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320,000 High Schoolers to Get Free Water Bottles. The Goal? 54 Million Fewer Single-Use Drinks

James Barron

September 23, 2018 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

S’Well, the namesake of trendy water bottles, was founded on the environmental principle of reducing single-use plastic bottles throughout the world. As part of their mission, the company is donating a water bottle to every New York City high school student in order to promote this environmental awareness.

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How to get people to behave better? Use carrots, not sticks

Mattha Busby

September 21, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Incentivizing good behavior is a tried and true tactic often used in child development. However, as the need for better behavior around issues such as recycling and public discord rises, some are finding that going back to a system of incentivizing the preferred behavior is the most successful pathway to creating habits that are crucial for the betterment of society and the environment.

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In Sweden, Trash Heats Homes, Powers Buses and Fuels Taxi Fleets

Amy Yee

September 21, 2018 |

The New York Times |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Linköping

In Sweden, waste is not just waste, or so the country explains with a total of 34 waste-to-energy power plants that turn garbage into electricity. With an already staggering low percentage of waste ending up in landfills, 50 percent of the portion that does is transformed into energy through an incineration process that plays a large part in heating many homes throughout the winter.

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Meet the robots and other contraptions making Colorado's recycling more efficient

Tamara Chuang

September 19, 2018 |

The Colorado Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

Technological innovations are making single stream recycling more efficient. Allowing consumers to place their recyclable waste into a single container for disposal increases participation in recycling programs, but adds pressure on processing plants. Using AI vision technology allows machines to learn, identify, and sort materials efficiently.

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Rooftop farming: why vertical gardening is blooming in Kampala

Nils Adler

September 19, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Kampala

As the population of urban areas in Uganda grows, many farmers are finding that they are running out of space to cultivate successful business in agriculture. One solution that has surfaced has been to build up instead of out.

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Recycling can be a hard sell in rural Colorado. That hasn't discouraged a resourceful nonprofit effort in Swink.

Kevin Simpson

September 18, 2018 |

The Colorado Sun |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Swink, Colorado

Recycling doesn't come easy for small, rural towns where the cost to export recyclables often realistically outweighs the benefits of this sustainably practice. Clean Valley Recycling, a nonprofit launched by local community members in the tiny town on Swink, Colorado, has gone against all odds though and serves not just as a recycling resource for the town, but for the surrounding region as well.

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This bike path is made from recycled plastic

Adele Peters

September 14, 2018 |

FastCompany |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Zwolle

What do you get when you combine the efforts of an engineering company with an energy company? In the Netherlands, you get a new type of environmentally sustainable roads. PlasticRoads, a piloted initiative in the city of Zwolle, uses discarded plastic to build bike paths that help cut down on plastic waste.

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Is this the greenest outdoor shop in the country?

Shawnté Salabert

September 14, 2018 |

Outside Business Journal |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Fayetteville, Arkansas

Pack Rat Outdoor Center, an outdoor retailer in Arkansas, is making their mark in the fight for sustainable practices. Through efforts to recycle, compost and upcycle materials, the store sends less to a landfill than it does to recycling centers. The efforts have been so successful thus far that even community members are joining in and becoming more active in sustainable practices and education.

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Berlin's mayor tries to wean Germans off the water bottle

Luisa Beck

September 14, 2018 |

The Washington Post |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin

Although commonplace in many parts of the world, Berlin has recently adopted the practice of using water fountains to cut back on plastic bottle usage. Not everyone supports this environmental push, but the mayor is hopeful they will at least catch on with tourists who are accustomed to the invention already as well as act as a resource for refilling plastic bottles rather than throwing them away.

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A road full of bottlenecks: Dutch cycle path is made of plastic waste

Daniel Boffey

September 13, 2018 |

The Guardian |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Zwolle

The first bicycle path made of recycled plastic opened in the Netherlands and the inventors see it as a way to prove a concept that could be adapted more widely to roadways as Europe works to eliminate plastic waste. The path has sensors to monitor its performance and the amount of traffic that uses it, as well as a design that drains rainwater and allows cables and utility pipes to be installed inside. A second path is under construction in another city and possibly in Rotterdam.

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