Welcome back to our weekly column, where we give you a peek at what our team has been reading, learning and discussing. Let us know what you think at [email protected].
Planting change
The experience of living through three hurricanes — Irma, Harvey and Maria — inspired two young mechanical engineers in Puerto Rico to develop an automatic water planter. The invention, covered in a Forbes story that RTBC Editorial Intern Valeria Morales-Soto shared this week, showcases a step towards access and production of clean water on the island.
Valeria says:
The lack of access to drinking water is a common problem for residents in Puerto Rico. As a native that has lived through several hurricanes myself, I see capturing water from other alternative sources like this smart pot as an example of how the island is capable of implementing effective solutions through cutting-edge technology and innovation.
Train time
From an undersea tunnel linking Asia and Europe to trains that arrive every two or three minutes, countries around the world are building better subways to make their transit systems more effective. These innovations, featured in a Fast Company story that caught Executive Editor Will Doig’s attention, made us wonder: Could cities in the United States replicate this type of transit?
Will says:
Global urban transit boom is a net-positive, even if the US is missing out.
What else we’re reading
🏫 Building a Generation of ‘Math People’: Inside K-8 Program Boosting Confidence — shared by Editorial Intern Valeria Morales-Soto from The 74
🚘 Los Angeles Has Promised a ‘Car-Free’ Olympics in 2028. Can It Do It? — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from the New York Times
🌊 In Kenya, One Solution to Contaminated Water Comes From Above — shared by Editorial Intern Valeria Morales-Soto from Undark
Elsewhere in our channels…
RTBC Contributing Editor Peter Yeung was recently interviewed for Reuters Institute’s Journalism Fellowship Paper, in which he talked about all things solutions journalism and constructive journalism.
