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  • How Jersey City Middle Schoolers Stopped a Flood

    March 12, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Jersey City, New Jersey

    In a science class in a local New Jersey school, students came up with a green solution to a storm water management and flooding problem in their parking lot when it rained. With help from the Cooperative Extension Water Resources Program out of Rutgers University and funding from city agencies, they were able to build planters and install concrete to absorb the runoff. The project galvanized the community, encouraging the school to expand their STEM curriculum.

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  • The Era of the Wood Skyscraper Is Arriving Audio icon

    March 08, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia

    The Brock Commons Tallwood House in Canada was the tallest building made of wood when it opened in 2017. Now, thanks to government policies, scientific research, and hundreds of examples of proof-of-concept, more developers around the world are looking to construct buildings out of timber. Using timber is cheaper than cement, concrete, and steel and can actually store carbon emissions in its supports instead of releasing the greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.

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  • The Hottest Amenity From Developers? A Power Plant Made of Batteries.

    March 03, 2021 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Salt Lake City, Utah

    An apartment complex in Utah includes a solar battery in every apartment allowing the resident, power utility, and building developer to save costs for generating electricity. Through a unique partnership, the power systems can provide 12.6 megawatts of power for the building, which translates into residents saving up to 40 percent on the energy bills. This setup might not be easy to scale, but the developer plans to expand the model in other states.

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  • Unbuilding the future: how a young industry is turning yesterday's materials into tomorrow's buildings

    February 27, 2021 |

    Capital Daily |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

    An alternative to demolition - deconstruction - is the disassembly of old houses to reuse wood for new construction. “Old-growth lumber from big old trees” can be reused, diverting tons of material from landfills. The process can divert 95 percent of the material that would typically go to waste and end up in landfills. Some cities, like Portland, have successfully passed ordinances that require the deconstruction of buildings older than a century, making the market more competitive for the industry.

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  • How Vermont's Energy Efficiency Utility Is Helping Businesses Sweat the Small Stuff

    February 23, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Bennington, Vermont

    To make their restaurant more energy efficient and to cut its carbon footprint, The Publyk House utilized the services of Efficiency Vermont, a publicly funded energy efficiency utility. As part of their Deep Energy Retrofit program, the utility helped install insulation, LED lighting, and high-efficiency appliances at the restaurant, allowing them to save 50 percent on energy in two years. Since the start of the program, 10 businesses have been able to cut their energy consumption in half.

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  • Towards a greener construction with fly ash bricks

    February 19, 2021 |

    Climate Tracker |

    Text |

    Under 800 Words

    Response Location: India

    Fly ash bricks help reduce construction waste by utilizing the powdery by-product of burning coal. They are a green replacement for red clay bricks, which contribute to 5-15% of India’s emissions. They also utilize waste from coal-based thermal plants, which often gets disposed of by being dumped in water bodies and on roadsides. In comparison to red clay bricks, fly ash bricks are less expensive and the production process doesn’t emit smoke or use the more fertile top soil. Their use has been mandated by some regions and about 150 small fly ash enterprises have emerged.

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  • An Architecture Firm's Push to Build Net-Zero Apartments—on a Budget

    February 05, 2021 |

    Wall Street Journal |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Apartments at Front Flats, a new residential building in Philadelphia, is powered by 492 solar panels that are wrapped around the building. The point: to demonstrate that developers can design buildings that are energy-efficient and be built at an affordable cost. It’s not clear yet if the building is “net zero” in terms of producing as much energy as it consumes, but residents are paying only $40 a month for utilities.

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  • Nature calling: how can Sweden's success story help rewild London?

    February 05, 2021 |

    The Guardian |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Sweden, Malmö

    As London starts to implement its plan for boroughs to implement sustainable urban greening strategies, officials look to Malmö as a guide after the Swedish city used a green space factor (GSF) as a way of calculating green space requirements for new developments. The GSF system allows governments to integrate biodiversity-focused incentives into their urban planning, while allowing designers and architects to respond to local needs.

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  • A Florida Study Showed How to Save Energy at Home. Why Aren't More Cities and States Following Suit?

    January 21, 2021 |

    Next City |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: United States, Florida

    A pilot energy retrofit project in Florida has shown that these upgrades for homeowners ultimately saves them money and energy, and can be made accessible to people from all types of socioeconomic backgrounds. This private-public partnership retrofitted 56 single-family homes, some with “shallow” retrofits like LED lightbulbs and smart plugs and some with “phased deep” retrofits like energy-efficient windows and air conditioners. The program showed that all participants saved energy and could be scaled to other states.

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  • A New Tool in Treating Mental Illness: Building Design

    January 05, 2021 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Mountain View, California

    Across the U.S. an influx of new mental health facilities are being designed through a lens of "evidence-based" architecture that aims to use the design itself as a means of treatment. With studies indicating that access to nature and green space can reduce stress, these new facilities aren't "just about being warm and fuzzy."

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