Social Impact Across the U.S.

This week in Social Impact Across the U.S.: New federal environmental regulations, more money for community development, and an intimate look at the impact of poverty.

• Under the Clean Air Act, a landmark environmental law passed in 1970, the EPA has implemented a series of regulations capping carbon dioxide and ozone emissions from industrial sources. The New York Time reported last week that President Obama announced plans to push for new regulations on methane — one of the most powerful greenhouse gases.

• The National Housing Trust Fund was dead in the water after its only major funding sources, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, went into conservatorship. Now the federal government has directed the housing institutions to pay-up. Next City reports on what this means for community development. (Also read about PA’s struggle to fund its own Housing Trust Fund.)

• The Washington Post highlights a Reddit thread that crowd-sourced a series of powerful insights on what it means to be poor in 2014. The comments focused on the everyday realities of poverty, which are touched upon in economic studies but rarely humanized, such as extended stays at motels, picking through trash for food, and always scrounging for discounts.

• Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stateline analyzes how cities are forging major policies on their own, with or without their respective state’s support. In particular, a number of cities have taken it upon themselves to raise their minimum wage, as protest movements powered by low-wage workers sweep the country.

• A report by the Sage Foundation finds that 1 in 8 LGBT adults (age 45-75) experience housing discrimination, among other unique barriers as they age. The report concludes that older LGBT adults need better access to information and resources when it comes to health, finances and housing.

What do you think about what’s happening in social impact across the U.S.? How might Philly learn from other cities and states? Please leave a comment to help us bring the national and local conversations together.

Photo via Flickr user Nick Aldwin