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Use of plastic bags in England drops by 59% in a year

Rebecca Smithers

July 30, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, England

The sales of single-use plastic bags has dropped by more than 95 percent in England’s supermarkets since 2015 when a monetary fee was introduced to encourage shoppers to reduce their plastic waste. Despite this reduction, research suggests that the amount of plastic waste in the world’s oceans was still likely to triple in volume in the next 20 years.

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How Lithuanian farmers help preserve endangered bird

Izabelė Pukėnaitė

July 30, 2020 |

Lithuanian Radio and Television (LRT) |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Lithuania, Šilutė

A Lithuanian government program pays farmers to delay working in their fields in an effort to preserve the aquatic warbler, an endangered bird species. While there are 186 farmers who participate in the program, more work could be done to protect the birds around water bodies. Once farmers are able to cut their grass, they can bring their grass to a factory to make biofuel.

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Why indigenous folklore can save animals' lives

Arnel Murga

July 28, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Philippines, Iloilo

Conservations in the Philippines are using indigenous beliefs known as “mariit” — which is the belief that nature is inhabited by unseen dwellers and should be respected and taken care of — to protect the country’s endangered species. The Mariit Wildlife and Conservation Park serves as a refuge for at least 62 animals and the Taklong Island Marine Natural Reserve is a breeding ground for fish species caught outside its boundary. Experts caution though that mariit can have a positive impact on the environment, sometimes the beliefs can undermine science-based conservation activities.

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India's tribal farmers tap solar irrigation to cut migration

Soumya Sarkar

July 27, 2020 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Jharkhand

New solar-powered irrigation systems in the Chotanagpur Plateau region in India are giving farmers more dependable water and allowing them to diversify their crops, allowing them to also grow their income. Many farmers from a local village used to migrate to other places to search for work, but a new irrigation system has allowed them to grow cauliflower for a competitive price. While the cost of buying and installing a solar-powered irrigation system can be high, this form of irrigation could be more climate-friendly and help stabilize crop production.

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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.

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Up close with B.C.'s endangered baby caribou — and the First Nations trying to save them

Sarah Cox Ryan Dickie

July 25, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

Photojournalism |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, British Columbia

To save the dwindling caribou herds in Canada, the West Moberly First Nations and Saulteau First Nations capture pregnant caribou cows from the herd by helicopter and raise them in pens to ensure the calves are old enough to survive in the wild. Within six years, the herd has grown from 36 animals to 95, but there’s still more to do to stabilize the herd.

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Is underground farming the future of food?

Kwon Moon

July 24, 2020 |

BBC |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: South Korea, Seoul

There’s a subterranean, organic farm in one of Seoul’s subway stations that could be another way to approach sustainable urban farming. The “vertical” farm, known as Metro Farm, uses a mineral nutrient solution instead of regular soil, and has an automated tech network to control the underground ecosystem’s temperature, humidity, and carbon dioxide levels. While Farm8, the tech startup in charge of the venture, hasn’t made much of a profit yet, the farm produces about 30 kilograms of vegetables per day at a rate that is 40 times more efficient than traditional farming.

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Waiting for water: On the Navajo Nation, long lines, scarce resources, a cry for solutions

Ian James

July 22, 2020 |

AZ Central (The Arizona Republic) |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Monument Valley, Utah

As the coronavirus spreads throughout the Navajo Nation, many people don’t have access to water to even wash their hands. For generations, the Navajo people have suffered with this lack of water infrastructure, but some solutions have been implemented. For example, the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health has built about 100 hand-washing stations and delivered them to homes in need. Many people are hopeful they will receive more funding to build a more robust water system, but the scale of the problem and the cost of building it are big challenges to overcome.

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This tech is bringing water to Navajo Nation by pulling it out of the air

Kristin Toussaint

July 22, 2020 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Navajo Nation, Arizona

Zero Mass Water partnered with the Navajo Nation to bring water into the homes of rural residents who may not have easy access to a water source. Hydropanels that connect to a tap inside the home use sunlight to absorb enough water vapor to make at least 10 liters of water per day. While people at first were skeptical about the idea during a pilot test, the company and Navajo officials are hoping to scale the solution.

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In green jobs boost, communities get bigger role running Pakistan's national parks

Rina Saeed Khan

July 17, 2020 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Pakistan

Khunjerab is the country’s oldest and largest national park and is a model of successful community-led management and conservation. Eight villages inside the park agreed not to graze livestock in a 12-square-kilometer area in exchange for designated grazing areas that rotate so each can recover after being used. Locals get 80% of the park’s employment opportunities and the local communities receive 75% of the visitor-generated revenue. As a result, Marco Polo sheep and Ibex numbers have grown substantially. A new Protected Areas Initiative has been funded to expand conservation efforts using this model.

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