Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 2388 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

States eye vote by mail, Oregon officials say it's safe and secure

John Hendricks

July 31, 2020 |

KPTV-TV |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Oregon

Officials in Oregon, where voters have voted by mail in statewide elections for decades, point to their successful system to counter Donald Trump’s claim that voting by mail is “rigged” and results could take “years.” Several precautions prevent voter fraud, including a signature verification system, unique tracking barcodes on every ballot, and voters can get alerts when their ballot is received and counted. Officials and academics who have studied the system say that fraud is exceedingly rare with current security measures, though states implementing the system for the first time could experience delays.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Bright Lights and Dark Nights: The Challenge Facing Sea Turtles in the City

Annemarie Mannion

July 30, 2020 |

Hakai Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

Sea turtle preservation efforts along the Florida coast seek to replace artificial bright lights, which are a deadly hazard that can lead sea turtles astray. Activists launched change.org petitions that successfully pressured two beach towns to correct public lights along the beach and require turtle-friendly lighting in new buildings. Volunteer groups patrol beach front areas to find and report those in violation of the ordinances, who can face a fine. A $10 million settlement from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion helps fund a grant that provides lights and fixtures to about 200 properties.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In syntropic agriculture, farmers stop fighting nature and learn to embrace it

Sandra Weiss

July 30, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Gandú, Bahia

Ernst Götsch, an agronomist and cocoa farmer in Brazil, uses a different method of agriculture that could be more beneficial to small farmers. His method, known as syntropic agriculture, is an agroforestry system where different plants interact with each other to create more complex ecosystems and more fertile soils. While the method involves more labor and observation, it doesn’t use pesticides or fertilizers and has resulted in larger crop yields and more income on his own farm. He is sharing his process with other farmers looking to improve their farms.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Could carbon-removal tech make travel more sustainable?

Sarah Reid

July 27, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Iceland

Climeworks, a Swiss start-up, is using technology to suck carbon out of the air and turning it into stone, essentially cutting greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere permanently. Their plant in Iceland is able to turn 50 tonnes of carbon to stone per year. While that amount of carbon won’t solve the climate crisis, they are expanding their work to other countries and are launching a personal carbon removal subscription service as a way for the travel industry to help offset the carbon that they emit each year.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Lightfoot and housing activists reached an uneasy détente in the battle for Woodlawn's future

Alex Nitkin

July 22, 2020 |

The TRiiBE |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

After tense negotiations and protests, the Coalition for a CBA (Community Benefits Agreement) and the mayor of Chicago agreed to an ordinance guaranteeing a percentage of affordable housing for tenants making below 50% of median income. The coalition expects gentrification to accelerate due to the nearby $500 million Obama Presidential Center, making housing unaffordable for current residents. In addition to negotiations, the coalition organized a blockade of the mayor’s office and set up a “tent city” to emphasize their message. Not all residents want the ordinance and neither side got everything they want.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Citrus for Sourdough, Eggs for Yeast

Annelise Jolley

July 21, 2020 |

Life & Thyme |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Michigan

Food bartering helps families during times of food insecurity, which is often exacerbated by crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Families with lower incomes have bartered for food for a long time but the pandemic has brought diversity to the families exchanging food with friends and neighbors. Food bartering is part of the cultural fabric of different groups, such as the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, which hosts workshops on cultivating gardens. Food bartering is an inclusive and community-building practice but when bartering is the only way to get food, the communal reliance can be an emotional drain.

Read More
Go to Original Story
30 Years Later: How The ADA Changed Life For People With Disabilities

Allison Norlian

July 21, 2020 |

Forbes |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) mandated public places, businesses, facilities, and schools make accommodations for people with disabilities, including ramps, accessible entrances and bathrooms, and designated parking spaces. The ADA also makes discrimination against people with disabilities illegal, establishes a nationwide communication system for people with speech or hearing impairments, and encourages community-based services over institutionalization. While accessibility and discrimination can still be problems, the ADA has allowed people with disabilities to live independently.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Amid biting drought, sisters in Zambia fend off hunger with organic farming

Doreen Ajiambo

July 16, 2020 |

Global Sisters Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Zambia, Chilanga

In Zambia, where severe drought due to climate change has negatively affected agriculture, the Daughters of the Redeemer are practicing organic farming to feed hundreds of children and families whose basic needs are not being met. This group of religious sisters do not rely on rainfall to farm; they installed a drip irrigation system that has allowed them to grow crops like cabbage, maize, tomatoes, and beans. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the sisters provided training to local villages about organic farming, and this has allowed families to support themselves during the crisis.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Could leaving 'room for the river' help protect communities from floods?

Samantha Harrington

July 15, 2020 |

Yale Climate Connections |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Davenport, Iowa

While many communities in the Midwest use dams and levees to control the Mississippi River, some are trying new approaches to flood control as climate change threatens to increase rainfall and the severity of storms in the region. Some cities are turning to the Dutch solution of leaving “room for the river” to allow the body of water to flow naturally and design public spaces to handle inundation. While this technique doesn’t always work during major flooding events, traditional flood control strategies can be more harmful and actually worsen flooding.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Will Your Next Salmon Come from a Massive Land Tank in Florida?

Michael Grunwald

July 14, 2020 |

Politico |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Homestead, Florida

A Norwegian firm has built a land-based fish farm – which is "a supersized aquatic version of greenhouse agriculture that aims to solve a host of environmental problems plaguing conventional salmon farms in coastal waters" – near the tip of the Florida peninsula. Although it's yet to be seen if demand will be to the scale necessary to deem the endeavor financially viable, in Denmark where this concept was initially piloted, more than 25 generations of salmon have already been harvested.

Read More
Go to Original Story