In today’s edition of Squirrel News, we cover NYC’s ‘Smart Curbs’ programme, Oregon’s pioneering psychedelic mental health care, and the Daariz app teaching Somalis to read and write.
NYC’s ‘Smart Curbs’ programme to address congestion
The plan would immediately benefit inhabitants by reducing urban congestion, increasing air quality, and improving the quality of life in residential neighbourhoods such as the Upper West Side.
Source:
Bloomberg
Oregon launches first licensed psilocybin service centre
Epic Healing Eugene is America’s first licenced psilocybin clinic. Customers can’t buy mushrooms to go, but they must undergo a preparation session with a licenced facilitator who can deny high-risk users.
Source:
AP News
California high school integrates green jobs into curriculum
Porterville, California’s innovative partnership with Climate Action Pathways for Schools is at the forefront of a nationwide movement. The initiative utilises career-technical education to equip high school students for future green jobs.
Source:
Grist
Sea-weeding’ programme sees astonishing 600% coral regrowth
Citizen scientists join forces in an Earthwatch Institute initiative, to remove damaging macroalgae from coral reefs. The results offer hope for the restoration of degraded reefs worldwide.
Source:
Phys.org
Habitat restoration leads to resurgence of Europe’s most endangered bird
Two decades of habitat restoration and conservation efforts have propelled the once critically endangered Azores bullfinch from the brink of extinction to a promising recovery.
Source:
Smithsonian Magazine
App teaches Somalis to read and write
In a region grappling with illiteracy, the Daariz mobile app is changing lives. With over 410,000 users in the Horn of Africa, it offers education, hope, and opportunities.
Source:
BBC
Disabled first responders leading the way in inclusive disaster relief
Disaster relief has historically overlooked disabled individuals, often leaving them behind in times of crisis. Now an organisation in the United States is changing the narrative.
Source:
Next City
Carbon farming’s role in combating climate change
By nurturing the land with regenerative farming practices, a California farm not only increased its crop yield but also tripled the amount of carbon stored in the soil since 2018.
Source:
Reasons to be Cheerful
New South Wales’ logging ban to provide sanctuary for Koalas
New South Wales, Australia, has imposed a logging ban in an 8,400-hectare forest, home to 106 vital ‘koala hubs,’ aiming to protect these marsupials from extinction.
Source:
France 24
Pacific artists strive to save indigenous languages through music
Endangered indigenous languages, threatened by the dominance of English in personal and professional spheres, find champions in renowned Pacific musicians as they lead a movement through music.