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These Tree-Planting Drones Are About To Start An Entire Forest From The Sky

Adele Peters

August 10, 2017 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Myanmar, Pathein, Ayeyarwady

Villages along the Irrawaddy River delta in Myanmar have spent years replanting mangroves in at attempt to restore their ecosystem and guard against the negative effects of climate change, but it is a labor intensive and time-consuming process. Now, with the help of specially-designed tree planting drones from startup BioCarbon Engineering, as many as 10,000 trees can be planted in a single day, using technology that not only distributes seeds in special pods, but is able to calculate optimal soil conditions, locations, and species of tree most likely to survive in any given area.

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Will Cities Ever Outsmart Rats?

Linda Poon

August 09, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington, District of Columbia

It is currently estimated that there are 2 million rats in New York City. With numbers that high, cities including Washington, D.C. and Chicago along with New York City have teams employed solely to control the rat population. Efforts have previously been futile, however, as little is known about this species. Recognizing this problem, some cities have begun working with researchers and computer scientists to use big data to not just control the current rat populations, but also predict where the rodents will infest next and attempt to thwart their next move.

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How Louisville Crowdsourced a Treatment For Asthma Attacks

Laura Bliss

August 09, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Louisville, Kentucky

The Kentucky metro area has some of the worst air quality in the country, leading to concerning rates of asthma and respiratory disease well above the national averages. But a group called AIR Louisville has implemented a creative, crowdsourced solution that utilizes GPS-enabled inhalers to help patients identify and address asthma patterns based on numerous factors such as avoiding heavily-polluted parts of town, and identifying the best treatments based on lifestyle needs.

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Fiji's Climate Champion Speaks Up for Women in the Wake of Cyclones

Sonia Narang

August 08, 2017 |

News Deeply |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Fiji, Burenitu, Viti Levu

After a huge cyclone devastated a remote Fijian village, Eta Tuvuki worked to open communication channels between women and public officials. Her efforts are not only making women's voices heard, but they allow for the dispersal of critical information during disasters.

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Rise of the Government Chatbot

Zach Quaintance

August 04, 2017 |

Government Technology |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

City governments have been implementing “chatbots” to provide a way for residents to both communicate with city government as well as receive information about and assistance with services through text or Facebook. Chatbots provide a means for residents to interact with services all day as well as reduces city staff’s workload.

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Why Salt Is This Power Plant's Most Valuable Asset

Molly A. Seltzer

August 04, 2017 |

Smithsonian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, McIntosh, Alabama

One of the greatest challenges to integrating renewable energy sources into the power grid has been the issue of storage - where and how to keep power generated during off-hours (such as overnight) when demand is low. While batteries are on the rise as one solution, an Alabama power plant has discovered a natural way of storing energy until it is needed: pumping air into salt caverns.

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How technology is helping cities cope with mass migration

David Hatch

August 01, 2017 |

Citiscope |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

In an era of mass migration and vast displacement, communities and governments around the world are struggling to cope with the influx of millions of immigrants and refugees. But different innovations in technology are making integration easier and increasing access to resources for new arrivals - from mobile banking accounts to online housing databases. Part 3 of 3.

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Robot Revolution: New Generation of Cheap Drones to Explore the Seas

Matthew O. Berger

July 31, 2017 |

News Deeply |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Half Moon Bay, California

There's a robot revolution happening in the San Francisco Bay Area, and it's all in the name of mapping our oceans. This boom of technological innovation is helping bring lower-cost tools to both researchers and citizens. These consumers in turn use the devices to take photos during their excursions that ultimately create a network of ocean data that helps map the realities of concerns such as ocean acidification, rising water temperatures and overfishing.

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What Montgomery can learn from Chattanooga's startup success

Andrew Yawn

July 28, 2017 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chattanooga, Tennessee

Chattanooga's solution to revitalize the city through private-public collaborations could help Montgomery and similar cities do the same. Chattanooga is able to reinvent itself and attract startups and entrepreneurs willing to work together for a common goal, rather than competing.

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Ghost Gear Busters: Paying Fishers to Collect Derelict Nets, Traps

Erica Cirino

July 26, 2017 |

News Deeply |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

"Ghost gear" describes the nets, lines, and other debris lost off the back of commercial fishing boats in staggering amounts each year, and it spells death for hundreds of thousands of marine animals and birds who get tangled in it. Previously, there was little financial incentive to pull this litter back out of the water, but a new public-private partnership called Fishing For Energy is paying fishers to gather up ghost gear and help recycle it, as well as developing new technologies to prevent bycatch and educating communities about the issue.

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