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Human composting now legal, begins in Washington

Hannah Ray Lambert

January 12, 2021 |

KOIN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Wahkiacus, Washington

Instead of burying or cremating a body after the person has died, some are turning their loved ones into compost. Washington recently became the first state to approve human remains composting, which environmentalists heralded as a greener alternative because it uses less energy. Herland Forest, a natural burial cemetery, is doing one of the first licensed “natural organic reductions” using a “cradle” with wood chips, bacteria, fungi, and oxygen to help speed up the decomposition process. This can take several weeks, but it could become a popular option.

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In Ghana, a New App is Striving to Save Fishermen's Livelihoods

Ciannait Khan

January 07, 2021 |

Reset |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Ghana

With more than 200 communities along the Ghana coast relying on small-scale fishing, a new app called DASE seeks to hold industrial trawlers accountable for illegally fishing in their seas. The app allows people to take a picture or video of the activity and upload it to a database where it can be used by law enforcement to act. The app is already being adapted for use in other African coastal countries.

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The bold plan to save Africa's largest forest

Peter Yeung

January 07, 2021 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo

Under an innovative scheme in the Democratic Republic of Congo, indigenous communities are obtaining the legal right to own and manage the forests where they reside. This ownership has shown success in slowing deforestation of the Congo rainforest and creating new economic opportunities for residents in these villages. “Rather than just being an add-on, community forestry is now being considered as a mainstream model for forest management,” says a coordinator for the Rainforest Foundation UK.

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Soil: The Dirty Climate Solution

Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Alex Blumberg

January 07, 2021 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Redwood Falls, Minnesota

More and more farmers are turning to regenerative agriculture techniques as a way to cut down on costs, increase crop yields, and sequester carbon into soil as a way to reverse the effects of climate change. One farming family in Minnesota switched to no tillage farming and also planted cover crops and used animals to fertilize their land. Some people question their methods, but these farmers saw their cost of production decrease and increased the amount of organic matter in their soil compared with their neighbors.

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It Spied on Soviet Atomic Bombs. Now It's Solving Ecological Mysteries.

Marion Renault

January 05, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Environmental scientists are using modern computing software to correct, orient, and analyze satellite images from the Corona spy project, launched in the 1960s and ’70s to monitor the Soviet military. The images have revealed human environmental impacts, challenged long-held assumptions, and helped predict future challenges. Within the last two years alone, the images have contributed to new information about climate change including rock glacier movements in Central Asia, shoreline changes in Saudi Arabia, and ice loss in Peru, helping scientists fill in knowledge gaps.

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How activists successfully shut down key pipeline projects in New York

Greta Moran

January 04, 2021 |

Grist |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

Landowners, residents, community leaders, and activist groups across New York state came together to halt several pipeline projects. By conducting research, holding public events, and building a multiracial coalition of people who would be the most impacted by a pipeline, they were able to pressure state officials to deny a water-quality permit for the Constitution pipeline that would carry fracked gas throughout the northeastern United States and Canada. While some pipeline projects are continuing in the Empire State, their successful model could be used in other states.

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The train carriage for stray pets

Elizaveta Vereykina

January 01, 2021 |

BBC |

Video |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: Russia, Moscow

An initiative on the Moscow metro system has posters on the train featuring cats and dogs that are looking for a home. Known as the “Tails and Paws” train, these animals come from 13 animal shelters in the city and riders can use their phone to scan the poster to learn more about the animals up for adoption. “It’s about forming a new culture of responsible attitude to animals,” says one of the workers at a shelter.

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Fragile cities are being inundated with people fleeing the impacts of climate change. How can they cope?

Ambika Chawla

December 30, 2020 |

Ensia |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Somalia

Durable Solutions Initiative (DSI) aims to create long-term solutions to help internally displaced people in under-resourced urban areas, many of whom fled climate-related disasters. DSI relies on ideas from the displaced communities about how to move towards self-reliance. In Somalia, the participatory and locally-created approach led to Midnimo I, a donor-funded initiative that created short-term jobs, built or upgraded community-prioritized infrastructure projects like schools and hospitals, and improved relations between authorities and displaced communities, benefiting nearly 350,000 people directly.

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Colombia's sustainable forestry drive boosts biodiversity and business

Dimitri Selibas

December 30, 2020 |

Mongabay |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Colombia, Tarapacá

The Colombian government has been working with regional regulatory agencies, the World Wildlife Fund, and local forest communities to encourage sustainable timber production and the implementation of forest management plans. They launched the Legal Wood Pact — a commitment with 69 entities to exclusively use wood from legal sources. While it can be difficult to convince people to purchase sustainable timber that’s more expensive, the sales of legal timber in the country increased from $500,000 in 2011 to $13 million in 2018.

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What A Solar-Powered, Portable Library Looks Like

Christine Ro

December 30, 2020 |

Forbes |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Arizona State University’s SolarSPELL project developed a waterproof device with a solar panel and other equipment that allows users to connect to “offline WiFi” networks and browse preloaded webpages. SD cards store open access educational content and national education ministries have the ability to add national textbooks and other culturally relevant content. About 25 users can connect without slowing browsing speeds and the ASU team provides training on how to use the device. While the device is primarily charged using the solar panel, it can also be charged using electricity during cloudy weather.

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