Diversity Journo Requests

New Englanders - Local Good News & Community Wins

Any New Englanders here? I want your good news!! HELLO GOOD NEWS FANATICS Longtime lurker here but this is my first post on this subreddit. A lot of the posts / discourse here focuses on good news with a global perspective, but I'd like this thread to be about things more LOCAL!! I've been really into this world for a while (I am a fanatic subscriber of all the outlets-- Our World in Data, Fix the News, The Progress Network, Human Progress, Good Good Good, etc), and wanted to start contributing to the good news movement, but in a way that was unique. So I began a locally-focused project, where I curate / share good news stories from my region of the world-- New England (northeast United States). My project is called Granite Goodness! It's been really fun because I've gotten to show people that plenty of perfectly impressive good news happens all the time, and it hides in plain sight. We just tend to not see it curated together. Here are some local stories that have brought me some optimism lately. Connecticut farmers are organizing to solve shared problems. The state's 120 farmers markets long operated in relative isolation, each one troubleshooting vendor rules, permits, and slow days on its own. A new statewide coalition is now two years into connecting organizers to share resources and knowledge. (Yonkers Times) Rhode Island is protecting 174 acres of open space. Using $1.23 million in voter-approved Green Bond grants, four projects are being funded from forestland in Glocester to a shoreline property overlooking Mount Hope Bay in Tiverton. The same program has protected more than 13,000 acres since 1985. (RI Dept. of Environmental Management) Vermont just became the 23rd state to pass a consumer privacy law. Governor Phil Scott signed the Vermont Data Privacy Act in June, giving residents new rights over how their personal data is collected, used, and sold. The law includes added protections for health and genetic data and takes effect January 1, 2028. (IAPP) In 2025, Maine exceeded forecasts for ADU construction. ADUs made up roughly 9% of residential building permits across Maine's 183 largest municipalities last year, surprising even housing researchers as small towns exceeded expectations. Windham led with 16 permits, and New Gloucester, a town of under 6,000, matched Portland with 14. (Portland Press Herald) The University of New Hampshire just launched a new Center for Neurodiversity. The center supports all students, staff, and faculty, with resources ranging from internship support to faculty training on neuroinclusive syllabi. UNH's long-term vision is to expand services beyond campus to communities across New Hampshire. (University of New Hampshire) Massachusetts just reduced opioid deaths by 27%. 978 deaths were recorded in 2025, the first year since 2013 when the figure was below 1,000. The drop is credited to expanded treatment, harm reduction, and recovery support. (WBUR) Traditional news matters, but it often highlights a disproportionate share of the worst events, which can leave people feeling burnt out, anxious, or cynical. Note that these summaries are my own words on what I find optimistic from the original stories, not direct quotes from the sources. If you want more detail, I link and credit the original sources on our site. Reddit discourages too many hyperlinks, so I don’t include them here. Please use this thread to share some good news LOCAL to YOU!! especially if you're from or around the northeast USA! If anyone is working on a similar project, I'd love to hear from you too. -Andy

UK ADHD & Autism Clinicians & Researchers - Rising Assessment Demand

Very excited to announce that I am temporarily hanging up my lab coat in exchange for a blazer! 🥼➡️🧥 I have joined UK Parliament as a Nuffield POST Fellow. Over the next three months, I will be working at POST, UK Parliament to produce a POSTnote on the rising demand for ADHD and autism assessment and support across the UK. Since starting my PhD in 2023, I've been fascinated by the intersection of scientific research and policy, and how evidence can help inform parliamentary decision-making and shape public services. I'm excited to explore this important topic, learn more about how Parliament works from the inside, and gain first-hand experience in translating research for Parliamentarians. My first week did not quite go to plan thanks to an unexpected bout of norovirus, but I'm incredibly grateful to the POST team and my fellow Fellows for their kindness, support and warm welcome while I was out of action. A huge thank you to the Nuffield Foundation for funding this fellowship, the POST team for the opportunity, and my PhD supervisors, Bhuvaneish T.Selvaraj, Siddharthan Chandran and Colin Smith, for their encouragement and support throughout. I also want to thank everyone who offered advice, reviewed application drafts and cheered me on during the application process. I genuinely couldn't have done it without you. As I begin this project, I'd love to hear from people working in ADHD, autism and broader neurodevelopmental research, clinical services, education, policy, public health, or the lived-experience community. Please feel free to get in touch if you'd like to connect or share relevant perspectives and evidence. Looking forward to the next three months! #SciPol #SciencePolicy #UKParliament #POSTNote #ADHD #Autism #Neurodiversity #STEMCareers #PhDLife

parliament.uk

APAC Mechanical Recyclers - Recycled Plastics Prices & Mandates

I'm now reporting on #RecycledPlastics ♻️ at Dow Jones Energy ! Has definitely been an interesting first two weeks; no orientation to energy and petchems like getting to hear from your expert colleagues firsthand at OPIS' Singapore Energy and Chemicals Forum 🏗🛢⛽️ Besides traditional oil and gas markets, OPIS, A Dow Jones Company also covers renewables like biofuels, solar and sustainable aviation fuel - plus carbon credits and biodiversity credits coverage to go alongside it For sure, #plastics 🛍🧴🚗 is a very different ball game from the metals markets I've been covering the past three years, but excited to be back in the #recycling space and eager to learn more alongside you how evolving mandates and supply chain disruptions have presented new opportunities and challenges Will be looking primarily at mechanical recycling stories and prices across #APAC, so if you've got any tea to spill, feel free to reach my inbox anytime at [email redacted] 📧 #newjob #petchems #circulareconomy #sustainabledevelopment #asia #southeastasia

