Expanding possibilities for renters who want solar, and for animation in Africa

Arts groups are using new funding models to escape gentrification

As property values skyrocket in the United States, artists are often pushed out of neighborhoods.

But in Chicago, Heaven Gallery’s Director Alma Weiser opted to establish a perpetual purpose trust that will allow a new nonprofit to pursue grants to support artists and operate their building for profit at the same time. The large, remodeled space will host a retail tenant to help pay the mortgage.

In Greater Boston, an estimated 2 million square feet of cultural space has recently disappeared as it has been developed. Operating the nation’s first democratically controlled investment fund, the Boston Ujima Project has disbursed $1.6 million to assist artists and small businesses in communities of color.

And a group of Boston volunteers called the Art Stays Here Coalition has orchestrated deals with the city, developers, and nonprofits to help musicians and artists gain more control of their spaces. Advocates note that better policy would support the arts so that unique arrangements are less necessary and good results are more replicable.
Sources: Bloomberg, The Boston Globe

Labor law against mansplaining and “manterrupting”

In Chile, mansplaining and “manterrupting” are among the kinds of conduct prohibited by a new law targeting workplace harassment. The “Karin Law” is informally named for Karin Salgado, a nurse technician who died by suicide in 2019 after experiencing months of a hostile work environment. Almost 18% of women ages 15 to 65 living in Chilean cities report having experienced violence in the workplace.

Amendments to Chile’s existing labor code incorporate standards of the 2019 International Labour Organization Convention No. 190, which require employers to prevent violence and harassment and establish reporting and investigation procedures for workers. Those who pressure someone into sexual activity may face sanctions, and the law expands the definition of harassment to include single instances, rather than requiring repeat offenses. It also requires employers to establish sanctions for offensive language and sexism, and requires confidentiality in investigating gendered offenses. The law applies to public and private employees alike.
Sources: El País, Government of Chile, International Organisation of Employers

DIY solar panels are making solar more accessible for urbanites

Germany must triple its photovoltaic capacity by 2030 to meet its climate goals. An influx of cheap, high-quality solar panels from China and new legislation have driven German consumers to install more than half a million balcony units since 2023.

The units plug into a conventional power socket and can be easily hung over balcony railings, feeding electricity to appliances such as air conditioners, refrigerators, and laptops.

Reforms have made it harder for landlords to refuse permission and easier for apartment dwellers to install balcony panels – a significant step in a country where more than half the population rents its home. A Berlin subsidy program, to which 10,000 people had applied by May, provides up to €500 ($546) for a single panel. Not including an inverter, cables, or storage batteries, one panel costs as little as €200.
Sources: Bloomberg, The New York Times, Reuters

More streaming services offering animated stories created in Africa

Via an increasingly popular storytelling medium, a wave of artists and production studios is increasing representation both on the continent and around the world. In Zambia, mostly self-taught animators developed “Supa Team 4,” a superhero show focusing on four teenage girls. Produced in South Africa by Triggerfish, it became Netflix’s first African animation story last July. In another first that month, Disney+ debuted the Pan-African “Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire.”

Nigerian and Ugandan filmmakers created the 2024 Disney+ show “Iwájú.” And “Iyanu: Child of Wonder” will premiere next year on Africa’s Showmax. The shows have worked to incorporate authentic aspects of African culture, such as accurate accents and languages, even as they imagine futuristic and fantastical versions of African society. “Iwájú” has been celebrated for its depiction of socioeconomic divisions.
Sources: Semafor, Deutsche Welle

Shenzhen restores hundreds of hectares of mangroves

The city of Shenzhen has restored hundreds of hectares of mangroves, increasing climate resilience and creating habitat for wildlife. Shenzhen’s rapid expansion in the 1980s from fishing village to international metropolis drastically contracted coastal mangroves to about a fifth of a square mile.

But through regulation and public-private partnerships, the city has reversed course. Nonnative trees from a 1993 reforestation strategy were thinned, aiding native species. A 2018 national ban on land reclamation is being enforced, and a 2021 wetland law includes penalties for violations. Futian Mangrove Ecological Park is the country’s first government-mandated park managed by a nongovernmental organization. West of the park, restoration of gei wai fish ponds supports a population of over 13,700 birds.

A rise in the popularity of bird-watching has also increased public awareness of mangroves, leading some citizens to successfully oppose a dredging project for cruise ships in 2020. Between 2000 and 2022, mangrove coverage in Shenzhen Bay nearly doubled to 526 hectares (2.03 square miles).
Source: Dialogue Earth