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Kenyan scientist builds with bottles to beat plastic pollution

Nita Bhalla

December 13, 2019 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Gilgil

Repurposing plastic waste into construction materials reduces pollution and lessens the carbon footprint of construction. Eco Blocks and Tiles, an environmentally-savvy company based in Gigil, Kenya, manufactures roof tiles from discarded plastic and glass. The value-added product is more durable and lighter than clay. The company has received support through crowd funding and grants, and has also attracted the attention of Kenya’s National Construction Authority (NCA).

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The Green Jobs That Could Help Save the Amazon

Esha Chhabra

December 12, 2019 |

Vice |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Brazil

Bia Saldanha works with community members in Brazil to tap trees in the Amazon for rubber as a way to create sustainable income and discourage other practices like cattle farming and logging that has led to deforestation. While the locals were hesitant at first, she worked with the shoe company Veja to pay them more than the market rate. Now, Veja uses about 340 tons of natural rubber annually and works with 10 rubber tapper groups in eight municipalities. "We are not just buying rubber," she says. "We are also paying for forest conservation."

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Opening doors: Pakistan's first transgender beauty salon

Hamna Iqbal

December 11, 2019 |

Pioneers Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Karachi, Sindh

Bebo Haider, a transgender woman, was turned away from beauty salons in Pakistan so many times that she created her own salon open to people from all walks of life. The salon, called "Trawah," opened in January 2019 and aims to serve people from mainstream society as well as trans-communities in order to create a dialogue between the two. The salon also serves as a livelihood for trans people, with 25-35 customers a month, and is also funded by the Sub Rang Society and Oxfam Pakistan.

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Why this farmer moves his cows every day

Hannah Long-Higgins

December 10, 2019 |

BBC |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Bluffton, Georgia

Pastures are able to replenish when livestock can move around. By permitting cattle to travel between pastures for feeding, Will Harris’ ranching technique allows the soil to retain more carbon. The carbon captured by the healthier soil also helps to offset the emissions caused by livestock production.

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Rejected Produce Rescued To Feed Hungry

Samantha Bashaw

December 05, 2019 |

New Haven Independent |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Hamden, Connecticut

To reduce food waste, a pilot project in Connecticut organized by a professor aims to deliver the still-viable thrown-out products to a local food pantry. With the help of her students, the project has successfully helped to consistently divert perfectly edible produce to "people who don’t care whether an onion isn’t in season or if an avocado is too soft."

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Dirt floors can kill you. This graduate might have a solution.

Marc Gunther

December 05, 2019 |

National Geographic |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Rwanda

Stanford University graduate Gayatri Datar founded a nonprofit called EarthEnable that aims to rid the world of dirt floors. EarthEnable sells an earthen floor covered with an environmentally friendly varnish at a cost less than a concrete floor. To date the organization has installed more than 4,400 floors, and customers and the Rwandan government love them.

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A New Kind of Cooperative in Oakland Fights Against Speculative Development

Oscar Perry Abello

December 03, 2019 |

Next City |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Real estate cooperatives are able to raise capital from their members, ensuring re-investment in the communitie they serve. In Oakland, California, the East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative (EB PREC) finances real estate acquisitions through California’s cooperative ownership model. EB PREC also works with partners from the Sustainable Economies Law Center and the People of Color Housing Network, which provide additional resources and expertise.

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Chew On This: Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity

Allison Aubrey

November 30, 2019 |

NPR |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Shrewsbury, Massachusetts

Food waste typically ends up on in landfills, which exacerbates climate change, but in Massachusetts, dairy farmers are converting the waste into electricity. Food waste from around the state is gathered, ground, and liquefied and then transported to an anaerobic digester on a dairy farm which is able to convert enough energy to power more than just the farm.

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Can Peer Support Programs Help Those Living With HIV Thrive?

Keren Landman

November 27, 2019 |

Undark |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Atlanta, Georgia

An organization aimed at providing peer support for gay black men living with HIV that started in Atlanta, Georgia has now gained an international following. Because the program is not federally funded, data can be difficult to gather; however, "self-reported data from its members including medication type and adherence, CD4 cell count, and demographic information" shows a significant increase in members adhering to their medical regimen.

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Philadelphia's new toy library lets families save money — and the environment — while forming a community

Grace Dickinson

November 24, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia Media Network) |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Rutabaga Toy Library in Philadelphia - which was born out of a borrowed idea from Austin, Texas - helps parents afford to checkout donated toys for their kids by offering low-price memberships to families in the surrounding area. The business addresses the common trend that enables parents to throw old toys away and create unnecessary waste; instead, Rutabaga accepts donations to the toy library for other families to use while offering a space for sharing and community gathering.

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