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Latest Stories

What We’re Reading: ‘Living Room’ Libraries, Medical Debt Relief and More

2 min read

Find out what stories got our team’s wheels turning this week.

Why Schools Are Welcoming Intergenerational Tutoring

9 min read

When senior citizens are paired with elementary-aged pupils, the benefits go both ways.

The 3D-Printed Affordable Housing of the Future Will Be Recyclable

4 min read

In Maine, an enormous 3D printer is turning natural materials into sustainable, carbon-sequestering homes.

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What We’re Reading: Skyscrapers Go Electric, ‘Uncropping’ Farmland and More

2 min read

You’re invited to read over our team’s shoulders in this week’s edition of our new series.

Pre-Pesticides, Pro-Farmer: The Rise of Agroecology

6 min read

One part ancient practices, one part worker justice, a new-old way of farming is adapting agriculture for an uncertain world.

How Books Are Reaching Kids in ‘Book Deserts’

4 min read

Millions of children in the US grow up without books at home. A book bank aims to change that.

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Editors’ Picks

How Tokyo’s Farms Have Survived for Centuries

6 min read

In the world’s biggest concrete jungle, over a thousand small farms continue to grow crops protected by a powerful ally: the city itself.

Where £100 Can Make You a Solar Entrepreneur

5 min read

In Bath, England, even the smallest investors can support – and profit from – the city’s green energy boom.

Austin Is Giving Displaced Residents the ‘Right to Return’

5 min read

A new city policy allows working-class families priced out of their neighborhoods to come back — affordably.

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The Cheap, Clever Promise of ‘Water ATMs’

6 min read

The machines — and the rural entrepreneurs who run them — are helping more people in India access safe drinking water.

The Movement to ‘Make America Rake Again’

6 min read

The roar of leaf blowers has long been ubiquitous in fall. But as more US cities ban the gas-powered devices, that’s starting to change.

Banking the Most Valuable Currency: Time

6 min read

In a “time bank,” members accumulate bankable hours, for instance by babysitting or doing repairs, and get “repaid” with assistance when they need it, usually later in life.

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