Living, breathing, changing cities pose a challenge to even the best urban planners — how will they grow? Are they sustainable? Can every resident prosper and live a happy, healthy life?
No one has a monopoly on answers, and that holds true for the U.S. too. As our cities swell and we look for answers, maybe we need to cast our eyes to the Continent.
Creative thinkers across the Atlantic have come up with a host of bold new ideas that would not only help their own cities, but improve ours, too.
For Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Mayors Challenge 2014, European cities with at least 100,000 residents submit ideas tackling some of their most pressing issues. If even one of them proves a game-changer, we could all win.
Submissions included novel ideas to spur the economy, save the environment and boost civic engagement. As Fast Company reports, 21 finalists will compete for a grand prize of €5 million (almost $7 million), with €1 million (almost $1.4 million) for each runner-up. The results will be announced in June.
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A sampling of five creative finalists:
Health/Anti-obesity: Bristol, United Kingdom. Tackling obesity and unemployment by creating a new economic system that increases access to locally grown, healthy foods (A similar idea is taking off in Texas).
Civic Engagement: The Hague, Netherlands. Enabling citizens to allocate a portion of their own taxes to support local projects.
Transportation: Krakow, Poland. Encouraging residents to opt for greener modes of transportation with smart, personalized transportation incentives and a seamless public transit payment system.
Energy: Lisbon, Portugal. Reducing the carbon footprint and upping sustainability by transforming kinetic energy generated by city traffic into electricity. (At the Riverdale Country School in New York, kids are powering their school just by walking).
Environment: Stockholm, Sweden. Combating climate change by engaging citizens to produce biochar, an organic material that increases tree growth and purifies storm runoff.
The list of inspirational projects continues. There’s Barcelona’s initiative to improve the quality of life for aging residents, and a plan from Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, to help young entrepreneurs launch local high-tech businesses.
ALSO: What Can We Learn From Sweden About Long-Term Unemployment?
Read the full list of finalists yourself. Ponder the possibilities for your town. If Lisbon can harness traffic to the power grid, what could L.A. gridlock provide? If Stockholm can save the trees, why can’t New York?
What can your city do?
Category: Moving America Forward
Watch This Talented College Student Get the Financial Surprise of a Lifetime
You’ve probably heard that American college graduates are saddled with more student loans than ever before. Exactly how much debt, you may ask? According to the Project on Student Debt, the average borrower owes a whopping $29,400.
But as you can see in the touching video below, one talented junior from the University of Houston just got an incredible financial leg-up thanks to his head football coach, Tony Levine.
Levine decided to surprise rising star Kyle Bullard and his mother with the holy grail of college funding — a full scholarship — after the student’s successful walk-on season as a kicker for the U of H Cougars.
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The coach (who is known to be somewhat of a prankster) set up four hidden cameras in his office to film Bullard’s entire reaction. Levine starts off the conversation with a very serious talk about the limited number of scholarships and how Bullard didn’t seem like a good fit — until he surprises the football player and his mom with the amazing news.
According to the Houston Cougars site, the 5-foot-11-inch Boerne, Texas native had quite the run after taking over placekicking duties midway through last season. He finished with a perfect six-of-six on field goals and sixth on the team in scoring with 38 points.
This just goes to show you that hard work really does pay off, and no one is more delighted than Bullard’s mother. You can just see the financial black hole of college tuition being lifted off her shoulders. We have a feeling that this scholarship represents the dedication to excellence of them both.
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DON’T MISS: This Pro Football Player Fulfills an Extraordinary Promise to His Old High School
This Inspiring Teen Took His Great-Grandmother to Prom
Most high schoolers dream of spending prom with friends, reminiscing on the past four years of school. But 19-year-old Austin Dennison had another idea when it came to the special night. He used it as an opportunity to give his great-grandmother a chance to experience the quintessential American high school tradition.
The senior at Parkway High School in Rockford, Ohio knew his 89-year-old great-grandmother, Delores Dennison, was never afforded the opportunity to attend prom.
“I asked her if she would be my prom date,” Austin told Fox News. “How cool would it be to take my great-grandmother to prom?”
The Eagle Scout; band member; and football, baseball, and basketball athlete took the idea from his economics teacher, who shared a similar story of his brother taking his grandmother to prom. Austin then called his “Granny DD” to pop the question.
