 |
|
|
| Community Revitalization |
|
The Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative brings healthy food to underserved neighborhoods by providing financial support to supermarket operators and fresh food retailers to open businesses in these communities. Its latest project is the development of a Fresh Grocer store in the Yorktown section of Philadelphia. In addition to creating jobs, the program aims to help low-income residents tackle obesity, malnutrition, and other nutrition-related diseases by making nutritious, affordable food more accessible.
|
|
| Procurement |
|
Governor Rell's (R-CT) Office has launched the State's "Contracting Portal," which is expected to increase transparency and efficiency in government purchasing, as well as save the State $300,000 per year. The site offers a place for the State to advertise contracting opportunities, allows suppliers to register and receive invitations to bid, and promotes the State's Supplier Diversity Program, which certifies qualifying Connecticut suppliers as small- and minority-owned businesses. The Governor's Office recently received the 2005 Connecticut Quality Improvement Award Innovation Prize for the portal.
|
|
| Emergency Management |
|
One of the difficulties faced by emergency personnel is how to identify and reach an incapacitated victim's relative or next-of-kin. Now, by adding the label ICE (In Case of Emergency) to the designated person's information in their cell phone, a victim can be assured that emergency personnel can quickly contact a friend or relative, who may even know the victim's medical history. While more than a year old, the ICE campaign has achieved momentum since the July 7 bombings in London, and is garnering international attention.
|
|
| Air Quality Control |
|
Understanding the causes of air pollution and putting a stop to them is the goal of a new Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) project. TCEQ's Remote Sensing Volatile Organic Compounds Project uses infrared sensors to detect industrial leaks of major smog-producing chemicals, such as gasoline vapors or ethylene, that are imperceptible to the human eye. The project employs low-flying aircraft to identify sources of emission plumes, and contacts the apparent owner for an explanation. Thus far, TCEQ officials have discovered 175 previously undocumented leaks.
|
|
| Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention |
|
In an effort to empower area parents to raise drug-free children, the Bartonville, IL, Police Department, in partnership with Law Enforcement Against Drugs, is providing free, home drug-testing kits that can detect the presence of alcohol, marijuana (THC), cocaine, opiates, or methamphetamine. The kits produce immediate results in the privacy of family households, allowing parents to detect drug problems and direct their children to appropriate community resources without law enforcement intervention. Officials say that random testing at home will also give children a strong excuse when resisting peer pressure to drink or take drugs.
|
|
| Affordable Housing |
|
A public-private partnership of builders, environmentalists, and housing specialists has made San Francisco, CA, one of the first cities to integrate green construction standards in all of their affordable housing developments. Spearheading this effort is Green Communities, a five-year, $555-million, nationwide initiative to build more than 8,500 environmentally healthy homes for low-income families. Future San Francisco housing projects that meet green specifications will be eligible for $100 million in discounted financing from regional partners.
|
|
| Public Safety |
|
The Department of Homeland Security and other local agencies have funded The Central New York Law Enforcement Analysis Database System (CNYLEADS), which integrates criminal databases across 19 police agencies in Onondaga County, NY. Transforming police cars into mobile offices, CNYLEADS lets officers instantly share and gather regional information on citizen stops, arrests, and incident reports, and allows them to file reports of their own. The County will install Wi-Fi hotspots at various locations for officers to download updates.
|
|
| Violence and Abuse Treatment and Prevention |
|
In an effort to help victims of abuse receive timely and comprehensive help, St. Louis, MO, has established the Family Justice Center, a "one-stop shop" where victims can receive medical care, counseling, law enforcement and legal assistance, social services, faith-based services, employment assistance, and housing assistance. The Center is modeled on a similar program in San Diego, CA, and is part of a larger, nationwide interagency effort led and funded by the U.S. Justice Department.
|
|
| Growth Management |
|
Cleveland, OH, is the latest--among a handful of cities--to hire a sustainability programs manager to find ways to save the City money, while reducing its environmental impact. Funded by foundation grants and aided by an advisory committee of city representatives and environmental advocates, the new manager will promote and oversee environmentally friendly and fiscally responsible projects, including energy audits of city facilities, replacement of inefficient lighting, installation of "green roofs" on municipal buildings, alternative transportation incentives, and feasibility studies of utility-scale wind power on Lake Erie.
Newsletter produced by: Joe Morgan, Brendan St. Amant, and Caroline Staudt (researchers and writers); Joellen Secondo (editor).
|
|
|
|
|
Back To Top
|
