Opportunities for India’s neurodiverse people, animals reseed Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, ecological living in Wales

Photo: Smartworks Coworking / Unsplash (CC0)

In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we’re talking about employment opportunities for neurodiverse residents in India, animals being fed seeds of native plants to reforest their habitats in Brazil, and a Welsh housing initiative based on sustainable living.

Autism in India: how a pioneering jobs scheme is opening up opportunities

Company says adapting recruitment processes for neurodiverse groups disproportionately affected by unemployment has led to increased innovation.

Source: The Guardian

Animals fed hidden seeds in fruit help restore forests in Brazil

Instead of reforesting Brazil’s Atlantic Forest by hand, Brazilian researchers fed the seeds of regional plants to fruit-eating animals who then spread these through their excrement.

Source: Mongabay

Tech savvy New York volunteers build vaccine appointment websites

In order to simplify the application process for vaccines, programmers in New York have created their own websites to assist the elderly.

Source: The New York Times

US cities promote digital inclusion by exploring their own infrastructures

As virtual schooling has become a reality during the pandemic, some US cities are expanding existing resources to provide low-income households with continuous internet access.

Source: Bloomberg

Minority businesses benefit from financial support through collaborative in southern US

In order to reduce racial economic disparities for minority-owned businesses in the southern US, The Hope Enterprise Corporation is offering financial and business support in underserved communities.

Source: Associated Press

Publicly funded trauma centres offer holistic support free of charge in Illinois

Hospitals in Illinois are collaboratively using public funding to not only provide traumatised residents with counselling but also financial support, case management and more.

Source: wbez chicago

City of skyscrapers uses AI and food waste to reduce emissions

As part of an ambitious goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050, Hong Kong’s skyscrapers are continually monitored for energy usage, generate energy via photovoltaic modules and turn their food waste into biodiesel.

Source: BBC

The #QueertheBallet movement: ‘it’s more than a man lifting a woman in a tutu’

Adriana Pierce is empowering queer female and non-binary performers whose relationships have been excluded from classical dance.

Source: The Guardian

New school could empower disadvantaged young women in Burkina Faso

CFIAM trains young women in Ouagadougou, who otherwise may turn to prostitution, to become car mechanics, a secondary education the state so far fails to offer.

Source: The Guardian

Welsh housing initiative offers an opportunity for sustainable living

In order to promote an ecological lifestyle, the One Planet Development Policy (OPD) allows Welsh residents to live on 2.4 hectares, provided they follow a certain set of rules on ecological harmony.

Source: Struggles From Below

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