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“He was so sweet and adamant about it,” Delores said. “I asked him, ‘But are you sure that you wouldn’t like to take one of the young ladies who could get out there and do everything with you?’ He said no. ‘I want you.’”
The night was as perfect and charming as one could imagine. The young suitor serenaded his great-grandmother with a song and gifted her with a pearl necklace. Delores wore a blue dress and Austin’s father drove the two to a dinner at Bob Evans, one of Delores’s favorite restaurants. Upon their arrival at the dance, the two were introduced at the promenade, where Austin’s classmates give them a standing ovation.
As a stroke survivor with heart trouble, Delores’s energy may have been a bit limited — but that didn’t stop this formerly-spry granny from hitting the dance floor.
“It was wonderful and I just loved all the girls in their fancy gowns and the gentlemen in their tuxedos. It was quite a night,” she said. “Everyone there just could not have been more polite. Everyone got an A+.”
But that wasn’t the only surprise Austin had in store for his great-grandma. The admirable grandson had requested the Frank Sinatra tune “How I love the kisses of Delores,” a song that his great-grandfather used to croon to his great-grandmother.
“I chose that song because Grandpa Ed used to sing that song to her,” Austin said. “We shared that dance. It was really sweet.”
Watch This Wheel of Fortune Contestant Score a Smashing Success
It takes real guts to make your dreams come true — especially when you haven’t had it easy in life.
Trent Girone, 21, has survived multiple brain and heart surgeries and has both Tourette and Asperger syndromes.
But none of that could keep him from living out a very public life-long dream: competing on the long-running game show “Wheel of Fortune.”
According to his contestant profile, he’s loved the show since he was 2. The show gave him the green light last May. As the Huffington Post notes, after 6,000 episodes, Girone is the first special needs competitor on the show.
Watch the clip below and you’ll see the infectiously bubbly Girone easily solve the puzzles “a smashing success” and “cream cheese coffee cake.” He even charmed host Pat Sajak with his obscure “Wheel of Fortune” knowledge.
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In the end, Girone didn’t win the show’s top prize, but he walked away with a cool $2,150. As one commenter wrote on the Huffington Post, “As the Dad of a profoundly handicapped child, I can’t begin to explain the joy I have had from watching this clip. Thank you to the ‘Wheel of Fortune’ for your insight into mainstreaming our handicapped population.”
Another commenter remarked, “Congratulations, Trent, on not only achieving your dream of being a contestant, but opening the door to everybody else who shares that dream with you.”
The gracious young man thanked the contestants, staff and Sajak for their assistance and making sure he was “safe and comfortable.”
Girone called the experience “as awesome and amazing as it could be.” And he shared some pearls of wisdom: “My best advice to future contestants is to relax and have a good time. It is a lot of fun, whether you win big or not. That is my number one guarantee.”
Ask the Experts: 6 Ways to Help Support New Mothers
A hundred years ago this week, President Woodrow Wilson declared the second Sunday in May a national holiday. Since then, Mother’s Day has been commercialized into oblivion, but the original notion of the holiday was fairly revolutionary for its time, part of a broader movement toward women’s rights and equality.
We’re still struggling to get there. While almost 70 percent of American moms work, and are the primary breadwinners in nearly a quarter of households with children under 18, they’re still not earning as much as their childless counterparts. The problem of the working mom has been vigorously debated in recent years by the media — over women “having it all,” “leaning in” or opting to stay at home — but what we don’t often hear are the solutions, the ways in which we can make it easier for mothers to succeed either at home or work. Success for mothers can’t be underestimated: If we can improve their situation, we’ll improve outcomes for the entire family unit — and the country as a whole.
So, as part of NationSwell’s Ask the Experts series, we asked our panel how we can realistically advance support of new mothers in today’s society, whether by national policy, shifts in societal perceptions or nongovernmental programs. Read on for their thoughts, and then join the conversation by leaving your own ideas in the comments box below.
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How an Incredible Teacher Kept His Outlawed Ethnic Studies Classes Alive
This is America. Why should we study about Mexico?
Well, because it brings attention to a part of America’s history that’s usually glazed over. Because it helps Mexican-American students identify with their roots. And most significantly, it allows Latino students to achieve tremendous academic success.
