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Going ‘Deep Green,' Office Buildings Give Back to the Planet

Jane Margolies

July 14, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

More and more commercial real estate projects are popping up around the United States that are focused on “deep green” building. This movement suggests that it’s not enough to just make a building out of renewable materials, but they can also be self-sustaining. For example, the Watershed, an office building in Seattle, has a slanted roof that collects rainwater that is then used in toilets. These types of projects can be more complicated and expensive to build, but developers can save money in the long run with the improvements.

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Blockchain technology to boost power access in rural areas

Faustine Ngila

July 14, 2020 |

Nation Africa |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya

A micro-grid system has been paired with blockchain technology to easily sell and buy affordable and clean energy in rural Kenya. Residents living in the countryside don't generally have access to reliable and affordable electricity but this new technology allows rural Kenyans to install solar panels on their homes and easily sell surplus electricity to neighbors. The pilot program is a result of a collaboration between an NGO and a local tech company.

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Will Your Next Salmon Come from a Massive Land Tank in Florida?

Michael Grunwald

July 14, 2020 |

Politico |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Homestead, Florida

A Norwegian firm has built a land-based fish farm – which is "a supersized aquatic version of greenhouse agriculture that aims to solve a host of environmental problems plaguing conventional salmon farms in coastal waters" – near the tip of the Florida peninsula. Although it's yet to be seen if demand will be to the scale necessary to deem the endeavor financially viable, in Denmark where this concept was initially piloted, more than 25 generations of salmon have already been harvested.

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Can direct air capture make a real impact on climate change?

Anna Kusmer

July 03, 2020 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Switzerland, Zurich

Climeworks is focusing on pulling carbon dioxide directly out of the air to store or reuse in some capacity as a way to lower global greenhouse gas emissions. The Swiss company has 16 plants around Europe, with their biggest one in Switzerland that removes 900 tons of carbon dioxide a year that is then sold to Coca-Cola Co. to put in soft drinks or to local industrial greenhouses for plant growth. Scaling the operations to capture more carbon is costly, but the startup recently raised $76 million from investors.

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The young people fighting the worst smog in Europe

Jessica Bateman

July 01, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: North Macedonia, Skopje

To measure the level of air quality in Skopje – one of the most polluted cities in Europe – an engineering student developed an app that alerts residents of the pollution levels. The app has raised the awareness of the severity of the city's pollution problem and has helped to kickstart initiatives aimed to address it.

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How ‘Sustainable' Web Design Can Help Fight Climate Change

Clive Thompson

June 23, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Netherlands

As part of a growing movement in sustainable software design, Danny Van Kooten, a Dutch programmer, refactored the code on his website plug-in to reduce the amount of energy expended when someone interacts with it. About 2 million websites use his plug-in and by trimming the code, he estimates that he reduced the world’s monthly carbon dioxide output by 59,000 kilograms. While larger companies like video-streaming services put out more emissions, individual website owners can take steps to reduce their own CO2 footprint.

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Turning manure into money

Jim Morrison Adam Glanzman

June 16, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Massachusetts

Dairy farmers in Massachusetts are working with Vanguard Renewables, a food waste energy company, and Dominion Energy, an electric utility company, to capture manure methane gas from cows and convert it into natural gas. They are also adding food waste to the manure from manufacturers and retailers to increase energy output and increase income for farmers. The partnership has expanded to dairy farms in other states who are looking to lower their greenhouse gas emissions.

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Solar Power Fills Gaps in Underserviced Rural Argentina

Daniel Gutman

June 10, 2020 |

Inter Press Service News Agency |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Argentina, Entre Rios

Solar energy has provided an affordable and efficient source of energy to rural farmers in Argentina, who live too far off the electrical grid and have traditionally relied on powerful diesel-fueled water pumps. Solar panels have reduced carbon emissions, eliminated the need for expensive diesel fuel, as well as the hassle of transporting it to the countryside - often over rough roads. The initial investment in solar panels is recouped in a short amount of time and has resulted in a drastic reduction in water consumption.

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A New Weapon Against Climate Change May Float

Stanley Reed

June 04, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Portugal, Viana do Castelo

Floating wind turbines off the coast of Portugal is one of the latest experiments to convert wind energy into electric power. These machines can generate electricity for a city of up to 60,000 people. While it will take more financing and time to scale the project, investors are impressed with the results and see it as a viable financial return to combat climate change.

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#MakeCyclingSafer: In Nairobi and cities around the world

Duncan Lukoye

June 03, 2020 |

DIRAJ |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

In Nairobi, as in other major cities around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted travelers away from mass transit to bicycling for social distancing purposes. This presents policy and safety challenges, as many more cyclists use streets designed only for automobiles. But, with benefits extending beyond virus protection to physical fitness and lowering carbon emissions, planners are pushing for cycling lanes and other design changes in hopes that the cycling craze will continue even after the pandemic danger eases.

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