Austin bans restaurants from throwing food waste into landfills
Austin’s Universal Recycling Ordinance requires all food-permitted businesses to divert discarded organic material, including food scraps and soiled paper, from landfills.
United States
This archive gathers more than 1,500 solutions-journalism stories tied to the United States — covering policy wins, community efforts, scientific advances, and social progress reported from across the country. Each article highlights what is working, who is driving change, and what results have followed.
Uber will offer free rides to polling stations on Election Day
The ride-sharing company unveiled its “Get to the Polls” feature as part of a series of initiatives to encourage riders to vote in the midterm elections on Nov. 6.
California bans gun sales to people under 21
The bill will prevent people under 21 from buying rifles and other types of guns.
Pennsylvania to toughen gun laws in domestic violence cases
The bill will force people in Pennsylvania with a domestic violence ruling against them to more quickly surrender their gun.
Amazon agrees to $15 an hour for warehouse workers
Amazon will begin paying hundreds of thousands of warehouse workers a minimum wage of $15 per hour, the company said Tuesday, following criticism from lawmakers that some employees at one of the country’s wealthiest companies are dependent on public assistance.
California becomes first U.S. state to require women on corporate boards
California will be the first state to require publicly traded companies to have at least one woman on their board of directors.
$19 per hour minimum wage approved for New York and New Jersey airport workers
This policy is said to bring the wages of thousands of workers, approximately 40,000, to $19 per hour by 2023.
California becomes first U.S. state to ban sale of animal-tested cosmetics
The bill prohibits manufacturers from trying to “import for profit, sell, or offer for sale” any cosmetic that is tested on animals. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2020.
Connecticut Green Bank has provided over $1 billion for clean energy projects since 2011
The Connecticut Green Bank was established in 2011, and since then has been working to accelerate the deployment of clean energy.
Paralyzed patients walk again with help from new, revolutionary pain stimulator
The new research shows that electrical stimulation of the spine can re-educate the body and help move the legs even though signals from the brain are cut off.