As Yes! Magazine reports, the Mexican American Studies (MAS) program in Tuscon, Arizona has bucked national trends since its founding in 1998. It brought about such positive change that by 2011, the high school dropout rate for MAS students in the city was a mere 2.5 percent (opposed to 56 percent for Latino students nationwide). Ninety-eight percent of these students did their homework and 66 percent went on to pursue higher education after high school.
But the political climate and tide of anti-immigration sentiment in Arizona did not favor these classes. Curtis Acosta, a leader in developing Tucson’s MAS program, saw the state legislature ban these studies in schools in 2010. The school district was forced to end the classes or lose $15 million in annual state aid. As a New York Times editorial puts it, “It was a blunt-force victory for the Arizona school superintendent, John Huppenthal, who has spent years crusading against ethnic-studies programs he claims are ‘brainwashing’ children into thinking that Latinos have been victims of white oppression.”
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Not going down without a fight, Acosta, MAS students and other activists successfully restored the MAS program three years after the ban with a federal court order. (Sort of.) These classes are now known as “culturally relevant” classes that also include African American studies. This contentious battle was taken on in the 2011 documentary, Precious Knowledge. (Watch the trailer for this film below.)
Despite the victory, Acosta (who left his teaching position at Tucson High Magnet School to start the Acosta Latino Learning Partnership) says the fight and controversy is far from over — Arizona superintendent Huppenthal says the Tucson curriculum is still inappropriate.
“People need to understand this has been happening for years. This is what’s happening in Georgia, in Alabama, in Arizona. And it’s happening in a lot of other places,” Acosta told Yes! Magazine. “If we share knowledge, resources, and information, we can have a national response locally.”
“We’re right back to the civil rights movement, we’re right back to the Farm Workers’ movement for my people,” Acosta, who continues to advocate Latino-American studies through his organization, added. “We need to find new spaces to meet and organize as a community since our public institutions, such as schools, are limiting and banning us from their spaces….The students are the present-future.”
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Why This Thriving E-Waste Recycling Company Hires Recovering Addicts
When old computers, cell phones and other unwanted gadgets aren’t properly recycled, they just end up in our landfills. According to DoSomething.org, this so-called “e-waste” takes up only two percent of space in America’s landfills — but it accounts for a whopping 70 percent of overall toxic waste.
Which is exactly why we need companies such as MHD Enterprises, an Austin, Texas-based electronics recycling company that re-purposes unwanted tech gear. But this eco-friendly, multi-million dollar company does more than simply look out for the environment. It has another important social agenda as well: Giving a second chance to people that most employers probably wouldn’t even consider hiring.
As Fast Company reports, nearly 70 percent of the staff at MHD are recovering drug or alcohol addicts.
So who’s at the helm of this company with unusual hiring practices? The founder and CEO of this thriving operation is Michael Dadashi, a former heroin addict himself.
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According to the publication, Dadashi started his e-waste company to support his addictions (he says he was a “full-blown heroin addict” by the time he was only 18 years old). But in 2009, after he nearly killed himself while overdosing behind the wheel, he had a turning point in his life and decided that he needed to get clean. Once he found himself back on track, Dadashi hired employees for MHD from a rehab center where he was also serving as a sponsor.
“When I had this spiritual awakening, the number one thing that was taught to me was to give back to others,” Dadashi says in the video below. “I started to live a life of purpose, I started giving back to the community. That enabled me to have internal success.”
Along with his own personal growth, his company has also found success since its founding in 2007. In 2012, the magazine Inc. named MHD the 28th fastest-growing company in America. Dadashi has also been recognized by Austin Green Business Leaders, plus he’s been nominated for CEO of the Year by the 2014 CEO World Awards.
“We have a unity here that’s unlike any other company,” he continues. “We have true gratitude and true loyalty to each other because we all come from the same walks of life.”
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This Unique Program Tackles Poverty Two Generations at a Time
Poverty often results in a myriad of problems for families that a single intervention is unable to fix. That’s why in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Career Advance Program (CAP) is tackling the effects of poverty in two generations at the same time: Working to help low-income mothers attain training for nursing and other medical-industry careers while ensuring their kids receive high-quality childcare through the local Head Start program.
CAP includes a required monthly seminar class for the mothers on career skills — such as interviewing and resume building — and meetings with life coaches to help participants learn time management skills, how to deal with stress, and ways to overcome troubles (ranging from dead cars to kitchen fires, for example). CAP pays for the mothers’ tuition and childcare. Plus, the program offers $200 bonuses (in the form of gasoline cards or expense reimbursements) for good grades.
