Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 206 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

KVNF Regional Newscast: October 28, 2021

Stephanie Maltarich

October 28, 2021 |

Mountain Grown Community Radio (KVNF) |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Basalt, Colorado

Basalt Vista is the first net-zero affordable housing project in Colorado, based in Basalt. The homes are constructed in partnership with the county, the school district, and Habitat for Humanity. The homes are lined with solar panels and operate using only electricity. They produce, on average, all the energy that they consume and the utility costs to the residents are basically zero once the production begins to generate credits. Rather than prioritizing keeping building costs as cheap as possible, net-zero homes prioritize keeping the costs to maintain the home low.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Zurich Blazed a Trail for Recycled Concrete

Corinne Gretler

September 26, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Switzerland, Zurich

Zurich, Switzerland's largest city, is paving the way for sustainable building. Concrete is a major contributor of climate change due to the process it requires to make it. Zurich is making steps to reduce its use. A school building was constructed in 2002 with 80 percent recycled concrete. Three years later city officials passed a requirement that required all publicly-owned buildings to be made with recycled concrete and in 2013 ordered the use of CO2 reduced cement. According to a study the effort has saved 17,000 cubic meters of virgin materials.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Pour Flush Toilets Eradicate Typhoid in Katunguru Village

Fatuma Nalwanga

September 19, 2021 |

The Community Agenda |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Katunguru

Katunguru village reduced Cholera and Typhoid outbreaks by building and transitioning to pour flush toilets rather than pit latrines. Pour flush toilets require just a five-foot pit, so waste water doesn’t mix with drinking water and are inexpensive to maintain. A user pours in water to flush the toilet through an S-shaped pipe. In addition to stopping disease outbreaks, residues from filled pits are used as manure and ash from kitchens are sprinkled inside after each use to prevent odors and dry up waste residues. Pour flush toilets are not constructed with wood, so they also minimize local deforestation.

Read More
Go to Original Story
PA cities have a sewer-system problem. Green infrastructure can help — but comes with its own risks

Madison Goldberg

August 05, 2021 |

StateImpact Pennsylvania |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

In many cities, rainwater is drained through "grey infrastructure" things like pipes, streets, etc. In some cities, this system is combined with the sewage system. Rainwater drains into the sewage system, is then cleaned, then emptied into the river. However, with strong storms some sewage systems overflow. A problem that will worsen with climate change. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, rain gardens are one solution to overflowing sewage systems. Cities like Harrisburg are turning to green infrastructure, things like rain gardens, roofs with gardens, and parks, to ease the burden on gray infrastructure.

Read More
Go to Original Story
In Conversation With The Black-Owned Startup Turning Buildings Into Teslas

Phil Roberts

July 30, 2021 |

Next City |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

BlocPower is retrofitting old city buildings and making them environmentally friendly. The startup offers leasing options, making it financially accessible.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Black-Owned Startup “Turning NYC Buildings Into Teslas”

Phil Roberts

July 30, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

A startup is making buildings more eco-friendly by converting their energy needs from oil and gas to electric heat pumps. BlocPower is a Black-owned clean tech startup that provides a no money down lease option, making it financially accessible.

Read More
Go to Original Story
More Mini-Parks Mean Better Mental Health

Nora Macaluso

July 29, 2021 |

Next Avenue |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PHS LandCare, with support from the city, develops small vacant lots into mini-parks that bring people out of their homes and engage with their community. A 2018 study found that people living near LandCare lots reported a decrease in feelings of depression and a reduction in feelings of poor mental health. The city's role is important to the program’s success, especially in providing money to hire contractors to maintain the green spaces, especially local residents and formerly incarcerated people. Sites must be in low-income neighborhoods and near business areas, schools, and recreation centers.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Temperature check: On the frontlines of the fight to save affordable housing from climate change

Sarah Ravits

July 19, 2021 |

Gambit |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Orleans, Louisiana

Home by Hand is a nonprofit that’s working to mitigate the effects of climate change on home ownership. Storm damage, high utility bills due to extreme weather, and the loss of housing stock due to Hurricane Katrina have all added to climate-change related “cost burdens” that keep economically disadvantaged people from purchasing homes. The nonprofit is building homes that are environmentally friendly to push down utility costs as well as the costs of potential repairs in the event of inevitable storms and hurricanes.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Can we keep lumber out of the landfill?

Anna Lamb-Yorski

July 08, 2021 |

Living Here |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada

Pollution caused by demolition is expected to be 2.2 billion tons by 2021. However, up to 75 percent of materials in a demolition can be recycled. An alternative method to demolition is deconstruction or unbuilding. The method always for lumber and other materials that are recyclable to be salvaged. Cities like Vancouver that have passed ordinances encouraging recycling saw results. One company, "Unbuilders," that specializes in deconstruction shows that using methods like tax receipts and appraisals can lead to both profit and better results for the environment.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Cooler, Cleaner Megacities, One Rooftop Garden at a Time

Marianne Dhenin

July 08, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Egypt, Cairo

Organizations in Egypt and Bangladesh are greening their cities by turning rooftops into urban gardens that can grow food, reduce air pollution, and decrease air temperatures. Green Savers in Dhaka has installed more than 5,000 rooftop gardens in the city and Urban Greens in Cairo partners with sponsors to install hydroponic rooftop gardens for families experiencing economic hardship. It’s been a challenge to convince people that the cost to maintain these spaces is worthwhile, but through community outreach efforts, these organizations have seen an increase in interest in installing rooftop gardens.

Read More
Go to Original Story