In Squirrel News today, supporting residents and prioritising violence prevention is bringing murder rates down in US cities, a network of local plastics-recycling initiatives are linking and using open-source technology, and residents of small French villages are making life better with volunteer-run shops.
69 major US cities show homicides way down, crediting community engagement
Denver leads the way with homicides down 58% in this year’s first few months, but the city is one of many. Statistics show most immigrants arrested by ICE this year have no criminal record at all, and cities say investment in community intervention, anti-poverty measures, and the Biden administration’s funding of violence prevention have started to pay off.
Materials from LA homes destroyed by fire given new life through recycling
In a process of historic proportions coordinated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, steel, concrete, and wood debris are being sorted, compacted, and, for the most part, recycled. Project leaders say it is good for the environment and that much of it will come back to rebuild the area ravaged by fire.
A global network of smaller-scale, open-source plastic recyclers
The Precious Plastic community, with members in countries around the globe, is enabling local clean-up and entrepreneurship while allowing recycling projects not large enough for bigger enterprises to undertake, to recycle about 1400 tonnes of plastic in a year.
Lead ammunition to be largely banned in Great Britain in a win for wildlife
Long known as a significant pollutant, lead ammunition is a particular risk to water birds, over 100,000 of which are estimated to die from it yearly in the UK. The restrictions will be phased in over three years as of 2026 and though they stop short of a full ban, the move is celebrated by campaigners as long overdue.
Temperatures soared on June 24 in New England, and renewables saved the day
On the hottest day of the year so far, with temperatures higher than predicted, the New England grid was challenged, threatening outages. After-the-fact analysis shows that solar panels behind the meter and an extensive battery network of stored clean energy prevented blackouts and saved consumers more than 20 million dollars.
With clever engineering and aesthetic designs, businesses are going solar
Unique and eye-catching solar roofs are changing city skylines, as commercial buildings embrace carbon-reducing and cost-saving clean energy. Buildings that couldn’t consider solar roofs in the past are finding that advances in solar technology and expertise can make for innovative designs that pay for themselves in short order.
Albuquerque is still offering a free ride on public transit two years on
Since instituting its zero fare policy for transit equity in 2023, ridership in Albuquerque is up 20%. In a city where 90% of bus riders earn less than $35,000 a year, free transit can make all the difference for poor and homeless people in getting to jobs and services, accessing medical care and reaching family and friends.
In rural French villages with populations as small as 200, villagers are stemming rural exodus and building connections with volunteer-run food shops that fill a need in places where shops have all but disappeared. Shoppers say they are no more expensive than health food stores and are easy to get to for locals with mobility restrictions.
Projects in Portugal that help promote better citizenship and build community
Journalists from BBC’s “Fixing the World” visit two programmes in Portugal helping people be more involved citizens. In one, schools are staging a game with students and politicians that lets kids of all ages be a part of democracy in action. In the other, senior citizens are trained in disaster prevention and are visiting classrooms to teach children the same.
Wellness for free: sunrise Pilates class on Chicago beach draws thousands
Olivia Santelli founded the Rise Pilates Club as a way to give Chicago residents open access to a wellness practice that helped her to manage her anxiety. Now thousands gather Fridays at sunrise freely to greet the day.
