Solutions Journalism
Solutions Journalism is rigorous reporting on responses to social problems. The Solutions Journalism Hub of the South, housed at UGA’s Cox Institute, trains students to tell “the whole story” by applying the same investigative and thorough reporting skills to ways in which people and organizations are responding to the challenges and obstacles in our communities.
-
How Local Trash Disposal Affects Climate Change
Approximately 300 tons of material is disposed of in the Athens-Clarke County Landfill daily. The average dump truck holds 12 to 14 tons of waste, so approximately 23 dump truck loads of garbage are dumped into the 289-acre landfill per day. Yet, not all of it should be garbage. “About…
-
Athens Takes ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’ To New Level
If you assume your trash today gets collected and sent off to one of the “dumps” you see in cartoons, you’re sadly mistaken. Dumps haven’t existed since the 1970s; rather, the increasing amount of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Americans create gets sent to landfills where local governments like Athens are…
-
California ‘Uber’ Bill Could Threaten Driver Flexibility
On a busy Saturday night, Sara Moeller drives through downtown Athens, Georgia. In her back seat sit her Uber passengers. Past the bars and through the University of Georgia campus, she reaches their destination. Her phone pings. She puts her car in park and examines the pay breakdown of…
-
Consumers Lead Change in Backlash Against Fast Fashion
As a young girl living in a small town outside of Normandy, Germany, Sanni Baumgärtner’s love for clothing and apparel developed first with vintage fashion. She fondly remembers rummaging through her mother’s closet and borrowing her grandfather’s coat. Baumgärtner also frequented flea markets in search of pieces like ’70s-era leather…
-
Is It Worth It? Can You Work It? Students Weigh Option of Unpaid Internships
For eight hours a day, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., KB Bass worked lifting piles of heavy clothes and rushing to be on location to assist at photoshoots for companies like Ulta. Bass spent the majority of summer days in Manhattan, New York, running errands back and forth on…
-
Athens-Clarke County Business Owner Provides Jobs to People With Mental Illness
One in five adults will experience mental illness this year, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness. With more than 30 years in business, Weaver D’s Delicious Fine Food restaurant is known for the phrase “automatic for the people,” but there is a special group of people, owner Dexter…
-
Different Approach Leads to Higher Graduation Rate in Madison County
By paying attention to specific data and the needs of students, a local high school’s graduation rate has increased by almost 5 percent within one year. Madison County High School Principal George Bullock said they have embraced what they call the Multi-Tiered System of Supports. He believes his teachers’ dedication…
-
Free For All: Clarke County School District Provides Free Meals to Every Student
Free, reduced-price and full-price lunch designations—nationwide categories created by the National School Lunch Program—have no place at Clarke County School District in Athens, Georgia. That’s because the 21 public schools in the district provide free meals to all students, regardless of financial need. Every public and nonprofit private school…
-
Future of Retail Work In Question During Decline Of The Shopping Mall
The death of the shopping mall is not a new story. Retail shops have been closing for years. The explosion of online shopping is not news. But the role this plays in the future of work—and in our local community—is. With Georgia Square Mall being the only shopping mall near…
-
Fashion Forward: Future of Retail
It all started out with pieces of fur and hands to tie them around the body, but today the fashion industry is one of the highest-grossing industries in the world. From culture to social fads, fashion and design have their place in our everyday lives since the beginning. As the…