Not long ago, nature was our natural environment. Nowadays, more and more children grow up in cities without much contact to trees, hills, meadows and animals. For kids from low-income families it can be even more difficult to spend time outside their towns. And sometimes transport poverty can even prevent necessary hospital visits. San Francisco based non-profit Yoots has taken up the challenge to connect these children with the outside natural world. In our new episode, Yoots founder Craig Flax tells us how they do that and why free public transport would be a good help, but not enough.
Football solving problems, floating offshore wind farms, pay-what-you-can grocery store
In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we explore the solutions football can bring off the pitch, the French plan to build large-scale floating offshore wind farms, and a pay-what-you-can grocery store in the US.
Mental health training for barbers, hempcrete buildings, Britain’s most ambitious rewilding project
In today’s edition of Squirrel News, Black British barbers participate in mental health training, hempcrete offers a promising path to sustainable construction, and a community in Scotland inspires the world as it takes on an ambitious rewilding project.
#28: How to tackle food poverty with the tools of a modern start-up
Millions of American families depend on food banks, but why until recently has nobody come up with a better solution? Dion Dawson realised that something is wrong with food banks when he had to wait in the rain with his family for hours only to obtain expiring fruits and some unlabeled can goods. Today he’s the founder of Dion’s Chicago Dream, a non-profit that delivers free healthful, nutritious food to families in need – an approach that solves multiple problems at once. In our new episode, Dion talks about the advantages of his programme and explains why some people need good food, but not recipes.
#27: Walking clubs for better mental health
After having dealt with anxieties for years, Scott Oughton-Johnson created a walking group for men with similar issues. Now more and more of such groups are starting in the UK. In our new episode, Scott tells use why the idea works so well and how it could develop in the future.
Museum visits on prescription, the return of public banking, South Africa’s solar-powered train
In today’s issue of Squirrel News, Brussels is testing prescribed museum visits to treat anxiety and other mental conditions, the push for public banking is forging forward, and South-African students have built the country’s first fully solar-powered train.