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Power Struggle

Mitch Anderson

December 07, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Humboldt County, California

The Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe in California installed its own small-scale electrical supply grid using solar panels and Tesla batteries to make their community more resilient to energy disruptions and lower carbon dioxide emissions. This proved useful during the 2019 wildfire season when utility companies shut down power for millions of residents. The tribe is now helping other Native reserves to build their own microgrid systems.

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This dark material: the black alchemy that can arrest carbon emissions

Jessica Murray

November 29, 2019 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Stockholm

Biochar is a form of charcoal that is proving to be quite useful in terms of renewable energy and combatting the climate crisis. From trapping carbon and methane emissions to playing a role in heating homes and feeding cows, some estimates are already showing that biochar has the potential to "offset 1bn tonnes of carbon a year."

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Holland Aims to Bring Back Its Starry Nights

Sophie Knight

November 18, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Amsterdam

To address the harm - both to human psychology as well as natural ecosystems - of artificial light, The Netherlands calls on its citizens to turn their lights off and feel the effects of a natural darkness. The awareness of negative consequences of artificial light has helped residents reduce light consumption, though turning the lights off is an uphill battle with international corporate powerhouses.

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Auraria Campus Installs Largest Singular Rooftop Solar Array In Downtown Denver

Dillon Thomas

November 14, 2019 |

KCNC-TV |

Broadcast TV Programs |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Auraria Campus in Denver installed more than 2,100 solar panels on their school’s library, which will save students money and be more sustainable. The campus teamed up with Namaste Solar to build the $1 million solar array, which will reduce campus energy usage by about 2.5 percent annually. While it will take 15 years for the panels to recoup the cost of installation, the life of the project should be about 30 years, so it will also generate additional revenue for the school.

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Plans for a solar community in West Philly are halted by legislative red tape

Brianna Baker

October 23, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Gardner, Massachusetts

Pennsylvania law is preventing a Philadelphia neighborhood from converting an empty lot into a solar farm, but community members are working to fight against this by citing neighboring states that are seeing positive impact from similar projects. One such project is in Massachusetts where shared solar energy systems is helping to offset "80 percent of the power needs of a nearby assisted living facility, an affordable housing development, a family-owned hardware store and a non-profit serving those with disabilities."

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How solar ‘skin' helped an Indiana homeowner win a fight for rooftop panels

Kari Lydersen

October 15, 2019 |

Energy News Network |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Indianapolis, Indiana

After the homeowners association denied his request to install solar panels on his roof due to their aesthetic, Indianapolis-resident Joey Myles used SolarSkin to disguise the panels to look like asphalt shingles. The company Sistine Solar makes these films that coat solar panels in various images that can be used to blend in with roofs or other forms of artwork. The panels with skins only generate about 85 percent of energy as those without skins, but they can withstand extreme weather.

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Our Zoo is Greener Than Your Zoo

Brianna Baker

October 15, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Zoo has created an in-house, vertical garden – housed in a shipping container provided by the nonprofit, CropBox – to grow food for the animals. So far, it has shown to be a more sustainable way of feeding the animals, producing 275 lbs of greens per month and using 70-90% less water than traditional farming. The garden is just one of the zoo’s newest sustainability initiatives, which include increasing energy efficiency, using solar-powered vehicles, and creating more trails and spaces for the animals.

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How Penn State Is Cutting Greenhouse Emissions In Half — And Saving Money

Dan Charles

October 04, 2019 |

NPR |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, State College, Pennsylvania

Enrolling administrators and financial planners in sustainable projects takes proving that investments pay for themselves. With the help of pressure from students and faculty, Penn State Universities administrators have adopted a long-term strategy to reduce the university’s carbon footprint and implement sustainable practices. Students produced the data that illuminated the university’s unsustainable practices; the numbers now show that their efforts are paying off.

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After oil and gas: Meet Alberta workers making the switch to solar

Sharon J. Riley

October 02, 2019 |

The Narwhal |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Alberta

Alberta, Canada is a place that historically has had a close relationship with oil and gas. But as renewable energy surges into the market, these industries become more and more precarious. This article talks to a range of young men—a key demographic in these industries—about why they made the decision to leave oil and gas for solar energy and what helped them make that transition. Many said, among other things, that their motivations lay in wanting to leave a better world for their children to grow up in.

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Storing energy in compressed air could finally become cheap enough for the big time

Akshat Rathi

September 19, 2019 |

Quartz |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto, Ontario

To reduce carbon usage in electric grids, companies around the world have turned to new technologies that store wind energy that can be converted to electricity. One such company called Hydrostor, based in Ontario, Canada, traps compressed air in underground caverns to store energy without the use of fossil fuels.

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