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How a #Litterati army on Instagram sparked a global fight against litter

Michael J. Coren

October 12, 2020 |

Hothouse Solutions |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

What started as a small group of people taking pictures of waste in their communities and tagging it on Instagram with the hashtag #Litterati, turned into a global effort, and even an app, to map and dispose of trash. Users can upload to the app an image of trash and machine-learning algorithm can tag it location, material, and company who made it. The city of San Francisco asked the makers of the app for help documenting cigarette butts and tobacco products on its streets and ended up winning a legal victory over the tobacco industry to increase the taxes on their products.

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Is Early Los Angeles A Model For Food And Agriculture In Hawaii?

Nancy Redfeather

October 11, 2020 |

Honolulu Civil Beat |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles County, California

Thousands of small farmers moved onto homesteads in Los Angeles County in the 1940s and transformed the area into one of the most productive agricultural hubs in the United States. If the Hawaiian government could share some of its lands with up-and-coming farmers, then the state could follow a similar path and reform its agriculture and community food systems.

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Harnessing Food Waste to Empower Communities in Brazil

Agostino Petroni

October 09, 2020 |

Yes! Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

Favela Organica is a social enterprise that address food insecurity, increases access to healthy foods, and reduces waste. The founder, Tchelly, has provided free courses to around 30,000 people in Rio’s favelas, mostly women, who learn how to repurpose food waste from local markets and grow produce at home. The premise relies on an integrated food cycle of growing food, utilizing all of it, and creating compost with what is left to fertilize the garden to grow the food. Students use the lessons to lower food costs and, for some, to increase the amount of food they can sell, which adds to monthly incomes.

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Bug Breeders Are Cultivating Waste-Guzzling Flies to Gobble Up America's Trash

Colleen Stinchcombe

October 05, 2020 |

Future Human |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Camas, Washington

A growing number of bug breeders in the United States are raising black soldier flies to tackle greenhouse gas emissions, land degradation, and food waste. The larvae can convert waste into fertilizer for crops, while also reducing carbon dioxide emissions. In one experiment at Louisiana State University, about two tons of cafeteria food waste is processed by the fly larvae. Creating a similiar system on a larger scale for municipalities can be expensive, but the flies could be a multifaceted solution to the country’s trash problem.

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An unexpected outcome of the Great Bear Rainforest agreement: tasty sustainable scallops

Matt Simmons

October 03, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Prince Rupert, British Columbia

Coastal Shellfish, an Indigenous aquaculture company in British Columbia, is focusing on sustainable food and food security through its product Great Bear Scallops. This is the first project funded by the Costal Funds trust set up by donors, governments, and First Nations to support sustainable Indigenous-led businesses. The company has been selling scallops to several local businesses like restaurants and breweries.

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Amid COVID-19, Urban Growers Collective distributes nearly one million pounds of produce

Adam M. Rhodes

October 02, 2020 |

The Chicago Reader |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

For several years, the Urban Growers Collective in Illinois has been helping to bring and distribute healthy food to underresourced communities throughout Chicago by operating eight urban farms, but efforts have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. In just over six months, the organization has "delivered nearly one million pounds of produce to more than 25 partner organizations across the city."

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Mutual aid groups rushed to the rescue during COVID-19

Elizabeth M. Miller

September 28, 2020 |

New Mexico In Depth |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Mexico

Mutual aid groups in New Mexico are packing and delivering groceries and other staples to New Mexicans in need during the pandemic who have not been adequately served by existing social safety nets. Groups like Albuquerque Mutual Aid, McKinley Mutual Aid, and Santa Fe Mutual Aid Network accept cash donations and donated goods. Volunteers then distribute the goods to people whose immigration status, health risks, or lack of transportation block them from receiving traditional government aid. The groups are planning to coordinate their work to be more efficient so they can continue after the immediate crisis.

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Local farms, small gardens see boost in interest, funding to tackle hunger

Elizabeth M. Miller

September 28, 2020 |

New Mexico In Depth |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Villanueva, New Mexico

During the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations and government agencies are connecting farmers with people in need by making fruits and vegetables more affordable or even free. For example, Bueno Para Todos, a small farm in New Mexico, has planted new fruit trees alongside a vegetable garden, and allows people to pick what they want and pay how they can, either with money or by helping on the farm. Scaling these efforts can be difficult if communities want to encourage growing more local food.

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Would You Eat Food Waste To Help Tackle The Climate Crisis? These Companies Are Betting On It.

Kyla Mandel

September 23, 2020 |

The Huffington Post |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Companies around the world are investing in “food upcycling,” which involves turning food waste that would usually end up in a landfill into new edible products. In 2019, member companies of the Upcycled Food Association — which includes pet food, juice, and snack brands — helped prevent 8 million pounds of food waste. Though scaling these operations can be difficult, the food upcycling sector was worth $46.7 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow.

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Soap on tap? A startup arrives in NYC with a plan to take the plastic out of cleaning products.

Claire Elise Thompson

September 21, 2020 |

Grist |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

To make food and cleaning products more accessible to those experiencing economic hardship, the startup Algramo has installed more than 2,500 automated bulk-dispensing systems throughout Chile where people can purchase an item and come back to refill it using the same container. Instead of competing against other consumer good companies, Algramo works with them to help change their packaging practices to reduce their plastic waste. Algramo is scaling the service to New York City and Indonesia to help cash-strapped and eco-friendly shoppers.

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