
food, health
Comment

Opinion - Smart countries adapt to finance industry’s exodus from coal →

July 24, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

The departure of private capital from coal power in the past two years risks becoming a stampede to the exit. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

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July 24, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
climate change, clean energy
Comment

India turns to electric vehicles to beat pollution →

July 24, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

India is making a big push for electric vehicles, signalling a turning point in its clean energy policy, writes energy writer Vandana Gombar. BBC NEWS

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July 24, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
climate change, electric vehicles
Comment

Boys can wear skirts under Taiwan school's gender-neutral uniform plan →

July 24, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

A global campaign to push for gender-neutral school uniforms has gained traction in recent months. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

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July 24, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
gender politics
Comment

Stopping child marriage with solar lanterns →

July 24, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

It’s estimated that more than 100 million girls under the age of 18 will be married in the next decade. But in Ethiopia a scheme involving solar lamps is helping thousands of girls stay in school longer and avoid marriage until they are adults. BBC NEWS

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July 24, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
climate change, gender inequality
Comment

Sustainable oil, less smoke: Singapore student fights haze threat →

July 23, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

"We can't sit idle and watch as spectators," says 17-year-old working to cut forest burning and for use of more sustainable palm oil. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

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July 23, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
climate change
Comment

Cities are getting hotter, but we can redesign them to keep us cool →

July 23, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

As days of extreme heat get more common, there are a few simple solutions that cities around the world are implementing to keep people a little more comfortable. FAST COMPANY

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July 23, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
climate change
Comment

Plastic from burlap? Bangladesh invents a green throw-away bag →

July 23, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

As countries around the world try to cut down on throw-away plastic shopping bags, Bangladesh is hoping to cash in on an alternative: plastic-like bags made from jute, the plant fibre used to produce burlap bags. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

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July 23, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
climate change
Comment

Mental health days: How teens changed the law in Oregon →

July 23, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

Students in Oregon will be able to take mental health days in the same way they would take sick days under a new law. BBC NEWS

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July 23, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
mental health
Comment

Puerto Rican startup to launch self-sustaining moon habitat →

July 23, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

Instarz, a space startup from Puerto Rico, just announced plans to launch a self-assembling, self-sustaining Moon habitat by the late 2020s. The company hopes its lunar shelter will become part of NASA’s ongoing plan to establish a human settlement on the Moon. FUTURISM

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July 23, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
overpopulation
Comment

Tiney app aims to recruit high-flying professionals into childcare →

July 22, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

Finding affordable childcare is a struggle for many working parents — so an arrangement that comes with nutritious sit-down meals, a ban on screen time and regular book clubs might seem like a pipe dream. Yet this is what the founder of Teach First is planning to provide with a pioneering new app. THE TIMES

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July 22, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
family, work
Comment

How 'social physics' can improve your neighbourhood →

July 22, 2019 by Oliver Gordon

MIT's Alex 'Sandy' Pentland explains ‘social physics’ - the analysis of human interactions to improve communities. BBC NEWS

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July 22, 2019 /Oliver Gordon
community
Comment
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