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What do you do with a derelict Center Parcs? Map out a waste-free world

Holly Dicker

August 14, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Rotterdam

Abandoned buildings can become spaces for economic innovation and experimentation. An abandoned resort spa in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, now houses BlueCity, an ecosystem of sustainable enterprises. The initiative aligns with The Netherland’s 2050 circular strategy, which aims to reduce waste and implement circular design into the economic. At BlueCity, the businesses are leaders in sustainable innovations, from brewers that share byproducts with bakers to companies that recycle plastic.

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Less Trash, More Schools — One Plastic Brick at a Time

Anemona Hartocollis

July 27, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan

The recycling economy is helping Ivory Coast overcome a building shortage and create jobs. The Fighting Women, a community organization in Abidjan, collect plastic waste to resell to manufacturers. In partnership with UNICEF, the Columbian company, Conceptos Plásticos purchases plastic waste from the Women and recycles it into bricks, which are used to construct classrooms.

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Upcycling Guns

Jessica Press

April 16, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: El Salvador

Giving guns a nonviolent afterlife can also increase economic opportunity for struggling communities. In El Salvador, IM Swedish Development Partner, a nongovernmental organization, is addressing the issue of guns and violence by creating new partnerships and opportunities. Through the Humanium Metal program, confiscated guns are recycled into raw material and then sold to companies that produce finished products like watches, jewelry—and even toys. The funds from the project go back into funding efforts to further reduce violence in El Salvador’s communities.

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The manufacturing job of the future: clean, urban, and better paid

Ruth Reader

March 14, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Manufacturing takes on a whole new meaning as urban companies shift from tough industrial worksites to clean, friendly buildings with well-paid positions. One such site, piloted in Brooklyn's Navy Yard, aims to humanize the manufacturing process and de-stigmatize industrial work.

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Preparing Main Street for the So-Called ‘Retail Apocalypse'

Larisa Ortiz

March 01, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Corning, New York

A planning expert dives into responses from cities around the country to the infrastructural red tape faced by many brick-and-mortar retail businesses in the wake of an ecommerce boom. In Corning, NY, city officials created mid-block crosswalks to make navigating retail spaces downtown safer; in Memphis, local government passed a law that allows for light manufacturing in downtown areas to make owning "mom-and-pop" shops more affordable & convenient.

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From Shampoo To Breast Implants To Airplanes, This Startup's Lab-Grown Spider Silk Could Go A Long Way

Amy Feldman

February 26, 2019 |

Forbes |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Germany, Planegg

Bringing in bio-manufactured materials can make existing commercial supply chains more sustainable. The German company AMSilk has created a plastic-free alternative to synthetic and farmed silk. By growing biodegradable silk proteins and selling the plastic-free, bio-manufactured material to other companies, AMSilk has implemented sustainable practices across multiple consumer sectors.

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Iowa communities and businesses work together to find solutions for child care shortages

Molly Duffy

February 22, 2019 |

The Gazette |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Pella, Iowa

In rural Iowa, employers are partnering with child-care providers to fill gaps for working parents. Take Vermeer, a manufacturing company out of Pella, Iowa. Vermeer recently purchased an old barn near its headquarters and transformed the space to serve more than 100 children.

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These designers transform plastic waste into public furniture

Adele Peters

January 24, 2019 |

FastCompany |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Greece, Thessaloniki

Diverting trash from the landfill and into productive use is one way to help close the loop on consumer waste. In the Greek city of Thessaloniki, the Zero Waste Lab is turning plastic waste into new furniture for public spaces. The plastic is melted down and, using a 3D printer, reformed. The lab is supported by the Print Your City initiative, started by The New Raw a design studio based in the Netherlands, as well as by Coca-Cola.

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Can new home building tech help solve the affordability crisis?

Adele Peters

December 12, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Vallejo, California

Development companies like FactoryOS have turned to industrial manufacturing and 3D printing in an attempt to hasten development timelines and reduce city and civilian costs. Construction crews build entire apartment units inside factories, then assemble the buildings "lego-style" on site to avoid weather and city delays.

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Betting on a new way to make concrete that doesn't pollute

Stanley Reed

December 02, 2018 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Piscataway, New Jersey

Solidia, a cement and concrete technology company, is changing the chemistry of how cement is created that could make the building material cheaper and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Cement plants create more carbon dioxide than any other manufacturing process, so the American-based company is testing how to use the greenhouse gas to incorporate it into the mixture instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. So far, it can reduce as much as 70 percent of CO2 that is normally emitted from the process and it's faster to make than normal concrete.

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