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New York's Real Climate Challenge: Fixing Its Aging Buildings

Patrick Sisson

December 29, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

A housing project in Brooklyn is taking nine apartment buildings and retrofitting them to be more sustainable and cut carbon emissions. Casa Pasiva is a $20 million project that aims to reduce heating and cooling costs because of updated machinery and thick exteriors that will improve air quality. Funding for these types of initiatives is not always certain, but a collaboration between a developer and a nonprofit, with some city financing, made this first-of-a-kind green building renovation in New York possible.

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Fish out of water: How B.C.'s salmon farmers fell behind the curve of sustainable, land-based aquaculture

Sarah Cox

December 28, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, British Columbia

Dwindling numbers of wild salmon have been reported in British Columbia’s coastal waters, so many organizations, governments, and fishers have advocated for land-based salmon farming. The transition to more sustainable practices from open net pen farms, though, has not been easy. Some say the science behind land-based salmon farming has not been decided yet. However, Kuterra was the first commercial-sized land-based salmon farming facility in North America and it harvests about 90,000 Atlantic salmon a year that is sold in grocery stores and restaurants.

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The Island Where Everyone Owns the Wind

Andrew Wear

December 25, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Denmark, Samso Island

Denmark’s Samso Island has not only succeeded in generating 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy - which is the nation’s goal by 2030 - it is now carbon negative. Locals initially pushed back on the idea of loud and unsightly windmills but had a change of heart when part ownership of the turbines was offered. Samso Island’s success in addressing climate change so effectively was a result of civic participation and the opportunity for economic development.

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A Bold Plan to Save the Last Whitebark Pines

Jim Morrison

December 24, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

After a fungus has nearly wiped out the whitebark pine species in North America, scientists and conservationists are coming together to restore the species. The trees offer food to various animal species and are important to drinking and agricultural water supplies. A pilot project in Montana has planted up to 125 acres each year of whitebark pines, but the restoration process is expensive and time consuming. By combining traditional seed collecting efforts with gene sequencing, scientists hope to make these trees resistant to the fungus.

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A Unique Alliance Could Help Warn Us of Toxic Algae

Sara Harrison

December 23, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

A unique partnership between scientists, state agencies, and coastal communities in Washington state allows these different entities to monitor and manage toxic algal blooms. Known as the Olympic Region Harmful Algal Blooms Partnership, the initiative allows them to take water samples and analyze them for domoic acid, which is a deadly neurotoxin produced by algae. This collaboration allows fishers from tribal communities to know if it’s safe to harvest seafood and state officials to warn people when it becomes unsafe.

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Could Carbon Dioxide Be Turned Into Jet Fuel?

Eric Niiler

December 22, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, Oxford, England

Scientists at Oxford University have come up with a process that could turn carbon dioxide into jet fuel. The greenhouse gas, which is a major contributor to climate change, is constantly emitted by the aviation industry and this method would allow for that gas to be recycled into a liquid fuel for flights. Scaling the experiment has its challenges, but the process could result in net-zero emissions from airplanes.

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Hurricane Sandy battered NYC 8 years ago. Since then, how has the city shored up against future superstorms? Oyster castles.

Carmen Russo

December 22, 2020 |

The Counter |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

As a way to soften the impacts of a future storm, an artificial oyster reef was installed in New York City. This green infrastructure can absorb the shock of waves and decrease the amount of flooding, as well as build up the shore over time effectively reversing erosion. Environmentalists argue that this type of barrier is more cost-effective than traditional seawalls and will adapt to sea level changes over time.

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Experiments in Coexistence

Juliet Grable

December 22, 2020 |

Earth Island |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Klamath, Oregon

Conflict prevention specialists for USDA Wildlife Services in southwest Oregon work with livestock producers to deter the local wolf pack from killing livestock. The specialists patrol overnight, making noise so that the wolves know they are there and stay away. They also set up scare boxes and deploy fox lights, which emit random patters of light, to make it seem like there are more people covering larger areas. If inspectors determine livestock was killed by a wolf, the rancher receives compensation. Funding has been secured to deploy conflict prevention specialists in up to 12 additional states.

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Prescribed burns and wildfire in Santa Cruz County

Stephen Baxter

December 21, 2020 |

Santa Cruz Local |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Santa Cruz, California

The number of prescribed burn associations in California is on the rise, advocating for more controlled fires that could prevent larger wildfires. There are at least 13 in the Golden State with the latest being the Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association. Their mission is to help private landowners through the complex process of organizing a prescribed burn and to educate them about the effectiveness and limitations of the technique. So far, they’ve had 125 who are interested in getting involved and they received a grant of more than $300,000 from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

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Here's What It Takes To Keep Colorado River Fish From Going Extinct

Luke Runyon

December 21, 2020 |

KUNC |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Randlett, Utah

Scientists and environmentalists are working to keep several fish species native to the Colorado River basin from going extinct. Through interventions like fish hatcheries and wetland management, some fish numbers like the ponytail and razorback sucker have rebounded. They’re now looking toward implementing their success at other parts of the river system.

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