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Citizen Science Comes of Age

Alastair Bland

February 19, 2019 |

Hakai Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia, Tasmania

As climate change accelerates, there is a growing need for scientific data to track and respond to the changes in our environment. Unburdened by the stress of academia or funding, volunteer citizen scientists are stepping in to fill the gaps. A citizen science group in Australia called Reef Life Survey says that trained volunteers help set a baseline of information on things such as water temperature that can be referred back to later. They also have many eyes gathering data over a long period of time, allowing more minute data to be recorded as well as getting data from the edges of studied territories.

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The orchid whisperers: Rare blooms find an urban perch

Eva Botkin-Kowacki

February 14, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Coral Gables, Florida

The Million Orchid Project has been reintroducing native, endangered plants into urban areas. From planting in school yards, to city parks, to the sides of busy roads, the initiative aims to preserve biodiversity by changing the assumption that nature has to be something separate from human society. While the project is still in early phases, it has shown indicators for progress, like the reappearance of wildlife species thought to have been extinct.

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Where Glaciers Melt Away, Switzerland Sees Opportunity

Henry Fountain Ben C. Solomon

February 14, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Photojournalism |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Switzerland, Gadmen

Melting glaciers threaten the Swiss Alps, especially the hydropower it provides. The idea of building a dam as a back-up way to generate power is catching on. The permitting process just began, but construction will need to be fast before further dramatic melting occurs.

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Healing and hope: how Indigenous guardians are transforming conservation

Judith Lavoie

February 13, 2019 |

The Narwhal |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia

Enrolling indigenous knowledge in environmental conservation programs empowers communities and promotes responsible land management. Conservation programs in Australia and Canada rely on indigenous communities to monitor and maintain remote and protected areas. Investment in these programs not only furthers the goal of environmental conservation, but also pays dividends by bringing jobs to indigenous communities.

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How to Cut U.S. Emissions Faster? Do What These Countries Are Doing.

Brad Plumer Blacki Migliozzi

February 13, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada

Across the world, countries are taking heavy swings to reduce their impact on climate change. From British Columbia’s carbon tax, to Norway’s incentivization of electric vehicles, to the European Union’s legislation that ends the use of hydrofluorocarbons, the United States could learn a lot from these initiatives. As American lags behind in this effort, citing these initiatives, or even better yet, applying them all, could have a drastic impact.

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In Ethiopia, climate change leads herders to retrain as farmers

Sebastien Malo

February 12, 2019 |

Reuters |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ethiopia, Demika

Many herders are adapting to climate change by adopting farming. In the wake of severe droughts in recent years, herding communities in Ethiopia have expressed increasing interest in farming as a way to secure additional income. The non-profit organization, Farm Africa, helps herders to make the transition into farming by educating and assisting them with technical matters, such as irrigation, as well as aiding with financing and finding markets.

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How Danone, Kashi and Land O'Lakes are backing sustainable farming

Maki Tazawa

February 11, 2019 |

GreenBiz |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Because the upfront costs of transitioning a farm to be certified organic can be burdensome to farmers amidst a growing demand for organic food, large companies like Kashi and Land O'Lakes are creating a number of initiatives to help ease the process. Techniques include no-interest advances for expensive initial supplies, fair trade premiums that go to local community work, and soil health initiatives for suppliers. The companies even implement a complex data tracking system to gather information on yield and profitability, which can then be used to inform future sustainable practice transitions.

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A Huge Climate Change Movement Led By Teenage Girls Is Sweeping Europe. And It's Coming To The US Next.

J. Lester Feder Pascale Müller Zahra Hirji

February 11, 2019 |

Buzzfeed |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London, Greater London

Youth climate strikes are gaining traction internationally, and the young leaders are finding inspiration in each other. The strikes have resulted in increased awareness amongst generations, and have grown in size and location, prompting policy makers to take notice.

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These probiotics for plants help farms suck up extra carbon dioxide

Adele Peters

February 07, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

A startup called Locus Agricultural Solutions has created a "probiotic" for soil that uses a mixture of beneficial fungi and bacteria. Not only does it increase productivity of crops, but it also absorbs enough carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere per acre to offset the emissions of a passenger vehicle. Tests done on an orange grove in Florida showed that areas treated with the product took up an extra 4.38 metric tons of CO2 per acre.

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You Flushed the Toilet. They Made Some Bricks.

JoAnna Klein

January 31, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Australia, Melbourne, Australian Capital Territory

A civil engineer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology University in Australia is converting biosolids, or disinfected leftovers from the water treatment process, into bricks for building. He claims they look, smell, and work the same as conventional fired clay bricks, but with an added benefit of saving land and energy and reducing carbon emissions.

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