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Pour It On: How Dutch Cities Are Soaking up Rain and Reducing Flooding

Tristan Baurick Tegan Wendland

March 10, 2020 |

The Times-Picayune |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Rotterdam

A green roof initiative is one of the projects Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands, is working on to capture and store more rainwater; a solution that might work in Louisiana. With heavier rains and more intense storms due to climate change in both places, the amount of rainfall coming down can overwhelm drainage systems. Although the price tag can be high to build these green roofs, Rotterdam boasts 100 acres of green roofs that have increased the city’s water storage capacity by about 1.6 million gallons.

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London's Trees Are Saving the City Billions

Feargus O'Sullivan

March 09, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

A recent study on London's trees revealed benefits far beyond city beautification. The report found that trees saved the city billions of pounds in air cooling, air purification, carbon sequestration. The report also found trees brought workers increased productivity.

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The Dutch are giving rising rivers more room. Should we follow suit?

Tristan Baurick

March 09, 2020 |

The Times-Picayune |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Noordwaard

The Dutch government bought out and relocated 200 households in high-risk areas as a way to create more space for rising water levels instead of building bigger levees. The program is called Room for the River, and more than 60,000 people now have much lower flood risk. The program also built new roads, bridges, and pumping stations, one of which doubles as a wildlife-watching tower. This, along with the green spaces, bike paths, and plazas, is credited for building public approval for the project.

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Energy efficient homes mean less air pollution. But are they affordable?

Heather May

March 09, 2020 |

The Salt Lake Tribune |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Kearns, Utah

To reduce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and air pollution, Habitat for Humanity Salt Lake Valley is building airtight homes that will also reduce energy costs and be affordable for people experiencing economic hardship. The home are largely being built by volunteers, so the process has been slow and there have been mistakes in building the homes. However, the homes are estimated to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4.9 tons a year.

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The Dutch have mastered water for a millennium. Could their new approach save New Orleans?

Tristan Baurick

March 06, 2020 |

The Times-Picayune |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Hoek Van Holland

As New Orleans and the Louisiana coast become increasingly vulnerable to rising sea levels, the city is looking to the example of the Netherlands in using nature as a tool in coastal preservation. In the Netherlands, the Maeslant storm surge barrier was built 23 years ago with the ability to block out waters to prevent flooding. In recent years, however, the Dutch have adapted: using green roofs, adding trees as an extra defense in front of levees, and looking to nature more and more to protect cities in the age of climate change.

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How the Dutch Are Building Coastal Protection for Less — With Nature's Help

Tristan Baurick Tegan Wendland

March 06, 2020 |

The Times-Picayune |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Netherlands, Ter Heidje

As climate change threatens many countries’ coasts, the Netherlands embarked on an experiment to improve their storm and flood defenses. Called the Zandmotor, this beach project is a nature-based solution to protect the coastline from rising seas and more intense storms. This idea in water protection and coastal management could be helpful in Louisiana where they face similar threats from climate change, but finances and federal laws have proved a challenge.

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University of Notre Dame converts tons of dining hall leftovers into energy

Catherine M. Odell

February 25, 2020 |

EarthBeat |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Notre Dame, Indiana

The University of Notre Dame installed three Grind2Energy systems, which aims to reduce the amount of food waste from the campus’ dining halls. The systems process the waste and send it to a local dairy farm where they break down the material to produce biogas that is used to generate electrical power for 1,000 homes each day in Plymouth, Indiana. While not everyone at the university has committed to the sustainability efforts, these systems can be scaled to be used on other college campuses.

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Against the grain: why millet is making a comeback in rural India

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

February 25, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Kohima, Nagaland

By reviving millet farming, farming communities are adapting to climate change. In India, the Millet Farmers Group, organized by a women’s rights nonprofit, the North East Network (NEN), helps farmers cultivate millet, an ancient grain that is less water-intensive than white rice. NEN Nagaland helps farmers from around the Nagaland district share knowledge about growing millet and obtain the necessary machinery to dehusk the grain.

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Montana's Grand Prairie Experiment

Jake Bullinger

February 21, 2020 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Malta, Montana

According to the WWF, 69 percent of the Northern Great Plains remains untilled, providing great opportunity for making sure that land remains untouched. Two conservation organizations, the Nature Conservancy and the American Prairie Reserve, are butting heads as they both try to preserve the land, albeit via different means. Although they both face opposition for their methods, this article lays out exactly how both have already managed to make great strides in conserving the land and increasing biodiversity.

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Can rationing carbon help fight climate change?

Frank Swain

February 17, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia, Norfolk Island

As countries wrestle with how to reduce their carbon emissions, grassroots carbon rationing experiments are taking shape around the word. On an Australian Island of 800 people, a quarter of them participated in a test that calculated their carbon footprints with a goal of reducing their fossil fuel use by 10 percent. The average household reduced their usage by 18 percent and almost two-thirds of participants wanted to continue. Other experiments in Finland and the United Kingdom have taken place, yet some question if carbon rationing is equitable.

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