Good stories.
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"Large parks cooled certain parts of the city by as much as 17 degrees Fahrenheit."
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"I didn’t realize until that point that the way that cities were designed and the spaces that they created could actually affect you on the inside, how you felt in your heart and what you suddenly realized was possible. It did that for me."
— Rosa Chang, courtesy of Reasons to be Cheerful
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“But it’s not just in Canada that these unique ecosystems are being protected and restored. In the northeastern corner of Montana, the 1,130-acre Comertown Prairie Pothole Reserve represents the largest unplowed stretch of pothole ecosystem in the state.”
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“Beavers are one of the few mammals on the planet that actively modifies their habitat and can therefore be employed to restore streams, wetlands, and floodplains and repair eroded ecosystems ”
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“Like many densely developed cities, Montreal needs more places to stash its rain, especially after three 100-year storms in the past two years stressed its sewer system’s five- to 10-year storm capacity. Inspired by the Dutch city of Rotterdam, Montreal is adopting water squares: urban plazas, typically hardscaped, designed to double as heavy-duty stormwater retention infrastructure, or vice versa. The city currently has six water squares built, two under construction, and 20 more planned for 2024.”
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30 x 30 Initiative (Yes open space, connected ecological systems, and more): “Deutsch says the “number-one tool in our toolbox” is the 30 by 30 initiative. More than a hundred nations have agreed to this initiative, which calls for setting aside 30 percent of land and waters by 2030 — just five years away. Globally, that would require an ambitious boost in conserved lands and waters. Currently, around 17 percent of the world’s land surface and eight percent of the world’s oceans are designated as protected. Hitting 30 percent — especially if done with climate change in mind — could go a long way toward safeguarding many species from what’s to come.”
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"OAT has launched a new campaign called Donate-Protect-Transfer, which encourages landowners to donate agricultural land to OAT, which the trust then protects with an easement. “There are a lot of folks who are interested in donating their land because they care so much about it,” McAdams says. “We want to be part of that solution. We can leverage it three different ways: By helping with the transfer, by giving them a tax break, and by using the proceeds to protect more properties.” It’s a win-win-win."