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Preserving forests while emptying trash cans? The story of a Burkinese green charcoal

Morgane le Cam

August 24, 2020 |

Heidi.news |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou

To preserve the millions of trees that are cut down just to produce coal in Burkina Faso, a Burkinese engineer created "green charcoal that would not only protect forests but also help fight against the proliferation of garbage." This ecological fuel is made from carbonized collected garbage and coconut husks, which in turn has reduced the amount of garbage that has to be managed by the authorities in charge of sanitation.

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Could a Detroit Experiment Unleash the Power of Urban Soil?

Brian Allnutt

July 16, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

A multi-year experiment in Detroit is looking at environmentally sustainable ways to build urban soil. Some urban farmers are concerned about the high alkalinity levels in their soils, which can lead to potentially contaminated produce. The project is studying how cover crops, compost, and tillage can improve a piece of land. Early results suggest that these techniques can improve soils for agriculture but also improve the soil’s capacity to absorb carbon to mitigate climate change in major cities.

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Can social enterprise fix Pakistan's waste problem?

Asad Pabani

May 26, 2020 |

Pioneers Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Islamabad

Two organizations in Pakistan are working to tackle the country’s waste problem. Saaf Suthra Sheher in Islamabad set up partnerships with offices and schools to process their dry waste like plastics and glass. TrashIt, a Karachi-based group, collects organic waste from vegetable sellers and restaurants and then processes and sells it as compost. Although the two organizations can only process so much of the waste produced in cities, they argue that until an effective municipal waste collection system is implemented, they can educate individuals and businesses about how to recycle properly.

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A Second Life for Flowers

Miriam Zoila Perez

March 10, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Horticultural therapy – a mix of art therapy, wellness activity, and a way to reuse viable flowers – is gaining popularity amongst hospitals and nursing homes due to its nature-centric therapeutic benefits. Although medical research is limited, some studies have shown that it can have a positive impact on one's mood and participants have expressed sentiments such as, "It relaxes me. Just holding the flowers takes me away from my situation."

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Money trees: U.S. cities find new ways of valuing urban forests

Carey L. Biron

February 20, 2020 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

Policymakers, nonprofit leaders, and corporate heads have recently undertaken efforts to increase urban forestry. Urban trees decrease energy use, protect storm drain infrastructure, decrease noise, and help boost wellbeing. City Forest Credits in Seattle assesses urban tree projects for carbon credits that companies can purchase, while Baltimore has recycled trees into park furniture, and Sacramento continues to uphold its reputation as the “City of Trees.”

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How Is Plastic Getting Into Hawaii's Soil?

Claire Caulfield

February 10, 2020 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Hawaii

Hawaiian farmers are increasingly concerned about the amount of plastic they’re finding in their compost, which can have long-term effects on their crop growth. Hawaii Earth Recycling, the island’s largest compost provider, turns more than 140,000 tons of yard clippings and food scraps into compost and mulch that farmers can use for plants and crops. However, changes in where people can drop off their green waste and a lack of education among residents about proper plastic waste management have resulted in microplastics ending up in the organic soil.

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Valentine's Day Flowers Don't Have to Be So Bad for the Earth After All

Claire Ballentine

January 28, 2020 |

Bloomberg |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

The supply chain for Valentine's Day flowers is incredibly toxic for the environment and produces mass amounts of waste. In response, a "floral gifting" service industry emerged in which flowers from special events can get repurposed or recycled. One such company, NYC-based Repeat Roses, has a special service that restyles the flowers into petite bouquets to donate to hospitals, nursing homes, and family shelters. Their efforts have diverted more than 98 tons of waste from landfills and delivered almost 53,000 floral arrangements to people in need.

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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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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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The recycling program helping migrants cut down contamination in Melbourne's outer west

Margaret Paul

November 24, 2019 |

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Australia, Melbourne

Cities in Australia were facing a recycling problem, but realized it was related to a large migrant population and a language barrier with the word "recycling." To help address this problem Melbourne implemented the 'Waste Watcher' program, which provides hands-on education through recycling bin audits.

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