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This Charcoal-Coated Seed Could Bring Kenya's Forests Back to Life

Randi Eicher

October 10, 2019 |

The Slowdown |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

To combat the rapidly decreasing forest density in Kenya, an organization created "seedballs," or seeds from trees coated in charcoal and other nutrients that help the seeds survive long enough to germinate. The organization created a competition for schoolchildren to scatter the seeds using slingshots and encourages other creative ways to spread the seeds across the country.

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'A model of sustainable commerce': carbon footprint, grid concerns push SoCal weed industry to be more green

Melissa Daniels

October 10, 2019 |

Desert Sun |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Desert Hot Springs, California

California-based cannabis company, Canndescent, has taken many steps toward low-carbon sustainability in its operations. The company uses commercial-scale solar energy, reverse-mounted ceiling fans, and microburst irrigation systems as a way of demonstrating “a model of sustainable commerce.” As legalizing cannabis grows in popularity, other states and cities are looking toward sustainable practices to off-set the high-energy needed for such growth.

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How a small Colorado town fought the Japanese beetle and won

Tamara Chuang

July 29, 2019 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Palisade, Colorado

Eradicating invasive species requires enrolling a community effort. Although quarantines and chemical treatments have not proven effective in preventing the spread of Popilia japonica, or the Japanese beetle, to farms on the US’s Front Range, the Colorado community of Palisade succeeded in eradicating the species through collective action. By combining pest control methods with a community program of reducing water use, Palisade farmers were able to push the beetles out of their farmland over the course of several years in the early 2000s.

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How To Feed 10 Billion People

Leila Hussain Menglin Huang

July 29, 2019 |

Bloomberg |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Netherlands, Holland

As the world population increases and resources decrease, researchers across many countries are focusing on utilizing technology to make food production more efficient. From optimizing photosynthesis to enhancing plant productivity, developments are successfully being implemented in the Netherlands and China.

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How Sonoma's Vineyards Survived a Siege of Fire, Smoke and Ash

Michele Bigley

July 03, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sonoma, California

Through collective action and informed practices, such as promoting grazing in vineyards, residents in fire-ravaged communities build a more resilient future. Across California’s wine region, locals have begun to reorient their way of life to mitigate the effects of future wildfires. The Good Fire Alliance, nonprofit group of organizations, focuses on promoting community resilience to wildfires, educating about safe burning practices, grazing, and encouraging general fire-ecology awareness.

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Native bees, please

Casey Smith

May 11, 2019 |

Berkeley Science Review |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Berkeley, California

The Urban Bee Lab at UC Berkeley has spent over a decade collecting data about native Californian bees who regularly interact with humans so that they can share their findings to help farmers improve production. The lab collects specimens to help researchers down the line; they observe bees in nature; and they actively work with local farmers to exchange useful information. Short-term, the collaborations help farmers improve yield and provide a welcoming space to bees; short-term, the data collected will help protect and conserve native bee populations.

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'It's a groundswell': the farmers fighting to save the Earth's soil

Matthew Taylor

April 24, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Governments, UN officials, and climate experts alike are ringing the alarm bells of growing soil degradation around the world. But a new agricultural movement is tackling this challenge head on. Instead of the centuries-old method of ploughing, or turning up the soil, farmers have recently taken to keeping their fields covered with varied plants year round, to keep soil healthier. Advocates also point to lower costs on machinery and labor, more resilient crops, and climate change dividends as added benefits as well.

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Can This Breakfast Cereal Help Save The Planet?

Dan Charles

April 13, 2019 |

NPR |

Radio |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

Human beings' reliance on crops like wheat and rice has a detrimental environmental effect: because these annual crops need replanting every year, farmers are required to destroy any existing vegetation in order to get the seeds to germinate. But scientists with the Land Institute are promoting kernza, a perennial relative of wheat that provides seeds year after year.

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How a small community in the northeastern corner of India became the country's first green village

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

March 29, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Khonoma, Nagaland

The village of Khonoma, in India's Nagaland state, focuses its effort on wildlife conservation through community-organized hunting reduction efforts and sustainable agriculture practices. These efforts led to the creation of the Khonoma sanctuary, which provides a safe-haven for the area's endangered species as well as serves as space for traditional sustainable farming practices -- like planting vegetables at the base of alder trees, which produce rich soil.

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Restoring Indonesia's peatlands to their natural soggy glory

Daniel Grossman

March 20, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Indonesia, Borneo

The Indonesian government is working with family farmers in Borneo to spread the cultivation of sago crops, which requires the restoration of the country's historic, boggy swamps. This type of agriculture, called paludiculture, makes the lands less prone to devastating wildfires, protects residents' health, reduces CO2 emissions, and offers a long-term farming solution.

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