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Chocpocalypse Now! Quarantine and the Future of Food

Nicola Twilley Cynthia Graber Geoff Manaugh

June 22, 2021 |

Gastropod |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Australia, Barrow Island, Western Australia

Off the coast of Australia, the energy company Chevron is experimenting with new quarantine management techniques to ensure that any plants and pests don’t hitchhike to new places, which can devastate the global food economy. They’ve redesigned shipping containers to make it harder for insects to tag along and they’ve created a video game to train workers on how to be better at finding these pests in their inspections. Some creatures and plants can slip through the process, but these tools have been successful and could be used in other ways.

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Reeling it in: Egypt's fishermen exchange the Nile's plastic waste for cash

Toka Omar

June 16, 2021 |

The National |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Egypt, Cairo

An environmental initiative in Cairo is enlisting fishermen on the Nile River to collect recyclable plastic bottles. The program pays double the rates paid elsewhere in the country, compensating the fishermen for the loss of income caused by the polluted river.

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States Ply COVID Unvaccinated with Cash, Beer, Scholarships

Christine Vestal

June 04, 2021 |

Stateline |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ohio

States and businesses across the country are offering incentives, from entry into million-dollar lotteries, college scholarships, and gift cards to fulfilling fantasies like driving around Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway. Ohio was one of the first states to announce a vaccine lottery in which any adult resident that got vaccinated was entered into one of five weekly drawings to win $1 million. Ohio’s Vax-a-Million drawings were paid for with CARES Act relief money appropriated by Congress. Vaccination rates increased by 28% in the first week after the lottery was announced in Ohio.

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Cities Are Boosting the Economy by Rewarding Those Who Shop Local

Sakshi Udavant

June 03, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Akron, Ohio

Akron, Ohio, is “creating a circular economy” in hopes of helping small businesses and encouraging residents to shop locally. A city-sponsored app, Akronite, is used by consumers to make purchases and earn reward points which can be redeemed for discounts and other perks. The app’s success is clear in the high return on investment, which shows $9 generated for every dollar invested by the local government. Other cities across the country are also adopting the initiative, tweaking it to their own communities.

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How Vancouver is protecting itself from future flooding — with plants

Stefan Labbé

May 27, 2021 |

Pique Newsmagazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia

Large cities like Vacounver and Seattle are increasingly leaning towards "green infrastracture," a method of managing stormwater through natural systems like green roofs and rain gardens that absorb rainwater. Cities have traditionally relied on traditional sewage systems, but in the face of climate change, and more intense storms, its proving to be inadequate. Green infrascture lowers flood levels, filters out pollutants in the water, and regulates city temperature. In Seattle, an early adopter of green infrastructure, rain gardens absorbed 1.5 trillion liters of rainwate.

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In Pennsylvania, agroforestry holds a key to cleaning up waterways and Chesapeake Bay

Sarah Derouin

May 27, 2021 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Pennsylvania

The state of Pennsylvania set to plant 86,000 hectares of riparian buffers, the practice of planting trees and shrubs along a river or stream to filter water. Other benefits of riparian buffers include things like restoring the soil and cooling the water. In order to meet their goal, the state scientists used a bottom approach, enlisting the help of local farmers by offering them grants to plant trees and showing farmers how they can profit off of riparian buffers. While the state is behind its goal, the state is planting about 1,000 to 2,000 hectares a year.

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'The Beachcombers' town is now famous for fighting climate change

Alanna Mitchell

May 18, 2021 |

Broadview Magazine |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Gibsons, British Columbia

A hit TV show in the 1970s and ‘80s called The Beachcombers brought the town of Gibsons and its logging practices into homes across Canada. After years of pollution and land degradation, it became one of the first towns in the world to incorporate nature into the municipality’s finances. Developers have to take stock of what natural infrastructure is on their property before they build. The town also launched an initiative to encourage other places to calculate the value of their green infrastructure. So far, 30 of them have signed up across the Great White North.

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Study Shows Gun Violence Program Working

Vicki Gonzalez

May 06, 2021 |

Capital Public Radio (Sacramento) |

Radio Talk Show |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

Advance Peace mentors young people at risk of committing or suffering gun violence, guiding them through a "life map" process to exit street life and set goals for a safer, healthier future. The program, which started in Richmond and has expanded to other cities in California and beyond, contributed to a 22% decrease in gun homicides and assaults in an 18-month period. The decrease was 39% in the first targeted neighborhood. Mentoring includes linking youth to cognitive behavioral therapy, jobs, and field trips to expand their experiences. When they meet certain goals, they get paid a "life map allowance."

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The long shot that saved Belize's coral

Veronika Perkova

May 05, 2021 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Belize, Placencia

After a hurricane hit the coast of Belize in 2001, it essentially destroyed the coral reefs in Laughing Bird Caye National Park. Lisa Carne wanted to start transplanting coral to regrow the reefs, but it took five years to secure funding to start her project. Restoring coral reefs is a lot of effort, so she founded a nonprofit called Fragments of Hope that hired local residents to help. Because of her efforts, over 85,000 corals have been planted and 89 percent of them survived after 14 years, The techniques used are being applied in other countries like Colombia, Jamaica, and St. Barts.

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This Restaurant-Led Agriculture Effort Wants To Help Farmers And Ranchers Fight Climate Change

Michael Elizabeth Sakas

May 03, 2021 |

Colorado Public Radio |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Boulder County, Colorado

A new county initiative in Colorado aims to support regenerative agriculture projects on farms as a way to take carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the soil in an effort to combat climate change. Restaurants donate 1 percent of their profits to the Restore Colorado initiative in Boulder County. The McCauley Family Farm is one of the first to sign on to this initiative and plan to plant more trees on their grazing land. While it can take years to see any benefits, organizers are looking to scale the initiative to be statewide.

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