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  • Nigeria is struggling to end open defecation, but a grassroots campaign is trying to change that

    September 24, 2021 |

    Pulse Nigeria |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Nigeria

    Open Defecation Free Nigeria works to stop people from disposing of human waste in public areas by building public toilets. The organization has built 66 so far and manages a group of volunteers who educate residents about the dangers of public defecation. Encouraging behavioral change is key to ending the practice of open defecation. Fundraising and the sale of private household toilets funds the public toilets, which are tailored to the needs of a community. Most contain a biodigester system that turns waste to liquid or compost manure, which can last for decades and is easy for communities to maintain.

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  • Reducing Recidivism and Building Green Industry Skills in Detroit

    September 10, 2021 |

    Belt Magazine |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Michigan

    Between 2012 and 2017, the rate of recidivism, the number of people who return to prison after being released, was 71 percent across 34 states. An industrial recycling program called Greenworks is aimed at job training, access to resources, and jobs to formerly incarcerated people. Part of the green economy, these programs offer jobs to people most impacted by climate change, and Greenworks could be a model for other similar programs. The recidivism rate of Greenworks hovers around four and ten percent each year.

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  • Fridge detectives

    August 31, 2021 |

    BBC |

    Podcast |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: Guatemala

    In the first half of this episode, the producers discuss "Tradewaters," an organization that disposes of canisters inside refrigerators. These canisters hold potent greenhouse gases. One 30-pound canister can leak up to 131 tons of Co2, or a year's worth of driving for 54 cars. The organization disposes of thousands of canisters across Central America, Chile, South Africa, and India. The practice of disposing of these canisters saves between one to two percent of global Co2 emissions, according to estimates.

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  • France's 'Peevolution' Is Irrigating Farms With Liquid Gold

    August 31, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: France, Bordeaux

    Getting rid of urine is very wasteful, in the European Union alone almost 6,000 billion liters of water are used to flush urine. TOOPI Organics is using urine as a resource. Founded in 2019, the biotech company collects urine and using a fermentation process transforms it so it can be used as a fertilizer. Its urine fertilizer helped plants grow 60 to 110 percent more than a traditional mineral fertilizer. Its factory in the city of Bordeaux is able to produce 2,500 liters of organic fertilizer per day.

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  • This German startup offers a simpler way to recycle your coffee cup

    August 03, 2021 |

    Grist |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Germany

    About 16 billion paper cups are used every day for coffee consumption. In small towns in England, and in the countries like New Zealand and Germany, a deposit-based reusable cup system is being used to create less waste. Under this program consumers pay a small fee to use a reusable cap and get their cashback once they return it. One such program in Germany called "RECUP" estimates its saved 43,000 trees every year.

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  • Beirut Is Greening the Aftermath of Disaster

    August 03, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Lebanon, Beirut

    In 2020, a devastating explosion in Beirut that came from a warehouse released 800,000 and one million tons of construction and demolition waste and 20,000 tons of shattered glass into the city. The waste was being thrown into landfills. However, landfills are notoriously bad for the environment. Out of that rubble an idea was created; disposing waste sustainably. Rubble Mountains was created specifically to do this. They've been able to restore four quarries, use materials to create public amenities, and diverting up to 50 tons of demolition waste from landfills.

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  • Fighting plastic waste: a double-edged sword

    July 26, 2021 |

    SciDev.Net |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Nigeria, Lagos

    Teams of recyclers in Nigeria gather plastic bottles from the streets and landfills and brings them to recycling plants where they can exchange the waste for money. HISL Recyclers collects this waste — which usually contains polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, a dangerous chemical — as a way to remove the waste from the environment. However, more work needs to be done to get more people to participate in the program and to scale the operations. So far, they’ve been able to recycle up to 20 tonnes of plastic waste a month.

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  • Can we keep lumber out of the landfill?

    July 08, 2021 |

    Living Here |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: Canada

    Pollution caused by demolition is expected to be 2.2 billion tons by 2021. However, up to 75 percent of materials in a demolition can be recycled. An alternative method to demolition is deconstruction or unbuilding. The method always for lumber and other materials that are recyclable to be salvaged. Cities like Vancouver that have passed ordinances encouraging recycling saw results. One company, "Unbuilders," that specializes in deconstruction shows that using methods like tax receipts and appraisals can lead to both profit and better results for the environment.

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  • How Bogotá's Waste Pickers Reinvented Their Jobs for a Modern City

    July 05, 2021 |

    Reasons to be Cheerful |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Colombia

    In Colombia, there are about 50,000 waste pickers, they collect and sort through trash to findrecyclabless to make a living. Their livelihood was threatened in the 1990s after Colombia adopted neoliberal policies that privatized trash collection. However, in 2016 the government officially recognized wastepickers as recycling service providers under a decree. That same year, the government introduced a "second payment," that supplement the income of waste pickers. Coupled, these two policies have improved the livelihood of wastepickers.

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  • Oregon Bottle Bill at 50

    June 23, 2021 |

    Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

    Radio |

    Over 15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Oregon

    In 1971, Oregon became the first state to adopt a law that established refundable deposits on beer and soft drink containers. So, if a consumer returned their plastic bottle, they would get their deposit back and that bottle then gets recycled. The Bottle Bill turned 50 this year and has proved to be a huge success. In 2019, it had a 90 percent return, meaning nine out of ten containers were being recycled. Other states are looking towards Oregon to replicate the model.

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