Indonesia bans forced marriage, real estate without raciaToday in Squirrel News, we talk about women celebrating new wide-ranging legal protections in Indonesia, the nonprofit real estate developer fighting for racial fairness in Baltimore, and refugees in Algeria turning plastic waste into furniture.
The nonprofit real estate firm tackling racism in Baltimore
Bree Jones, an emerging Black developer in Baltimore is leading the change in a White-dominated industry. Jones works to make sure that her new housing developments go to minority owners and has advocated for a bill that will help fix the appraisal gap.
A refugee camp in Algeria is recycling plastic into new products
After the UNHCR requested solutions for the waste challenge at the camps, a Dutch startup provided equipment to shred, wash and dry plastic, and to mold it into new furniture. The new pieces are sold, some being used to furnish classrooms.
New way to store solar energy for up to 18 years developed in Sweden
The technology is based on a specially designed molecule which can be transported as a liquid so that it can be used at any time or place. When the molecule comes into contact with a catalyst, it releases the energy as heat and can be reused.
In Gabon, a community’s plea against logging paves the way for a new reserve
In an unprecedented move, Gabon has announced an immediate end to logging in the Massaha ancestral forest. The Chinese company that holds the logging concession has been ordered to leave and the site will soon be declared as permanently protected land.
Funghi replace fire and prevent air pollution in India
After harvest season, smog levels in Haryana reach 2-3 times the government’s limits due to farmers burning leftover stalks. A new spray with funghi turns crop residue into compost that fertilises the soil for the next crop, maintaining its health and preventing smog.
How Oakland closed the digital divide for most of its students
When the first lockdown hit, only 12% of low-income students and 25% of all schoolchildren in Oakland had access to a computer and a strong internet connection. The city has since provided 36,000 laptops and over 11,500 hotspots to students.
Sponsor Circle program gives Afghan refugees community support in US
Each refugee is welcomed by a small group of local citizens who gather donations to help them start a new life, and support them in finding housing, enrolling in school and finding jobs or English classes.
The innovative entrepreneurs recycling car tyres around the world
In Senegal, a young entrepreneur turns them into artificial pavement for football fields. In Zambia, an engineer has developed a way to make diesel out of tyres. In Canada, a company recycles the tyres into new ones using ingenious chemistry.
Iowa farmers welcome a new cash crop into their fields – wind turbines
Despite drougths, the traditional American rural way of life has not suffered in Iowa. The pioneering system has brought together the state, energy companies and farmers in a mutually beneficial arrangement that doesn’t disturb crop production.
