Advanced filters

Search Results

You searched for:  -

There are 111 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • A River's Right to Flow

    October 22, 2021 |

    bioGraphic |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, New Mexico

    In order to preserve and protect rivers a new movement that grants rivers personhood rights is growing. In places like New Zealand and Oregon, where some of these measures have passed rivers have the right to flow without having to be used as a resource for consumption. In New Mexico, the state engineer approved a water lease submitted by the National Audobon Society. The lease allows about 13 million gallons of water to flow annually solely for its own sake, similiar to personhood rights. The creative approach is one way conservationists are fighting for water preservation.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Despite a Punishing Drought, San Diego Has Water. It Wasn't Easy.

    October 17, 2021 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, San Diego, California

    While much of the state is still facing a severe drought, San Diego has access to plenty of water. Restrictions - like not allowing restaurants to serve water unless it’s asked for and barring residents from watering their yards during the day – have helped. Diversifying where the city gets their water from and investing in water-saving infrastructure, like lining Imperial Valley canals with concrete to prevent water from seeping into the earth, growing desalination capabilities, and adding more capacity to the reservoir, have also helped diversity and save water.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • California's Yurok Tribe grows solutions in soil of crises

    August 04, 2021 |

    Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, California

    The Yurok Tribe, located in Northern California, depends on fishing to sustain a living. However, a severe drought, the COVID-19 pandemic, and a crumbling highway severely affected the tribe. So, leaders are turning towards new ways of making an income: a community garden.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Corn Farmers Upend Tradition to Reduce Air Pollution

    April 10, 2021 |

    Global Press Journal |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Mexico, Cuauhtémoc, Chihuahua

    After a drought left cattle farmers in Mexico without grass to feed its animals, a unique partnership with corn farmers allowed them to use their leftover stalks and leaves. Usually, the farmers burn these materials, known as stover, which contributes to air pollution. This partnership was facilitated by the government and allowed the corn farmers to sell their leftovers to the cattle farmers. As a result, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions dropped significantly, and a new market for these materials is emerging.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Community restores grasslands in Lamkani, making the village drought-resilient

    April 08, 2021 |

    Mongabay |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: India, Dhule, Maharashtra

    The village of Lamkani, in India, was lush but became barren after years of droughts. In 2000, Dhananjay Newadkar, initiated a multi-pronged approach that was supported by the community. It included watershed development, a ban on grazing and felling trees. However, the bans were not enforced. Instead, artists incorporated messages about conservation in their performances and educated the community. Finally, the grasslands were restored through rotational grazing. Now, the town is water-sufficient, even in droughts.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • The Clever Architectural Feature That Makes Life on Bermuda Possible

    March 31, 2021 |

    Atlas Obscura |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Bermuda

    There is no natural freshwater source on Bermuda, so residents turn to rainfall as a way to fulfill their water needs. The white limestone Bermuda roofs are used to catch and redirect rain into underground tanks that serve as their primary source of freshwater. Droughts happen, which has led to other solutions, but the limestone roofs are still primarily their largest source of freshwater.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Simple hand-built structures can help streams survive wildfires and drought

    March 26, 2021 |

    Science News |

    Multi-Media |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Idaho

    Conservationists, government agencies, scientists, and landowners are working together to restore streams using low-cost solutions from sticks, stones, and even beavers. Restoring these floodplains is important to help communities combat drought and wildfires. In Idaho, scientists relocated nine beavers to Birch Creek so they could help repair the dried-up stream. In three years, the beavers built dams, which helped the creek flow for longer in the summer. This method might not work everywhere, so scientists have also tested stone structures, which also proved effective at improving the ecosystem.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Pakistan pins big hopes on small dams to help farmers beat drought

    January 25, 2021 |

    Thomson Reuters Foundation |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Pakistan, Nagarparkar, Sindh

    A government scheme in Pakistan involves the construction of water-harvesting dams in areas that experience droughts, which allows farmers in the region to use the irrigation water from the dams for their crops. One farmer is growing onions and wheat and because of the access to water, his income has increased more than 60 percent. There are concerns about how helpful the water from the dams will ultimately be in the arid region, but there are plans to build more dams in the next few years.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • Cooperating over shared water in West Africa

    October 06, 2020 |

    Geneva Solutions |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Senegal

    There are over 250 rivers and lakes that are shared between countries, accounting for more than half of world's freshwater. This means that countries have to cooperate to share resources. In 1972, Mali, Senegal, and Mauritania did just that. They formed the Senegal River Basin Development Authority, or the OMVS (for its French initials). In 2005, Guinea joined. The organization is an example of how countries can join forces to share water resources cooperatively.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

  • In India, an ancient grain is revived for the modern era

    August 25, 2020 |

    The Christian Science Monitor |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: India, Thottampatti, Tamil Nadu

    The Women’s Collective is a nonprofit that works with more than 10,000 subsistence farmers in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu to promote food security using millets, a crop resilient to drought and climate change. For Pavitra, one of those farmers, she began cultivating the ancient grains in 2015 and now has more than enough food to feed her family year-round. However, there’s a lack of public investment in millet production and machinery. And there’s no unified effort to create demand for millets: Some state governments lead the charge and in other states, it’s led by grassroots organizations.

    Read More


    Go to Original Story

Solutions In Focus

Discover curated content about themes that matter to you, exclusively from the Solutions Story Tracker. Explore collections, resources and more.


Go to All Solutions in Focus