Level 1: Improved conditions

The Chicago Board of Education recently approved a new sexual health education policy based on 2012 National Sexuality Education Standards. The standards were championed by Dr. Stephanie Whyte, the Chief Health Officer for Chicago Public Schools, and they will ensure that grade-schoolers receive age-appropriate sexual health education.

The Camden, New Jersey Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee implemented a caller notification system that reaches youth to remind them of their court dates. This has resulted in 91% of youth contacted (message or live) by caller notification call appearing in court. The committee also compared the number of Bench Warrants issued for Failures to Appear (FTA) for April/May 2009 and April/May 2010. There were 35 FTA's issued during those two months in 2009; while only 19 issued in 2010 for the same two months.

As we prepare for a new generation of large-scale transit investments, progressive policy efforts need to be aligned to advance determined by real needs and actual use, keeping in mind the following guidelines:
Reduce the toxic overload at fence-line communities
Promote renewable energy, saving lives and saving money.
Build the infrastructure to ensure just transportation.
Seek to create sustainable communities that are walkable, denser, transit-friendly – not built on the automobile – to provide more efficient, affordable, clean transportation.

Secure regional and national support for public research programs that make locally adapted seeds and breeds available publicly rather than captured within or protected through Intellectual Property Regimes (IPRs).

Some forms of farmland protection include conservation easements, green space laws, transfer of development rights, or even prioritizing soil fertility and productivity in local permitting decisions where less fertile soil would be prioritized for commercial or residential use. In the United States, national policies and programs can be very important for community-based food systems:

Transportation options should permit better access to full-line grocery stores in both urban and rural settings. Food access in rural areas is now almost fully dependent upon having a car or access to one to find ways to grocery stores or farmers’ markets that carry a broad array of foods.

Schools could encourage the use of healthy, sustainable foods sourced from the region in school cafeterias, lunch periods could be longer to help students enjoy their food.

Funding should support community-based processing and healthy food stores, as well as the development of more efficient local logistics.

Food safety regulations should result from a more democratic process and support locally adapted food production rather than regulating to the lowest common denominator of the global food system. For example, new food safety regulations that may come into play in the vegetable industry assume that centralized production and processing systems are the norm. Decentralized systems could have much different food safety regulations that protect the freshness and vitality of our food and also result in less harm if a breakdown happens.

Develop policies that require basic skills training about nutrition and cooking in public schools, support school gardens as a way to introduce healthy food knowledge, science and cultural knowledge, provide community food production classes, or assist with business planning and accounting skills for those who want to engage in business in the food system.