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Seeds of Commerce: Saving Native Plants in the Heart of Appalachia

Nancy Averett

March 02, 2017 |

Yale Environment 360 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Asheville, North Carolina

As climate change continues to threaten the survival of native plants species and the health of the eco-systems they support, the North Carolina Arboretum’s Germplasm Repository is taking a clever new approach to the preservation of native plant seeds: pushing to capitalize on their commercial value. Plant physiologists like Joe-Ann McCoy know that the best method for saving many species may also create jobs and boost local economies, when businesses start leveraging the medicinal uses of native plants for products like herbal supplements.

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A Mezcal Boom Spurs Creative Approaches to Dwindling Agave

Alec Jacobson

February 01, 2017 |

National Geographic |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Miahuatlan, Oaxaca

There's a mezcal boom happening around the world, but it originates in Oaxaca, Mexico. There some of the biggest players in the game are actively working to influence and stabilize the agave industry through sustainable practices.

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"Restoration Economy" Strives to Protect Pollinators, Create Jobs

Alexis Marie Adams

November 21, 2016 |

Scientific American |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Patagonia, Arizona

Threatened wildlife co-exists with poverty stricken communities who inhabit the Arizona-Mexico border region. Borderlands Restoration's conservation scientists are hoping to alleviate poverty while repairing the local environment by providing jobs that help preserve and renew the environment.

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How Hybrid Seeds Could Help The Mountain Gorillas Of Congo

Amy Yee

September 27, 2016 |

NPR |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo

As a response to a growing population, farmers have begun encroaching into Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to expand their crop yield. This creates a problem for the endangered great apes that live there, however, as it depletes their food, water and shelter resources. One non-profit is trying to change this landscape by improving farming practices with new seed varieties.

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The Birds and the Bombs

Benjamin Goldfarb

June 28, 2016 |

bioGraphic |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Fort Bragg, North Carolina

The fate of the Southeast's longleaf pine forests, and the endangered woodpeckers that depend on them, is in jeopardy. Fort Bragg, a station of the US military, is trying to save their local environment.

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Inside the moss mystery: How the organisms helped reveal Portland's pollution

Julia Rosen

May 02, 2016 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Throughout the city of Portland, there is moss growing in urban trees. When scientists began studying its growth, they were able to not only detect a citywide air pollution problem, but also pinpoint the origin of it which allowed city officials to take steps towards mitigating the issue.

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In Texas, Mexican Firefighters Are Saving the Rio Grande

Jeremy Raff

April 28, 2016 |

The Atlantic |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Texas

The Rio Grande River runs between the border of the United States and Mexico and supplies water to 5 million people across the nations. With wildfires continuously threatening the health of the river, an international firefighting crew known as Los Diablos are working to implement controlled, prescribed burns to rid the area of an invasive plant species that fuels the fires.

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Will Biomimicry Offer a Way Forward, Post-Sandy?

Sarah Amandolare

January 04, 2013 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Haiti, Port Au Prince

By looking at the ways plants and animals adapt to their environment, architects are using “the emerging science of biomimicry” to make buildings more resilient. For instance, an orphanage in Haiti was built to store water much like the native Kapok tree. A honeycomb structure inspired an office tower in South Korea. This might be one strategy to prevent more weather damage in the future.

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