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

Alanna Mitchell

May 18, 2021 |

Broadview Magazine |

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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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How to Start (and Run) a Bank That Puts People and Planet Over Profits

Oscar Perry Abello

May 17, 2021 |

Next City |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

San Francisco-based New Resource Bank was launched with environmental sustainability lending as its niche. But it pursued easier profits for a time, risking its survival and mission until a new CEO turned its fortunes around with a laser focus on the original mission, bolstered by learning its borrowers' businesses intimately. The bank doubled in size and merged with a larger bank, making itself a model for mission-driven lending in such businesses as solar, wind energy, and organic foods – and by attracting institutional depositors and investors as interested in social change as they are in profits.

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Africa's Solar Street Lights Offer Glimmer of Potential

Marianne Dhenin

May 04, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Jinja City

Solar-powered street lights have replaced the shoddy conventional lighting in Jinja City, Uganda. Solar-powered panels and batteries power lighting that is not only cheaper but is also more reliable and has resulted in social and economic benefits too. Safer streets, higher business revenue for businesses that can operate at night, and a boost in the tourism industry are just a few of the positive outcomes.

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The climate solution adding millions of tons of CO2 into the atmosphere

Lisa Song James Temple

April 29, 2021 |

MIT Technology Review |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

A decade after California established its forest offset program as a way to incentivize saving trees to store carbon, a new analysis shows that it might not be working. Loopholes in the program allow for people to claim credits for trees that aren’t delivering the carbon benefits they should and ultimately results in companies emitting more pollution than is being stored. While this program has provided economic benefits for several Indigenous tribes, some argue that “the program creates the false appearance of progress when in fact it makes the climate problem worse.”

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When gold is green

Mayela López

April 16, 2021 |

El Colectivo 506 |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica, Osa Peninsula

Sustainable rural tourism on the Osa Peninsula has been combined with economic prosperity in a campaign known as Caminos de Osa. A mentorship program matches experts with local entrepreneurs to successfully set up travel destinations. 35 small businesses have been vetted and promoted by travel agencies and the project has created a tourism chain in rural Costa Rica, generating a source of income for small business owners.

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They Overcame Mutual Loathing, and Saved a Town

Nicholas Kristof

April 10, 2021 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, John Day, Oregon

Loggers and environmentalists aren’t always known for getting along, but the collaboration between these two groups in Oregon may have saved a town from going under. By creating a dialogue together and working to understand each other’s side, they were able to create a contract that allows loggers to continue thinning forests that were overgrown, which, in turn, keeps the forest healthy and people employed. This kind of cooperation could offer lessons for other groups who are looking to find common ground.

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One step at a time

Thomas Enderlin

April 09, 2021 |

El Colectivo 506 |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica

A coast-to-coast hiking trail in Costa Rica is giving the rural economy a boost. Camino de Costa Rica is the brainchild of a cooperative effort between small businesses, nonprofits, and schools to support the rural tourism industry in Costa Rica. The trail has allowed small businesses to tap into an income stream which has created economic resilience and created opportunities.

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The Return of the Polish Wolf

Krzysztof Story

April 08, 2021 |

Tygodnik Powszechny |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Poland

Scientists, NGOs, conservationists, and the government worked together to bring the Polish wolf back from the brink of extinction. Methods like GPS tracking and genetic sampling have helped politicians made decisions about how to reduce human-animal conflict and ensure human development didn’t interfere with their habitats. As a result, over the last 50 years the wolf population in Poland has increased 50-fold.

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How The Westside Is Restoring The Coconut Tree As A Food Source In Hawaii

Ku'u Kauanoe

April 04, 2021 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oahu, Hawaii

Coconuts are making a comeback in Hawaii through the Uluniu Project, which will be distributing more than 400 seedlings in Oahu. The once-native tree provided a nutritious and staple food source as well as sustainable supplies for traditional structures. The initiative was born out of a need to bring back traditional knowledge about native food supplies, fight growing food insecurity, and increase food sustainability.

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The Power of Bike Education to Transform Lives and Communities

Marianne Dhenin

March 22, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin

Bicycle education programs around the world are helping those who want to become cyclists overcome that fear while also addressing problems in their communities—from pollution to racial injustice. #BIKEYGEES in Berlin helps women learn how to ride, or learn how to teach someone how to ride bicycles without need for registration. In the U.S. In Los Angeles, Sustainable Streets is helping adult learners while also turning the tide on the prevalent car-minded culture in the city.

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