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Can global innovation competitions help unearth the next sustainability solution?

Fanni Daniella Szakal

January 28, 2021 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

Initiatives set up by NGOs and private-public partnerships aim to make innovation possible around the world and support sustainability entrepreneurs in countries that often don’t have access to those opportunities. The European Institute of Innovation and Technology set up the ClimateLaunchpad competition to provide entrepreneurship coaching and training to clean-tech finalists and the Uplink global platform from the World Economic Forum brings innovators and investors together to support sustainability ideas.

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Is a pandemic a good time to start a business? For some, the answer's yes.

Stan Finger

January 08, 2021 |

The Kansas Leadership Center Journal (KLC Journal) |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wichita, Kansas

A handful of entrepreneurial individuals in Kansas have found success in starting businesses during the pandemic by leveraging customer needs and pandemic relief funding. Although this business plan isn't "foolproof," in Kansas and nationwide, the number of entrepreneurs who filed applications increased significantly compared to previous periods.

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The rise of the land salmon

Sarah Cox

December 19, 2020 |

The Narwhal |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

In Florida, a land-based salmon farming operation has optimized the ideal conditions for fish to be raised sustainably on land. “There is no winter here, there are no diseases, there are no sea lice. We optimize everything the fish needs," explains the company's chief sales and marketing officer. Although the practice is still "in its infancy" and struggles to return a profit, it has caught on elsewhere and land-based salmon are now sold in a variety of grocery stores.

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'A mindset for survival': how to help small businesses survive Covid-19

Anna Patton

December 17, 2020 |

Pioneers Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nicaragua

Small businesses in the global South were able to survive the past year of COVID-19 and the domino effect it had on the business community with the help of enterprise support organizations. In addition to financial help, organizations like TechnoServe provided help with operations, business planning, reworking disrupted supply chains, pivoting to new business plans and markets, as well as HR management. The organizations drew from lessons learned in previous times of economic uncertainty to help entrepreneurs become resilient.

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How A 24-Year-Old CEO Makes Sustainable Tees from Milk

Frank Sesno Dan Reed Eugenia Harvey

December 15, 2020 |

Planet Forward |

Broadcast TV Talk Show |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States

After witnessing milk going to waste on his uncle dairy’s farm in China, Robert Lou came up with the idea to turn the leftover milk into clothing. It takes five glasses of milk to produce one t-shirt and he’s sold over 3,000 of them since launching his company Mi Terro. He hopes to use 15 percent of the world’s food waste in 20 years to lower greenhouse gas emissions and supply income to farmers. He’s also piloting a new flexible packaging material out of grain products.

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Reusing, recycling, rethinking

Jessica Wolfrom

December 10, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Alexandria, Virginia

Mason & Greens is a zero-waste store that reduces environmental impact by selling package-free items, from shampoo bars to organic produce. Dry goods and the wines, oils, and kombucha on tap are bought with reusable containers and priced by the ounce, which reduces plastic waste and allows customers to buy only what they need. In addition to minimizing products' carbon footprints, the store has been profitable since it opened and the owners say that, while prices are initially higher for consumers, reusable products may be less expensive in the long run because they don’t have to be replaced as frequently.

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Online directory aims to help Black businesses thrive in nation's whitest state

Jordan Bailey

November 22, 2020 |

The Maine Monitor |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Maine

An online directory is helping consumers find small, black-owned businesses in Maine. Black Owned Maine has highlighted businesses, providing examples of success for Black youth and has also provided grants for businesses seeking financial assistance.

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Crowdfunded solar puts Red Lake Nation on a path to energy sovereignty

Frank Jossi

November 13, 2020 |

Energy News Network |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota

The Red Lake Nation in Minnesota is building a 240-kilowatt solar array on top of a workforce training center, which will generate about half of the building’s electricity. This project was financed through crowdfunding, where they raised $250,000 from religiously inclined microlenders. The goal: to allow the tribe to have energy sovereignty, create higher-paying jobs, and maintain a healthy environment.

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In a boon for the climate, philanthropists are making it rain for cleantech innovators

Adrienne Day

October 30, 2020 |

Grist |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Prime Coalition is financing clean tech startups and climate-focused technologies that often don’t get a lot of funding. These technologies can be expensive to build and don’t generate profits immediately. So far, the public charity has secured $89 million that it has given into 18 energy ventures. “What’s important here is that the climate crisis is such a large-scale problem that we need lots of different types of solutions,” says Sarah Kearney, founder of Prime Coalition, “and so we need to match up right-fit capital to each kind of solution.”

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Cold Hard Cash for Your Greenhouse Gas

Sarah Gonzalez Ayana Elizabeth Johnson Alex Blumberg

October 22, 2020 |

Gimlet Media |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Illinois

Refrigerants being used in old air conditioners or grocery story cooling systems leak into the atmosphere contributing to global warming. Tradewater, a company in Illinois, picks up these containers, destroys the refrigerants, gives them cash, and then sells them as carbon offset credits. They collect up to 250,000 pounds of refrigerants per year, but there is still more out there. Supermarkets in the United States could switch to more natural refrigerants, but barely 1 percent are known to have done that. Getting rid of these refrigerants can be an important solution to combating climate change.

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