Steven Dow, the executive director of CAP Tulsa, told Eric Westervelt of NPR, “The paradox of our early childhood work is that we are so focused on young children. And yet, many of the outcomes we want for young children are dependent on being able to also make progress with their parents and the adults. So this interplay is a tough nut to crack.”
CAP is producing positive results: When the kids see their mothers studying, they’re more motivated to study, too. And when the families increase their income and move off public assistance, the kids’ academic futures become brighter.
It’s a tough road for a low-income parent to earn an RN degree, but CAP is finding that even those who drop out before reaching the end still earn other medical certifications and are able to move up to better jobs than they had before. The career coaches make the difference for many of the participants who are able to stick it out and succeed. “They’ve become almost like second mothers,” program participant Shartara Wallace told Westervelt. “Because they really stay on you, they push you. And then, at the same time, they are there to hold your hand. But just like a parent where it’s like, ‘OK, I need you to walk on your own and handle this, but I still got your back.'”
Consuela Houessou, who immigrated from Benin, is studying to be a registered nurse through CAP Tulsa. She said, “[My kids] want me to do well. We compare grades. ‘I get A today, what did you get?'” With two-generation assistance programs already in place across the country in places including Iowa, Boston, and San Antonio, these mothers and many others may finally be able to break the cycle of poverty.
MORE: Here’s Why We Should Be Investing in Single Moms
What Happens When You Invite An NFL Player To Your Birthday Party
Elizabeth Penados considers herself the “Patrick Willis of kids.” So it’s only fitting that she invited the San Francisco 49ers defensive star to her birthday party.
The seven-year-old resident of Suisun City, California penned an invite to Willis for her Disney’s “Frozen”-themed birthday party in hopes the athlete would make an appearance, according to Ellen’s Good News.
“Dear Patrick,” the invitation read along with a drawing of she and Willis. “I am your biggest fan. I am having a birthday party on April 26. It is going to be a Frozen party, and you are invited. I hope you can make it. From Elizabeth.”
The linebacker was unable to attend the party, but was so impressed by the kind invite that he posted the note to his Instagram account. Willis also sent a dozens roses and a card to Penados in his place.
“Happy birthday Elizabeth!” The note reads. “I am sorry I couldn’t make it today but I want to wish you a day full of fun! Thanks for being a great fan, I truly appreciate your support! -Patrick.”
This isn’t the first time Willis has recognized his passionate young fans. The former Pro-Bowl and All-Pro athlete makes a habit of posting little ones donning his jersey across his social media accounts.
As any football fan would agree, reaching out to young supporters is part of what makes this athlete truly great.
Could 3-D Printing Help Find A Cure For Cancer?
Imagine if you had a cancerous tumor, and your doctor could determine the best course of treatment by printing a three-dimensional (3-D) replica of the mass. You’d probably sign up immediately, right?
Thanks to researchers at Drexel University in Philadelphia this could soon be a possibility.
Dr. Wei Sun and his staff have discovered new research on expediting the process of testing cancer drugs through the use of 3-D printers. The technology means doctors can print a living tumor (or a mixture of cancerous and healthy biomaterial) at such high resolution that the cells can be examined with extreme precision, according to Fast Company.
Typically, the drawn-out process requires testing drugs on cancer cells in a Petri dish, then on 3-D tumors in animals and — with a comprehensive record of trials — eventually on humans. But this process is far from ideal. Why? First off, what works in two-dimensional form may not work in 3-D. Not to mention that what works on animals may not always work on humans. Formulas can fail when switching test subjects, which is why developing cancer drugs can be such a costly venture, according to Sun.
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“Doctors want to be able to print tissue, to make organ on the cheap,” Dr. Sun said. “This kind of technology is what will make that happen. In 10 years, every lab and hospital will have a 3-D printing machine that can print living cells.”
By using 3-D printing technology, doctors can speed up the process of drug development but also potentially use it to personalize cancer treatment. The accuracy to print out multi-shaped tumors of different sizes means that a doctor can determine what drugs would work the best by simulating it with the printed version.
With cancer being such a costly and widespread disease, Sun’s venture has the potential to revolutionize treatment and save countless lives.