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Newsbriefs
by Laura Turner
Irving, Texas, Donates Computers to Residents
Irving, Texas, has donated more than 100 computers to qualifying low- and moderate-income families through its Computer Reuse Program (CORP). City staff partnered with four community organizations to present the computers in a March 26 ceremony.
When Irving launched CORP last year, the city became the second in the United States to implement a program in which previously owned computer equipment is refurbished by city employees and donated to residents.
Recipient families are screened through a needs assessment conducted by the four organizations. Through CORP, hundreds of computers have sidestepped landfills and are being put to use by needy families.
NLC Corporate Partner Microsoft has donated Windows XP operating software in either English or Spanish, based on the recipient’s preference. At the end of the computer’s life, beneficiaries commit to proper disposal at one of the city’s drop-off recycling centers. Recipients are encouraged to participate in free computer training classes offered by the public library system.
Details: Corporate Communications Director Laurie Kunke at (972) 721-2321
Harvard University Announces Innovations Program Semi-Finalists
The Roy and Lila Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government has announced 50 semi-finalists in the 2009 Innovations in American Government Awards competition.
The municipal, county, state, federal, tribal government and regional authority programs will vie for five prizes, including a new Innovations Award in Urban Policy.
Los Angeles, Palo Alto and Chula Vista, Calif.; Wilmington, Del.; Louisville, Ky.; Boston and Lawrence, Mass.; New York; Providence, R.I.; Kingsport, Tenn.; Dallas; Richmond, Va.; and Washington, D.C., are the city semi-finalists.
Louisville and New York will also compete for the fourth annual Annie E. Casey Innovations Award in Children and Family System Reform.
Finalists, which will be announced May 18, will present before a national selection committee chaired by Harvard Professor David Gergen. The six winning programs will receive $100,000 grants in September.
To apply for the 2010 competition, visit www.innovationsaward.harvard.edu.
Details: Kate Hoagland at (617) 495-4347 or kate_hoagland@harvard.edu
Cities Participate in Earth Hour
Nearly 300 American cities joined thousands of their counterparts around the world in calling for action on climate change by turning off non-essential lights for an hour on the evening of Saturday, March 28.
Crowds gathered in Nashville and Los Angles to watch Mayors Karl Dean and Antonio Villaraigosa, respectively, flip the switch at 8:30 p.m. local time to kick off Earth Hour in their cities.
Landmarks such as New York’s Times Square, Seattle’s Space Needle, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and the Gateway Arch in St. Louis went dark in a coordinated effort to raise awareness of the need for energy conservation.
North Las Vegas, Nev., turned off the lights to its signature Justice Facility domes. “Earth Hour 2009 is just one small way that we can show how serious we are about caring for the environment and creating a sustainable, healthy and green future for our children,” said City Manager Gregory Rose.
A global initiative of the World Wildlife Fund conservation organization, Earth Hour began in Sydney, Australia in 2007.
Details: World Wildlife Fund at (202) 293-4800
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