Latest news with #CarolineJones
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Revolutionary government program raises $28 billion, and millions of one state's residents are benefiting: 'A win for ordinary people'
In 2012, California set a precedent for how a state government can take action against planet-warming pollution. The result of these actions diverted billions of dollars to communities in need across the state. California created a cap-and-trade program, which set a limit on carbon emissions that was to decline every year until the end of the contract in 2030. It also required companies to purchase permits or "allowances" to cover their carbon emissions. Companies that needed to go over their allowance could trade with other companies, but overall, the program created an economic incentive for companies to move forward with cleaner policies that reduced pollution. The fees from these allowances were then distributed across multiple agencies, including the California Natural Resources Agency's Urban Greening Program. One of the most remarkable projects created with this funding was a living schoolyard in Oakland, made possible with a $1.2 million grant from the CNRA. What used to be an asphalt lot was turned into vegetable gardens, a pollinator garden, an outdoor classroom, grass fields, and 65 new trees. Since 2012, this program has brought in $28 billion, $11.6 billion of which has already been translated into community projects. California residents are also now seeing an average of $137 in savings on their utility bills through the California Climate Credit. This program is eligible to be renewed and extended until 2045. If California lawmakers choose to extend it, residents can expect to see $47 billion in revenue, $55 billion in economic growth for California, and an additional 287,000 jobs. "California's cap-and-trade program hasn't just been a win for the climate; it's been a win for ordinary people who can see in their neighborhoods and on their utility bills that it's paying off. And there's billions more to come if we get this right," said Caroline Jones, a climate policy expert at the Environmental Defense Fund. Whether it's investing in solar panels, food security, or bike lanes for crowded urban areas, it's been proven that the happiest people and countries in the world are the ones in areas of less pollution and with stronger community programs. This program was spotlighted in the Environmental Defense Fund's Vital Signs newsletter, which is a stellar source for good-news stories, climate change solutions, and advice for taking action in your own community. Do you think America has a plastic waste problem? Definitely Only in some areas Not really I'm not sure Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
BBC News
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Charity shopper's £22.50 outfit for Buckingham Palace trip
A woman wearing charity clothes for a year to raise money in memory of her mother, has worn an outfit costing just £22.50 to a Buckingham Palace reception. Caroline Jones from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, joined guests including radio presenter Adele Roberts and actor Richard E Grant at a reception hosted by King Charles and Queen Camilla for cancer 56-year-old began Knickers Model's Own in 2015 to raise money for Cancer Research UK while in the early stages of grieving for her mother, Mary Benson, who died from breast said it was "an honour" to have been nominated by the charity to attend and the evening was "incredibly moving and inspirational". Mrs Benson, who died in October 2014, had been a volunteer at the charity's Harpenden shop for 13 years, so Ms Jones decided on a year-long campaign to honour her the challenge to reflect that only her underwear was new, she hoped to raise £1,000, but her daily posts became so popular she raised about £70, wore clothes from the charity's shops for 365 days and posted her outfits on social media. This year she is doing the same challenge and is posting her 2025 pictures alongside the corresponding 2015 images. Ms Jones said the reception at the palace was to "recognise community-based cancer support".It was in honour of community projects helping people who are living with cancer and for health groups trying to prevent said the King shared with her how pleased he was to be Patron of Cancer Research UK, the role he took on from his mother, Queen Elizabeth her campaign, Ms Jones wore head-to-toe second-hand with a dress by Senes Paris (£8.50) and gold Marks and Spencer sandals (£4.50), and she held a vintage clutch (£9.50)."It was such an emotional evening," she said, "the ballroom was full of inspirational people, each with their own cancer story."Moments like this, when the cancer community comes together is a reminder of why I am fundraising and gives me to push to carry on". Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Caroline's charity shop challenge 'feels joyous' this time around
A woman wearing charity clothes for a year, a decade after she took on the challenge for the first time, is hoping the changes she has experienced give hope to others who are in a "difficult place".Caroline Jones, 56, from Harpenden, Hertfordshire, began Knickers Model's Own in 2015 to raise money for Cancer Research UK while in the early stages of grieving for her mother, Mary wore clothes from the charity's shops for 365 days and posted her outfits on social year, she is posting her 2025 pictures alongside the corresponding 2015 images, and she said her grief "feels lighter" and she was generally "more confident". Mrs Benson, who died from breast cancer in October 2014, had been a volunteer at the charity's Harpenden shop for 13 years, so Ms Jones decided on a year-long campaign to honour her the challenge to reflect that only her underwear was new, she hoped to raise £1,000, but her daily posts became so popular she raised about £70, four months into her latest challenge she said she hoped she could show others going through difficult times that things did change. "[This time] it feels joyous," she said."My grief is much lighter and being 10 years older I feel more confident. I do feel more accepting of who I am, what I look like... hopefully that inner confidence shines through in my photographs."She said that previously she was "hiding a lot behind my eyewear, behind my hair", and added: "I think that was probably me not wanting to be in front of a camera, thinking 'Am I good enough?' I was harder on myself back then."Now, because I feel lighter in myself, I feel like I'm doing this for women to just look at themselves in their mid-50s and say, 'We are still interested in fashion, we belong, we are here'." What Ms Jones is finding hardest is looking back at the 10-year-old images."I can see my raw grief in those early photographs, my tears never far from the surface," she said."I was a mother with young children and I was grieving and had a lot on my plate."I remember how I felt vividly, whether it was a good, bad or really bad day, and I can really remember every single emotion, so that's sometimes been difficult."But when I have difficult moments, I always think about my mum. She's always there in the back of my mind and this is why I'm doing it." Ms Jones said she was also seeing different people in charity shops and having different conversations."It's wonderful to see that younger generation, 25 and younger," she said."I've definitely noticed [that age] probably weren't shopping there 10 years ago."With so much now available online, she is having more conversations to champion the "bricks and mortar" charity shop."You make your best decisions when you're holding something and trying it on," she said."Fashion is not downloadable – you can't touch it through a screen." A decade on from the first time around, Ms Jones said the joy of physically finding an item in a charity shop remained the same and that it was not about what was "on trend" but about "the item in the corner that no one else is looking at"."It's very freeing wearing second hand. It gives you total carte blanche to do what you want." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
