Curbed: Colorful street transformations coming to 10 U.S. cities
October 28, 2019
Over the last decade, U.S. cities have carved out dozens of public plazas from existing streets using little more than paint. A new grant program and guide announced today by Bloomberg Philanthropies will fund the creation of 10 street murals in 10 U.S. cities, as well as track the safety, economic, and civic impact of these projects.
Read moreThe Associated Press: Verbal autopsies used in push to better track global deaths
October 1, 2019
The interviewer asked: When did Sandrine begin to feel weak? Did she have a fever? Did her skin take on a yellow hue? Each typed answer determined the next question to pose, like following a phone tree. This was a “verbal autopsy” — an interview in which a trained health worker asks a close relative or caretaker about a recently deceased person. Increasingly, health officials are using these tools and their computer algorithms to learn more about the global course of human disease.
About 50 countries have attempted verbal autopsy projects, and the list is growing. On Tuesday, Bloomberg Philanthropies — a major funder of international health data initiatives — announced it will devote another $120 million over the next four years to continue projects in 20 previously funded countries, and add five more.
Read moreDetroit Free Press: Wearable device counts words Detroit parents say to their young children
September 24, 2019
Detroit is one of five cities chosen to launch a new program that equips children with special recording devices known as talk pedometers. They work like regular pedometers but instead of counting steps, they count how many words a child hears and speaks during the day.
Read moreScientific American: Fighting for Coral Reefs in a Warming World
September 24, 2019
Marine conservation in particular can benefit from the support of local leaders and communities, both of which are crucial when it comes to protecting coral reefs. We believe change that begins at the local level has the power to catalyze lasting progress for the world.
The efforts of groups such as WCS, with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Vibrant Oceans Initiative, put this belief into practice. From work with coastal residents, sustainable fisheries, and regional governments and organizations, we know that empowering local communities is a proven way to protect our oceans and maintain ocean livelihoods in both the short and long term.
Read moreForbes: Teen Vaping Crisis: Here Is The Latest From Bloomberg And The FDA
September 13, 2019
This crisis prompted two separate announcements on Wednesday, one from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the other from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both centered around flavored e-cigarettes.
Bloomberg Philanthropies, the philanthropic organization founded by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, announced the launch of “Protect Kids: Fight Flavored E-Cigarettes.” This is a $160 million, three-year initiative that aims to ban all flavored e-cigarettes and the marketing of e-cigarette products to kids.
Read moreNo Camels, Israeli Innovation News: Bloomberg Foundation, Peres Center, Interior Ministry to Launch Innovation Hubs in 12 New Cities Across Israel
September 4, 2019
Bloomberg Philanthropies is partnering with Israel’s Ministry of Interior and the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation to launch a national network of hubs for municipal innovation across Israel. The network will be called Hazira (the arena or the scene, in Hebrew) and will tap into a unique Bloomberg Philanthropies program to set up innovation hubs in 12 new Israeli cities over the course of five years, the foundation announced this week.
Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charitable organization of American billionaire and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, will leverage its Innovation Teams program, or i-teams, for the initiative. The program allows mayors to fund in-house innovation teams that investigate complex local challenges and design solutions with clear goals, to improve citizens’ lives.
Read moreSmart Cities Dive: Fighting extreme heat in cities with urban design
August 8, 2019
The following is a contributed article from Adam Freed and Jacob Koch of Bloomberg Associates’ Sustainability Practice.
It’s no secret that climate change has caused extreme weather and record-shattering heatwaves around the world. This past month, Europe experienced its hottest month on record ever. In France, hydration breaks were required during the Women’s World Cup and more than 4,000 schools were forced to close. In the U.S., temperatures in Anchorage, AK soared above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, more than 20 degrees above normal; and San Francisco reached a high of 100 degrees, more than 30 degrees above average.
Read moreUS News & World Report: Rebuilding Trust in Government Is Key to Strengthening Cities
August 5, 2019
In trust-rich Stockholm, where support for carbon action is among the highest in the world, officials are leaving nothing to chance. The city has pioneered an ambitious initiative that invites citizens to convert their yard waste into a carbon-capturing charcoal that residents can then use in their window boxes and gardens to promote plant growth. The project, initially funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, advances Stockholm’s goal of becoming a fossil fuel-free city by 2040 and, importantly, vests residents even more fully in the city’s identity as a global climate leader.
Read moreThe Telegraph: Tobacco industry interference holds back efforts to stamp out smoking
July 26, 2019
Last year Bloomberg Philanthropies, which funded the WHO report, established Stopping Tobacco Organizations and Products (Stop), the world’s first tobacco industry watchdog. Stop has launched an online database, highlighting a wide range of organisations in 22 countries acting as what it describes as “tobacco industry allies” – organisations which purport to be independent but which receive funding from the tobacco industry and promote the tobacco companies’ agenda.
Read moreThe Washington Post: Latin America’s war on obesity could be a model for U.S.
July 16, 2019
“Brazil’s guidelines are simple but radical,” says Neena Prasad, of the Bloomberg Philanthropies, which has funded and provided technical assistance for obesity prevention programs in Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Chile and Peru. “It’s a really sensible approach. Choose whole, minimally processed foods, cook those foods yourself, and eat those foods with other people.
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