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Allbirds wants to fix your sole

Elizabeth Segran

August 01, 2018 |

FastCompany |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

An unlikely duo teamed up to create a sustainable shoe. Using wool, tree fibers, and sugarcane, they've created shoes that are sustainable and—in some cases—wholly recyclable. The latest innovation is the petroleum free EVA sole. Theirs is manufactured from sugarcane and is carbon negative. Simply switching the material from petroleum to sugarcane was all it took; they were shocked no other company had tried. Their method is open source, so other companies can use the sustainable technology.

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Wastewater treatment is a problem in the rural South. Who is working to fix it?

Melissa Brown

July 26, 2018 |

The Montgomery Advertiser |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Haynesville, Alabama

In the South's rural Black Belt, wastewater management is an issue, but local activists, government officials, and civil engineers are working together to create a new type of sanitation system that works for the geography. The approach also includes public information campaigns to educate people about proper maintenance and stop rumors that can prevent that maintenance.

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'A dignified alternative': the special cart for homeless people to keep their stuff

Ashifa Kassam

July 13, 2018 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto

People experiencing homelessness might now have one less worry, as students and engineers are designing a cart for homeless individuals to effectively store their belongings. The prototyping process involved hearing from future users. Though this cart will not solve homelessness, it will target on aspect of the problem, mitigating one stressful factor about being homeless.

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The Bricks Helping to Rebuild Gaza

Elizabeth Davies, Harriet Noble

July 02, 2018 |

BBC |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Palestine, Gaza Strip

To rebuild Gaza, Green Cake manufactures construction blocks out of locally-available ash and rubble. It’s a low-cost and reliable alternative to importing supplies from Israel.

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Plastic of the Future

Sena Christian

June 19, 2018 |

Comstock's Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

Traditional plastics like those used in disposable bottle production can be broken down into smaller pieces when recycled, but aren't completely biodegradable. Bioplastics, a technology that has recently gained traction the plastic packaging market, is plant-based, making it at attractive option for reducing plastic waste.

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Electric Rain

Amina Nazarli

June 16, 2018 |

AzerNews |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Azerbaijan, Baku

Turning rainwater into electric power may sound farfetched, but it has become a reality thanks to 15-year-old Reyhan Jamalova in Azerbaijan. Appropriately dubbed Rainergy, this new source of renewable energy has the potential to bring power to underprivileged communities as well as be marketed internationally.

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UW program helps disadvantaged students thrive in tough engineering college

Katherine Long

June 13, 2018 |

The Seattle Times |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

The University of Washington State Academic Red Shirt program provides enrolled students with an extra year of prerequisite instruction in an attempt to prepare them to pursue an engineering degree. Five years in, the model, which mirrors the academic "red shirt" concept, has shown promising results, enabling students from lower-performing high schools to catch up before formally embarking on the path to an engineering degree.

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Virtual power plants are now powering electrical grids without fuel

Michael J. Coren

May 30, 2018 |

Quartz |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Belgium

Batteries have begun replacing power plants. Instead of fueling up a plant when electricity demand peaks, networked batteries can kick in and deliver stored energy, reducing emissions and saving money. The technology is increasingly affordable and reliable.

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Paris is building the eco-community of the future right now. Here's how.

Susannah Shmurak

May 23, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Clichy-Batignolles, Paris

Setting the bar high for environmental sustainability can encourage innovation and experimentation. Developers of Paris’ new Clichy-Batignolles eco-district are reducing the neighborhood’s carbon footprint in nearly every way imaginable. Solar panels and vegetation cover the energy-efficient buildings, the water table under the 10-hectare (25-acre) park provides geothermal heating, deliveries are directed to a central drop-off site, and much more.

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Adaptation to Global Water Shortages

Raisa Scriabine

May 16, 2018 |

KCET-TV |

Video |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Morocco, Id Soussane

Two very different part of the world – California’s Central Valley and Western Morocco – are learning to adapt to water shortages. In the Central Valley, finding and treating water in a notoriously drought-ridden state has been challenging, but a series of connected water districts experimenting with processes like reverse osmosis has showed promise. Halfway across the world, they’ve been using fog collection as a non-traditional method of capturing water so that the rural villages in Morocco can have access to water after decades of water shortages.

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