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How to recycle the unrecyclable

Kai Steinecke

February 11, 2022 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Germany

A chemical recycling plant in Germany is taking old tires and turning them back into their original components. From there, those materials can be used in the production of insulation, steel, and oil. The gas that is discharged during the process is also used to power the whole plant. Other plants around the world are also exploring how to take plastic waste and chemically recycle it instead of burning it, so there are less carbon emissions.

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The Eco-Friendlier Future of the Disposable Spork

Michaela Haas

February 11, 2022 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Schwedt

A clean-tech startup in Germany is producing sustainable food packaging out of agricultural waste as an alternative solution to single-use plastic. Bio-Lutions claims its products are compostable and uses less water than other products, but the material used won’t work for some food items like hot beverages. The company already has investors such as Delivery Hero that will use its products when the factory is producing compostable packaging.

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The City Owned by Locals

Mary Hall

February 04, 2022 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, South Bend, Indiana

Incremental investment is gaining momentum in South Bend as an alternative to big developers. Residents are given the network and knowledge to become micro-developers so that ownership and money stay within the local economy. The project aims to cultivate community and strengthen the local economy.

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How Cleveland is salvaging old buildings to create a new circular economy

Marc Lefkowitz

February 01, 2022 |

The Land |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Developers in Cleveland are salvaging building parts that can be reused in other construction projects. The sustainable initiative known as deconstructing helps reduce carbon footprints and helps avoid the “high social and environmental costs of dumping demolition material in landfills.”

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Steel is recycled more than almost anything. Why does it create so much pollution?

Elizabeth McCauley Lilian Manansala Daniel T. Allen

January 25, 2022 |

Business Insider |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Australia

Steel is a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, even though lots of it is recycled every year. Recycling steel uses coal too, but an Australian steelmaker is experimenting with alternatives. These alternative include using briquettes made from plastic waste, which is less polluting.

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Burning Sugar Cane Pollutes Communities of Color in Florida. Brazil Shows There's Another Way.

Nadia Sussman

December 29, 2021 |

ProPublica |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Brazil

In Brazil, the world's largest producer of sugar cane, industry leaders have found a way to harvest the crop without sugar cane burning. Sugar cane burning is harmful to the environment and nearby residents. After complaints and regulations, producers invested in technology that allows them to cut the cane without burning it. This is a contrast to South Florida, despite producing less sugar cane than Brazil, producers in the state continue the practice.

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A shellfish company gets into the weeds

Sarah Sax

December 28, 2021 |

High Country News |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

In their fight to protect eelgrass, The Swinomish Indian Tribal Community sued the Army Corps and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The Swinomish Tribe argued that creating wide exemptions to shellfish farming could endanger eelgrass, which they rely on. Their win led to stricter regulations that require individual permits rather than national permits. The tribe also opened its own shellfish operation.

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He lost his best friend in a mudslide. Now he's using coconuts to fight deforestation in West Africa.

Danielle Paquette

December 03, 2021 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Sierra Leone, Freetown

Alhaji Siraj Bah created Rugsal Trading to decrease deforestation in Sierra Leone. One of the reasons people clear forests is to make wood-based charcoal for fuel. In order to address that need while enouraging sustainability, Bah's company makes a charcoal substitute out of coconut scraps. They've made $11,000 in revenue and produced 100 tons of coconut briquettes.

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Hundreds of Companies Promised to Help Save Forests. Did They?

Lucy Tompkins

December 02, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

About 80 percent of tropical deforestation in South America and Southeast Asia is caused by large corporations clear-cutting natural forests to graze cattle or grow crops like cocoa, palm oil, and soybeans that are turned into chocolate, processed food and cosmetics, and animal feed. Ten years ago, some of the largest offenders, including Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, Walmart, and Mars, vowed to clean up their act. With a few exceptions, however, their efforts have failed. This article explores what's worked, what hasn't, and why.

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Fresh and Local

Tatiana Kapitanova

December 01, 2021 |

Transitions Online |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Slovakia, Zlatna na Ostrove

Slovak farmers meet increasingly sophisticated demand by growing tomatoes with a flavor that can’t be imported. Greenhouse-grown tomatoes serve as a good example of how modern-day Slovak farmers are using the latest technology to bring produce to the market with taste rivaling that of home-grown.

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