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How Bogotá's Waste Pickers Reinvented Their Jobs for a Modern City

Peter Yeung

July 05, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Colombia

In Colombia, there are about 50,000 waste pickers, they collect and sort through trash to findrecyclabless to make a living. Their livelihood was threatened in the 1990s after Colombia adopted neoliberal policies that privatized trash collection. However, in 2016 the government officially recognized wastepickers as recycling service providers under a decree. That same year, the government introduced a "second payment," that supplement the income of waste pickers. Coupled, these two policies have improved the livelihood of wastepickers.

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Could miniature forests help air-condition cities?

The Economist

July 03, 2021 |

The Economist |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan

The Miyawaki method of planting miniature natural forests in cities as a way to reduce air pollution and cool down temperatures is gaining ground throughout the world. The process involves planting a variety of trees in a particular way that allows for them to grow rapidly. While this method is very labor intensive and can be difficult to scale, there are more than 1,500 of these types of forests in Japan, India, and Pakistan.

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The people racing to replant Africa

Laura Joffre

July 02, 2021 |

Pioneers Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Senegal

The Gambia river which rests in Sahel, the region between the Sahara desert and the African rainforest, used to be extremely fertile, farmers could live of the land. Yet, climate change and years of deforestation have made the land uncultivable. One NGO, with help from other organizations and international funders, is trying to rebuild the land by creating, "The Great Green Wall,” an effort to build an 8,000-km mural of plants and trees along the southern border of the Sahara desert. So far, 18 million hectares of land have been restored.

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These farmers show that agriculture in the Amazon doesn't have to be destructive

Brian Barth Flávia Milhorance

June 28, 2021 |

National Geographic |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Nova Califórnia, Rondônia

Nearly a fifth of the Amazon has been cleared for cattle grazing and logging. However, a cooperative called RECA is making it economically sustainable for farmers to shift towards agroforestry. Agroforestry is the intentional planting of trees and shrubs in farms and forests among others. 11 tons of carbon per acre are sequestered through agroforestry systems. REFA farmers planted up to 40 species of trees then will process products from the species to be sold. The more than 300 families from the co-op made five times more per acre than local ranchers not practicing agroforestry.

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L'île grecque de Tilos est désormais autonome en énergie verte

A. Zisyadis

June 27, 2021 |

Radio Télévision Suisse |

Video |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: Greece

Tilos, une petite île grecque de 780 habitants, peut se targuer d’être quasi-autonome en énergie grâce à une centrale électrique combinant énergie éolienne et solaire. Grâce à cette transition énergétique, les besoins en électricité sont couvert à 100 % durant la saison basse et à 70 % durant la saison haute, le coût de l’électricité a été réduit et il y a moins de coupures électriques qu'avant.

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Una lata de agua en Barrio Nuevo

Carlos Bello

June 25, 2021 |

Historias que laten |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Venezuela, Caracas

El proyecto Una Lata de Agua es una inciativa que busca instalar en las comunidades de Caracas, Venezuela, sistemas de recolección de agua que permitan abastecer a las familias de agua potable, porque en el norte del país la escases del agua es crítica. Con el proyecto instalado en Barrio Nuevo se benefician más de 1600 familias.

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Oregon Bottle Bill at 50

Geoff Norcross

June 23, 2021 |

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Oregon

In 1971, Oregon became the first state to adopt a law that established refundable deposits on beer and soft drink containers. So, if a consumer returned their plastic bottle, they would get their deposit back and that bottle then gets recycled. The Bottle Bill turned 50 this year and has proved to be a huge success. In 2019, it had a 90 percent return, meaning nine out of ten containers were being recycled. Other states are looking towards Oregon to replicate the model.

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Why ‘tiny forests' are popping up in big cities

Elizabeth Hewitt

June 22, 2021 |

National Geographic |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands

In Europe, India, and other countries like the Netherlands tiny forests are being deployed to fight the effects of climate change. The small forests, some about the size of a parking lot or a basketball court, can help cities mitigate rising temperatures and sequester carbon. In the Netherlands, 144 tiny forests have been planted. A study that analyzed 11 tiny forests showed these forests hosted more than 600 animal species and close to 300 plant species.

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Cleaning up Cambodia's kitchens could curb deforestation, climate change

Marissa Carruthers

June 22, 2021 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Cambodia

In Cambodia 2.5 million people use stoves fueled by forest biomass; charcoal and wood. The emissions caused by using biomass are extremely harmful not only to people but also to the environment. The emissions caused by biomass globally are equal to those of the aviation industry. To counter the problem, several organizations and companies are providing alternatives for Cambodian families like electric stoves. One company, Khmer Green Charcoal, created stoves that run on “clean” charcoal made from coconut shells. More than 6,500 households across the country have made the transition.

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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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