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The inspiring thing that happened when a Japanese village went almost waste-free

Alex Gray

January 21, 2019 |

World Economic Forum |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Japan, Kamikatsu, Shikoku

Kamikatsu, a small Japanese village on an island, is on track to become a zero-waste village. The community is made up of only 1,700 residents and—through a combination of community conversations and sorting the waste to be profitable—they managed to keep more than 80% of their waste out of landfills and incinerators. On top of the environmental impact, the Zero Waste Academy brings together a largely-elderly population as a group focused on a mission and has led to an increased sense of community and well-being.

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Three promising new technologies could help send stormwater to taps in thirsty cities

Lindsey Konkel

January 04, 2019 |

Ensia |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa, Cape Town

With water scarcity becoming a reality for many cities, people are looking towards the premise of recycling stormwater into drinkable water collected from urban runoff. One major limitation of this is that the water often is too polluted for consumption, however researchers have piloted several new technologies that may hold the key to being able to scale the stormwater recycling solution.

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China gets tough on US recyclables. How one Maine town is fighting back.

Christa Case Bryant

January 03, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sanford, Maine

When China, the country that processes much of the United State's recyclables, became much more stringent about how much contaminated recycling it would accept, municipalities had to figure out how to avoid the fines that could come with recycling done wrong. In Sanford, Maine, they manages to cut their contamination rate from 15-20% to 0-3% by investing in more serious inspections and helping residents learn what is recyclable and what isn't.

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Taiwan has one of the highest recycling rates in the world. Here's how that happened.

Marcello Rossi

December 18, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Taiwan, Taipei

Taiwan, despite housing 23 million people on a densely populated island, claims one of the highest recycling and reuse rates in the world. The government has created incentives for private companies, which throw some catchy tunes in the mix. But whether or not a country recycles remains, largely, a question of willpower.

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Climate-Positive Architecture Has Arrived In Norway

Tracey Lindeman

December 13, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Norway, Trondheim

Powerhouse, a collective of architects, engineers, environmentalists, and designers based in Oslo, reimagines building design to address climate change. Not only are many of their structures energy-neutral, but they actually produce surplus energy. For example, Powerhouse Brattørkaia in Trondheim is an eight-story office that will generate 485,000 kWh annually. Such "energy-positive" building has made great strides in Norway.

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Meet Greece's Marine Trash Collectors Diving To Keep Their Sea Beautiful

Joanna Kakissis

December 02, 2018 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Greece

Greece is not known favorably for their recycling habits, but a few local residents have made it their mission to change this in order to reduce ocean litter. From turning plastics into furniture to forming a diving coalition to remove plastic waste from the sea, these Greeks are hoping their actions will inspire others to follow suit.

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This Swedish Mall Is The World's First Ever Secondhand Shopping Center

Maddy Savage

November 28, 2018 |

The Huffington Post |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Sweden, Eskilstuna

ReTuna, a new Swedish shopping mall, features exclusively items that are used, secondhand, or made sustainably. The mall is hoping to help consumers save money, as well as decrease waste and improve the shopping experience for secondhand goods. It is also employing many immigrants through a government training program. Though this specific shopping mall model is new, countries around the world have slowly started new methods to reduce waste.

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House That! Your Dream Home Could Be Made Out of Plastic

Deepa Padmanaban

November 25, 2018 |

News18 India |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Hyderabad, Telangana

A social entrepreneur in India is taking plastic waste and using it to make housing structures. Prashanth Lingam takes the waste and turns it into roofing sheets, tiles, and other objects. For example, he built a house for parking staff at a local metro station and 5 million plastic bags were used just on the roof. The cost of these structures are higher than regular houses, but repurposing plastic into other objects could be a potential sustainability solution for the country.

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Sucking Carbon Out of the Air Is One Way to Help Save Our Planet

Hallie Steiner

November 21, 2018 |

NationSwell |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Iceland

While many organizations and individuals are working on solutions to address climate change worldwide, a company in Iceland is focusing on removing carbon dioxide directly from the air. Although small in scale, this new technology known as direct air capture has made it possible to suck the carbon dioxide from the air and turn the emissions into stone.

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Nepalese entrepreneurs turn trash into treasure

Deepak Adhikari

November 18, 2018 |

Nikkei Asian Review |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nepal, Kathmandu

Kathmandu Valley, like many other heavily populated areas in Nepal, has a trash problem. As the designated landfill becomes overfull, local entrepreneurs are turning to creative thinking in order to make a difference. From turning trash into household items to creating furniture out of tires, these artists and innovators are showing that recycling is beneficial in more than one way.

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