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Corn Farmers Upend Tradition to Reduce Air Pollution

Lilette A. Contreras

April 10, 2021 |

Global Press Journal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua

After a drought left cattle farmers in Mexico without grass to feed its animals, a unique partnership with corn farmers allowed them to use their leftover stalks and leaves. Usually, the farmers burn these materials, known as stover, which contributes to air pollution. This partnership was facilitated by the government and allowed the corn farmers to sell their leftovers to the cattle farmers. As a result, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions dropped significantly, and a new market for these materials is emerging.

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The mechanical stomach powering homes by digesting old food scraps

Gian De Poloni

March 27, 2021 |

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Australia, Cockburn

The electricity powering 3,000 Perth homes might have started out as moldy bread and rotting lettuce. The city of Cockburn collects food waste from supermarkets and restaurants to be fed into a mechanical "stomach" that converts the waste to energy. Methane is trapped and used to power electric generators. The remainder of the "digested" food is turned into compost and liquid fertilizer. The operation has recycled 43 tons so far, removing 81,000 kilograms of gases that otherwise would escape landfills and warm the atmosphere.

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Food waste: stories of inclusion and a sense of community

Paola Oriunno

March 21, 2021 |

News48 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Italy

Italian initiatives to combat food waste are connecting surplus food producers with those who need it. The volunteer-run groups have raised awareness of waste and food insecurity, built connections and places of food exchange, and have recovered and saved over 600 tons of food.

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From Waste to Resource

Anna Romandash

March 02, 2021 |

Transitions Online |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Ukraine, Lviv

A Ukrainian initiative connects excess food with people who are struggling financially and need it. Grocery stores often throw out perfectly good food that isn’t expired yet but will be soon. This initiative prevents food from going to the landfill while also addressing food insecurity in the community.

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How Banana Waste Is Turned Into Rugs, Fabric, And Hair Extensions

Jacqueline Baylon

February 19, 2021 |

Business Insider |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Uganda, Kampala

A Ugandan company called TEXFAD is taking the stems from banana trees that would normally go to waste and is turning them into new textiles like rugs, place mats, and hair extensions. Over its eight year existence, TEXFAD has grown to also employ 23 people, many of whom started in their internship program for students. While the cost to make these products can be expensive, the textiles are biodegradable and use less water and land to produce.

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Zimbabwe's mango growers look to the sun to boost incomes

Lungelo Ndhlovu

February 15, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Zimbabwe, Gokwe

A new dried fruit processing center in Zimbabwe has allowed farmers to turn their excess mangos into another product that can be sold to various markets around the world. The center serves more than 3,400 farmers and farmers can fetch up to four times as much for dried mangos as they would normally get from selling the fruit.

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Roadkill Moose Fed Alaska Families for Years. Then Came COVID-19.

Matt Vasilogambros

December 16, 2020 |

Stateline |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alaska

Thirty states including Alaska, Oregon, Montana, and California legalized "the salvaging of roadkill" as a means of reducing food waste and supplying food-insecure families with meat. The coronavirus pandemic has hampered these efforts for many of the charities involved, but individuals in the community are still "figuring out ways that ensure the animals aren’t wasted.”

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How A 24-Year-Old CEO Makes Sustainable Tees from Milk

Frank Sesno Dan Reed Eugenia Harvey

December 15, 2020 |

Planet Forward |

Broadcast TV Talk Show |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

After witnessing milk going to waste on his uncle dairy’s farm in China, Robert Lou came up with the idea to turn the leftover milk into clothing. It takes five glasses of milk to produce one t-shirt and he’s sold over 3,000 of them since launching his company Mi Terro. He hopes to use 15 percent of the world’s food waste in 20 years to lower greenhouse gas emissions and supply income to farmers. He’s also piloting a new flexible packaging material out of grain products.

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Reusing, recycling, rethinking

Jessica Wolfrom

December 10, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alexandria, Virginia

Mason & Greens is a zero-waste store that reduces environmental impact by selling package-free items, from shampoo bars to organic produce. Dry goods and the wines, oils, and kombucha on tap are bought with reusable containers and priced by the ounce, which reduces plastic waste and allows customers to buy only what they need. In addition to minimizing products' carbon footprints, the store has been profitable since it opened and the owners say that, while prices are initially higher for consumers, reusable products may be less expensive in the long run because they don’t have to be replaced as frequently.

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How To Feed The World Without Destroying It

Debbie Weingarten

December 01, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Virginia

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the fragility of the U.S. food supply chain, yet for indigenous led-operations there has been little interruption thanks to practices that rely on shorter supply chains that "work with local ecosystems, not against them." In Virginia, one farmer is using the lessons from this traditional knowledge to create a small-scale farming collective.

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