Here at The Citizen, we do problem-solving journalism, looking for ideas and solutions to move the region forward and make a better city. Here are some other great ideas for solving the world’s problems, from media outlets around the globe:
It’s been more than a year since Seattle instituted a $12.50/hour minimum wage. Critics of the move said that raising wages would lead to increased prices of goods and services, driving inflation. Retailers said they would charge more if the minimum wage was raised. Well, as it turns out, they were wrong. Research out of the University of Washington showed that almost all prices stayed about the same. Rent, gas, even goods in markets with staunch competition (hello, Amazon.com) stayed flat. The one exception was restaurantes, whose business models are so labor-dependent; they saw prices increase between seven and nine percent. (via FastCo.Exist)
The city of San Francisco has a goal to use 100 percent renewable energy by 2020. It’s an ambitious goal, but one that just became a lot more attainable. San Francisco is now the first U.S. city to require solar panels on all new construction. Driving the city’s urgency might be it’s geography: if sea levels rise significantly due to climate change, the City by the Bay could be in real danger. (via Next City)
Job postings have gender bias. It’s subtle and usually unintentional, but the specific language used in job postings can sent a subconscious signal that a position is meant for either a man or a woman. From the story: “The words ‘challenge’ and ‘analyze’ read as masculine; the words ‘support’ and ‘empathy’ read as feminine.” And, unsurprisingly, more desirable positions tend to be coded to attract men. That’s why programmer Kat Matfield designed Gender Decoder, a free tool to assess whether a job posting has gender-coded language that could turn off applicants from either gender. (via GOOD)
Photo header: FastCo.Exist
