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Havre's Wastewater Woes Solved By Beer

Rachel Cramer

February 10, 2020 |

Yellowstone Public Radio |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Havre, Montana

Upcycling spent barley helps to ease wastewater treatment. In Havre, Montana, the town’s wastewater treatment plant uses barley from a local brewery, Triple Dog Brewing, to feed bacteria. The nutrients from the barley give the bacteria a boost, helping to reduce nitrogen and phosphorous levels in the water. The collaboration means that Havre can save on expensive solutions and upgrades to its wastewater treatment plant.

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The Philippines Is Making Roads and Cement With Plastic Garbage

Claire Jiao

January 23, 2020 |

Bloomberg |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Philippines

Discarded plastic can serve as construction material for major infrastructure and public works projects. In the Philippines, private companies like San Miguel are stepping in to participate in the government’s infrastructure projects. Companies are increasingly looking at closed-loop systems as a way to address plastic waste and drive construction projects. Nestlé and Unilver are among the other companies working to recover discarded plastics. Some of the programs offer incentives like cash for returned plastic waste.

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Zero bikers or pedestrians were killed by cars in Oslo last year: What can the U.S. learn from its success?

Adele Peters

January 09, 2020 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Norway, Oslo

Oslo, Norway saw zero pedestrian and cyclist deaths in 2019. The success comes from infrastructure redesign, increased traffic enforcement, overall policy prioritization of road safety, and collaboration between residents, organizations, and government. In the United States, many cities are working toward “Vision Zero” – zero pedestrian and cycling deaths – and are looking to Oslo as an example.

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Flint's Water Crisis Spurs Other Cities To Remove Lead Pipes

Monica Eng

December 23, 2019 |

WBEZ |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

As cities and states across the United States begin to remove lead water pipes, some communities are looking for cost-effective ways to fix them because of the risk of contaminated drinking water. Three cities in the Midwest have started the process and have used innovative ways to raise the funds to replace the aging service lines, which could be a model for other cities like Chicago to follow.

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How water is helping to end 'the first climate change war'

Damian Carrington

December 18, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sudan, El Fasher

Cooperation and collective action work not only to mitigate the effects of climate change, they can also build bridges to peace. In El Fasher, Sudan, farmers and pastoralists along the Wadi El Ku River have come together to prevent water shortages by building weirs. The community built weirs enable the land to retain more water, and have led to increased cooperation among groups that had former resorted to conflict over scarce water resources in the region.

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How Local Trash Disposal Affects Climate Change

Emily Lanoue Jordan Meaker Taylor Morain Tristen Webb

December 18, 2019 |

Grady Newsource |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Athens, Georgia

With Georgia’s Athens-Clarke county landfill nearing its fill limit, residents, organizations, and the city are taking a multi-pronged approach to reducing waste. A key part of this has been the fact that nearly half of what goes into the landfill can be recycled, and Georgia-based industries like aluminum and carpet manufacturing are willing to buy recyclables. In addition, composting supported by the state has grown in popularity, and universities have taken on recycling education and collection programs.

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San Francisco's Quest to Make Landfills Obsolete

Erick Trickey

November 21, 2019 |

Politico |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Reducing landfill waste takes a comprehensive approach. By implementing city-wide composting alongside trash collection and utilizing the sorting technology of Recology, the city’s municipal waste recovery company, San Francisco has significantly reduced the amount of waste residents send to landfills. Although it missed the ambitious target of achieving zero waste by 2020, the city aims to cut what it sends to landfills in half by 2030.

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In Peoria, Green Infrastructure As a Path to Social Equity

Emily Nonko

November 20, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Peoria, Illinois

Green infrastructure provides a return on investment and improves the quality of life in a community. In Peoria, Illinois, the city’s Public Works Department has piloted several green infrastructure initiatives with the help of funding of a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant. Projects like the Well Farm at Voris Field, zero runoff streets are proving successful at capturing sewer runoff and creating economic value, while the youth volunteer PeoriaCorps are helping make the projects community-based.

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The least sexy, most important resilience strategy

Laurie Mazur

October 21, 2019 |

American City & County |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Norfolk, Virginia

Unprecedented challenges are frequently popping up with the onset of climate change, so governments too have to adjust their processes and strategies. Some new procurement tools used by several different cities include requests for ideas, competitions, and performance contracts. This article looks at two places using these new and publicly accessible procurement tools—Prince Georges County, MD, and Norfolk, VA—to see how it impacts their success.

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Grocery Stores and Local Recycling Centers Offer Solution to Plastic Bag Pollution

Emily Lanoue

September 25, 2019 |

Grady Newsource |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Athens, Georgia

Grocery stores across the nation have explored creative solutions to recycle plastic bags, including melting them into new bags and even using the material to build compact lumber and playground equipment. In Athens, Georgia, residents can bring their recyclables to the local Publix to be delivered to one of these specialty recycling centers.

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