Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • pH7

    After the legacy of acid mine drainage from abandoned coal mines in Appalachian Ohio, there are several initiatives working to clean up the rivers and streams. Change-agents from universities, local organizations, and the government joined together in the 1990s to use both active and passive methods of neutralizing the pH level of the streams. Since then, they've brought the pH acidity down from 4.5 to 7 and grown the number of fish species from 4 to 37, and efforts are still ongoing and optimistic.

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  • Technology in the tides

    A new submersible machine produced by the Mote Marine Laboratory in Florida allows scientists to more effectively spot phytoplankton blooms which can cause red tide. This harmful algal bloom event can wreak havoc on ecosystems and the Programmable Hyperspectral Seawater Scanner is an improvement on an older model. While the maintenance cost can be high, scientists hope the instrument will be able to detect harmful algal blooms early in order to prevent outbreaks.

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  • How scientists are giving Fraser River salmon a fresh chance

    A group of scientists have discovered a way to help chinook salmon survive at the mouth of the Fraser River, in the Sturgeon Bank. They’ve devised a trap of special netting that catch and funnell these salmon, many of whom have not yet grown to full size, into the Bank, rather than being sent out to the Strait of Georgia. The project, funded by Canada’s coastal restoration fund, will likely have other impacts as well, like providing more salmon for the endangered killer whale to feed on, and trapping sediment that could protect Richmond from sea-level rise.

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  • The Town That Extended ‘Smart Growth' to Its Water

    Haunted by a 1962 drought in the town of Westminster, Colorado, the city's planners now incorporate water data in their planning processes to ensure that they never face the same sourcing issues again. By breaking down the silos between its water management and planning departments, the town has figured out how to manage its finite water resources, even in the face of a ballooning population. Now, other towns are following suit.

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  • The London Marathon's method for reducing plastic bottles: Edible seaweed pouches

    The London Marathon debuted a new, environmentally conscious way of keeping runners hydrated: edible seaweed pouches filled with sports drink. The pouches, or “Ooho,” created by Skipping Rocks Labs, can be eaten along with the liquid inside of them, or users can bite the corner and drink the contents, discarding the seaweed wrapping. This was the first mass use of such pouches, with the hope that they can be used to cut down on plastic at large scale events in the future.

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  • Mini reefs restore SWFL canals

    Oceans Habitats, Inc. has built and installed over 1,600 mini-reefs in Florida to bring aquatic life back to the canals and to improve the water quality. Water filters through these artificial reefs made out of propylene pipe and boosts the variety of fish and marine life species. These reefs can help grow over 300 fish a year. The organization is looking to make the reefs out of recycled material to be more environmentally friendly.

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  • Meet Mr. Trash Wheel: Baltimore Harbor's Googly Eyed Garbage Gobbler

    A trash interceptor floats along a tributary of the Baltimore Harbor removing trash from the water before it can reach the ocean. Known to the community as Mr. Trash Wheel, the machine is powered by the river’s current and collects floating debris that moves along a conveyor belt and ends up in a dumpster. While it doesn’t solve the problem of how trash gets into the water in the first place, it has collected 1,100 tons of trash and one million Styrofoam containers since it started 2014.

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  • As floods increase, cities like Detroit are looking to green stormwater infrastructure

    In Detroit, a city with plenty of open space, there is ample opportunity for green stormwater infrastructure to help the city better manage water. The dual goal of decreasing water pollution and better managing flood conditions has already started with the 16 GSI projects in use. A new approach to water drainage fees based on amount of land has incentivized business owners to implement their own stormwater-reducing measures. The city plans to spend $50 million more on these efforts in the next ten years.

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  • Is there a beautiful, briny solution to the world's clean water crisis?

    As demand soars and climate change routinely throws cities into shortage crises, the availability of clean water is one of the most pressing challenges of the present and near future. Desalination has long been lambasted for being too expensive and polluting, but a new solar-powered prototype is putting forth a more sustainable, small-scale solution. Solar collectors boil water and then condense it separately from the brine and dirt so that it is drinkable.

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  • The New Wave of Ethical and Sustainable Fashion

    Making fashion sustainable requires a shift in the culture of the industry. Several brands and organizations are already working to change the unethical and unsustainable practices in fashion. From mobilizing hashtags to pressure brands into increasing transparency, to inventing new fibers that are less water intensive, these ethical approaches to fashion promote alternatives to the wasteful norms of the prevailing consumer culture.

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