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  • This smart outlet uses AI to help you lower your electric bill

    November 01, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Palo Alto, California

    Households across the United States are using (and paying) for energy that they're not actively consuming. A new invention that connects to an app helps identify the how much energy is being expended by various appliances so people can actively cut down on their electric utilities.

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  • Every employee at this grilled cheese restaurant has a criminal record

    October 05, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Minneapolis, Minnesota

    Emily Turner, an attorney-turned-activist, runs the restaurant All Square, which only employs people with a criminal record. After years working in the field of prisoner reentry for the government, she decided to create a solution that would directly help people: providing jobs. By paying a living wage, providing mental health support, and teaching business skills, the “fellows,” as they are called, are finding a sustainable way to bounce back.

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  • This startup lets villagers create mini power grids for their neighbors

    September 28, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: Bangladesh, Shikarpur

    Solshare, a fast-growing startup in Bangladesh, created a system in which “neighbors can sell extra electricity to each other.” The number of home solar panels has been increasing since a 2014 government program put solar power as a priority on its agenda. Even though more and more people have power, up to 30% is estimated to be wasted. Solshare created a microgrid in which cabling connects people who want to buy and sell power.

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  • For refugees, the best solution is often just cash

    September 27, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: Colombia, Bogotá

    The International Rescue Committee’s cash transfer program has seen success most recently in Colombia, by helping Venezuelan refugees start fresh in a new place. For the Del Carmen family, cash transfers of $66 per household member for three months provided the capital necessary to create a new income stream - a mini market that allows Yoleima del Carmen, the mother, to feed her family. This is part of a broader trend in the international development space in which more and more funding is allocated to cash transfers.

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  • This real estate company figured out a simple way to offer the homeless a house and a job

    September 21, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

    Chris Finlay, who manages a real estate company in Washington, D.C., decided to try hiring homeless people to work in his buildings. His goal was to provide a job alongside significantly discounted housing as a benefit of the job. Seeing the concept’s success, he started a nonprofit called Shelters to Shutters to help spread the idea around the country. The organization has helped hire people in 15 cities, and 93% of those hired are still employed in these jobs.

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  • The entire city of Paris will be car-free for a day

    September 14, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: France, Paris

    Car use in Paris has dropped 45 percent since 1990. To combat air pollution and reduce its carbon footprint, the city has invested in bike lanes and redesigned intersections for pedestrians. An annual car-free day demonstrates how the city could function entirely without cars.

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  • This bike path is made from recycled plastic

    September 14, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: Netherlands, Zwolle

    What do you get when you combine the efforts of an engineering company with an energy company? In the Netherlands, you get a new type of environmentally sustainable roads. PlasticRoads, a piloted initiative in the city of Zwolle, uses discarded plastic to build bike paths that help cut down on plastic waste.

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  • A new use for Google Maps: calculating a city's carbon footprint

    September 10, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Founded by Google, the Environmental Insights Explorer is an online tool that shows the amount of emissions being released from city structures and transportation. Although still being tested, the tool guides cities towards ways to reduce their carbon footprint and better increase sustainability efforts.

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  • These probiotics for bees are designed to boost insect immune systems

    August 27, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, California

    As bee populations continue to decrease, beekeepers and scientists are left searching for solutions to sustain the colonies that are left. One possible solution may be adding probiotics to the bee's diet. Similar to the way humans react to foods high in probiotics, the supplement appears to boost the bees' immune system and increase their resiliency to various pathogens.

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  • This app enlists friends and family to help fight opioid addiction

    August 24, 2018 |

    FastCompany |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: United States

    Most apps aimed at helping opioid addiction have no science behind them, but ResQ was developed by a neurobiologist and psychologist to help users avoid relapse. The app provides support when treatment falls short by linking the user with friends and allies who can interact with their progress, much like a social media platform. The app keeps real-time data about treatment, which can be monitored by counselors.

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