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Snowsheds are just one part of Rogers Pass' extensive avalanche program

Tom Hallberg Bradly J. Boner

October 14, 2020 |

Jackson Hole News & Guide |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Rogers Pass, British Columbia

Snowsheds are just one tool in Canada’s arsenal to combat the impacts avalanches can have on their complex road systems. Snowsheds are aboveground tunnels where snow can travel over it and into the river, thereby reducing the number of road closures to cleanup the aftermath and allowing thousands of drivers to continue on their journeys. This idea is being explored by state officials in Wyoming as a way to improve their avalanche-mitigation tactics.

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A world without avalanche closures

Tom Hallberg Bradly J. Boner

October 07, 2020 |

Jackson Hole News & Guide |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

A failed bridge construction project in the 1960s in Wyoming to mitigate the impacts of avalanches inspired Washington state to complete a similar project fifty years later. The project included an elevated bridge that allows snow from slide paths to pass beneath the roadway, which ends up saving losses of economic activity due to road closures. While the construction can be expensive, Wyoming is looking to see if a similar solution can be applied to their own mountain passes.

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Kenyan engineers recycling plastics for bricks

Yvonne Okwara-Matole

September 28, 2020 |

Citizen TV Kenya |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Kenya

Gjenge Makers Ltd is an alternative building product manufacturing company that creates products – such as pavers and blocks – out of recycled plastics. Founded by four Kenyan engineers, the team began by studying the manufacturing process and researching what products would do well on the market. They then built all of the machinery themselves, which break down the plastics, and then mix them with other building material products to ultimately create customizable plastic bricks that can withstand larger weight and are less expensive than concrete. They are popular in rural and lower-income areas.

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Polish Drivers Beware: Road Work Ahead

Kacper Sulowski

September 22, 2020 |

Gazeta Wyborcza |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Lithuania

A series of methodically planned and publicized measures to improve traffic safety have significantly lowered Lithuania's highway fatalities in what is now serving as a model for safety advocates in neighboring Poland. Starting nearly a decade ago, after traffic deaths peaked, Lithuania began increasing penalties for violations, toughening enforcement, and improving roadways. Each phase was accompanied by public education. More lenient laws and enforcement are blamed for Poland's relatively high traffic-death rate.

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As Concerns Over Climate Change Rise, More Developers Turn to Wood

Keith Schneider

September 22, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Spokane, Washington

Eastern Washington University recently built the first tall wood office building in the state joining hundreds of other large “mass-timber” projects in the United States. This growing industry constructs panels, beams, and columns from trees that need to be thinned to curb wildfires in forests. While wood buildings can be more expensive to build than ones constructed from concrete and steel, environmentalists are on board because wood can store carbon, which can help offset greenhouse gas emissions.

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Śmierć na polskich drogach. Jesteśmy w europejskiej czołówce pod względem liczby ofiar, Litwa dała radę

Kacper Sulowski

July 25, 2020 |

Gazeta Wyborcza |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Lithuania

Liczba śmiertelnych wypadków drogowych na Litwie spadła w wyniku szeregu systematycznych i szeroko upublicznionych rozwiązań mających na celu poprawę bezpieczeństwa ruchu drogowego. Gdy prawie dekadę temu na Litwie nastąpił bezprecedensowy wzrost śmiertelności w wypadkach drogowych, zaczęto tam podwyższać kary za wykroczenia, wzmacniać egzekwowanie prawa oraz poprawiać stan dróg. Każdemu etapowi towarzyszyła kampania edukacji publicznej. Uważa się, że za stosunkowo wysoki wskaźnik śmiertelności na drogach w Polsce odpowiadają zbyt łagodne przepisy oraz zbyt liberalne ich egzekwowanie.

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The revolutionary boat powered by the ocean

Rina Diane Caballar

July 15, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Philippines

Since the Philippines relies on boats to transport people and goods across the island nation, a shipbuilding company is designing a new low-carbon alternative of the bangka — a traditional Filipino boat — that uses the waves of the ocean to power it instead of fossil fuels. The ship, known as the trimaran, uses wave energy that converts into electricity for the ship. However, a typhoon and the COVID-19 pandemic have delayed the project, and there are also cost and design challenges. But the trimaran’s use of wave energy could be a step toward reducing the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

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Malian women creating alternatives to charcoal and firewood

Soumaïla Diarra

June 28, 2020 |

Inkline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Mali, Bamako

As Mali’s population increases and urban centers grow, women in the West African country are coming up with different solutions to reduce their consumption of charcoal and wood and reverse the worsening effects of climate change and deforestation. For example, some women use a wire roll for cooking that allows them to slow the amount of charcoal burned. While making the roll isn’t as environmentally-friendly, the wire rollers allow people to avoid buying a lot of charcoal. Other solutions include creating affordable solar cookers and thermos baskets.

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A New Weapon Against Climate Change May Float

Stanley Reed

June 04, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Portugal, Viana do Castelo

Floating wind turbines off the coast of Portugal is one of the latest experiments to convert wind energy into electric power. These machines can generate electricity for a city of up to 60,000 people. While it will take more financing and time to scale the project, investors are impressed with the results and see it as a viable financial return to combat climate change.

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The ancient technology getting a second wind

Nick Holland

May 26, 2020 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Costa Rica

Old ships, powered by the wind, are being refurbished to sail small amounts of cargo around the world. While there are only a few hundred still in use, newer ships and sails are being designed and built with new technology to make the vessels more fuel efficient and produce zero emissions. While many of them are in the prototype phase, some of these ships are able to go into smaller ports and harbors that larger vessels can’t reach.

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