dowjones.com

I have another source request for Forbes. Urban Luxury Hotels with Green Roofs or Living Walls in Europe or in the United States I’m working on a story re green roofs and living walls in urban hotels. I’m looking to compare policies in Europe and U.S., but I also want to feature hotel examples. It can be both old or newly installed! I’m looking for hotels who can answer the following questions: Why did the hotel decide to invest in a living wall or green roof, and what was the main goal? Guest experience, sustainability, building performance, planning requirements, brand differentiation or something else? What measurable benefits have they seen since installation, whether in energy use, cooling, stormwater management, biodiversity, guest feedback, or commercial performance? What have they learned about the cost and maintenance of the installation? Would they make the same investment again today? Is there any plans in the future or expand the area or refresh? Please also include a few photos that highlight the green roofs/living walls? I’d love to have them by next Wednesday (Sep 16). Email: [email redacted]

Female Maritime Leaders at SMM Hamburg - Leadership & Diversity

🎤 Who should I interview at SMM Hamburg? Vandaag loop ik samen met Amalia Melcherts rond op SMM in Hamburg en dit keer niet alleen als recruiter. Wij willen mensen spreken die de maritieme industrie leiden, veranderen en vooruitbrengen. In het bijzonder zijn we benieuwd naar de verhalen en visie van vrouwelijke leaders binnen maritime, maar de microfoon staat uiteraard ook open voor de heren. 😉 Over leiderschap. Talent. Carrières. Diversiteit. En vooral: waar de maritieme industrie naartoe beweegt. 👉 Ben jij op de SMM en lijkt het je leuk om kort voor de camera te komen? Of ken je een CEO, Director, VP, ondernemer of andere maritime professional die ik écht zou moeten spreken? Tag hem/haar hieronder of stuur me een DM. See you in Hamburg. ⚓️ #SMM #Maritime #femaleleaders 🎤Who should I interview at SMM Hamburg? Today, I’m walking around SMM in Hamburg together with Amalia Melcherts, and this time not just as a recruiter. We want to speak with the people who are leading, changing and moving the maritime industry forward. In particular, we’re curious about the stories and vision of female leaders within maritime, but of course, the microphone is also open to the men. 😉 About leadership. Talent. Careers. Diversity. And above all: where the maritime industry is heading. 👉 Are you at SMM and would you like to briefly join me on camera? Or do you know a CEO, Director, VP, entrepreneur or other maritime professional I really should speak with? Tag him/her below or send me a DM. See you in Hamburg. ⚓️

Women in Security & Commercial Printing - Roles, Barriers & Solutions

WHERE ARE THE WOMEN?A Look at Security Printing Walk onto most security printing factory floors currency, passports, ballot papers and you'll notice something quickly: the press hall is overwhelmingly male. Prepress, plate-making, quality control, engineering maintenance, factory management these have long been treated as "technical" roles, and "technical" has too often quietly meant "men's work." I've spent my career in this industry, and I think it's worth asking plainly: where are the women, and where should they be? They're already here — often in the roles we notice least Women have long been present in security printing, but concentrated in specific corners: quality inspection, finishing and sorting, administration, compliance. These roles are essential — a misrouted sheet of currency or an unaccounted ballot paper is a national security problem, and the people who catch that are often women on the QC line. Yet these roles are rarely the ones that lead to plant management, procurement decisions, or a seat at the table when a country designs its next generation of secured documents. Why the gap matters beyond fairness Security printing sits at the intersection of engineering, chemistry, design, and governance. It is precisely the kind of complex, high-stakes field that benefits from the widest possible pool of talent — not as a slogan, but as a practical matter. A factory that draws only half the available talent pool into its technical and leadership pipeline is operating with a structural disadvantage it doesn't have to accept. What actually opens the door From what I've observed, three things move the needle more than good intentions alone: Deliberate placement in technical training, not just administrative tracks — apprenticeships in prepress, plate-making, and press operation open to women from day one, not as an afterthought. Visible role models in engineering and leadership — it's hard to aspire to a path you've never seen anyone like you walk. Workplace conditions that assume women will be there — from safety equipment sized correctly to shift structures that don't quietly filter people out. A question for the industry, not just an observation As countries across Africa build sovereign printing capability — currency centres, ID and ballot paper facilities — we have a rare chance to design these institutions inclusively from the start, rather than retrofitting fairness onto structures built decades ago elsewhere. That's not just the right thing to do. It's how you build the strongest possible workforce for an industry where precision and trust are the entire product. I'd genuinely like to hear from women working in security and commercial printing — what's your experience been, and what would have opened doors earlier? #SecurityPrinting #WomenInSTEM #WomenInManufacturing #DiversityInIndustry #PrintIndustry #AfricaManufacturing #DocumentSecurity #Currency