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The world's first 3D-printed neighborhood now has its first houses

Adele Peters

December 11, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Tenosique, Tabasco

3D-printed homes offer a solution to affordable housing in remote and underserved areas. New Story, nonprofit in San Francisco that specializes in 3D printed homes, recently expanded its work to Tabasco, Mexico. After using 3D printers to help communities in El Salvador, Bolivia, and Haiti rebuild after natural disasters, the nonprofit has brought its model to create an affordable neighborhood in rural Mexico. Partnering with Icon, the developers of a 3D printer, and a local nonprofit, Echale a Tu Casa, the initiative has created its first homes for residents.

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Airbus is making planes lighter with technology we barely understand

Mark Wilson

November 20, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Germany, Hamburg

An engineering company called Autodesk uses the concept of "generative deisgn" - design facilitated by Artificial Intelligence to create structural renderings unimagined by the human brain - to create lighter and more durable airplanes. Generative design uses the calculations of artificial intelligence software to create thousands of ergonomic designs, based on an input of desired force and shape of the plane part - or other architectural puzzles pieces.

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GPS for Air Travel Came With Big Downsides: Noise, Then Lawsuits

Amy Zipkin

November 18, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Scottsdale, Arizona

To enhance air travel, the F.A.A. rolled out a system that enables airplanes to fly closer together using GPS, rather than the traditional radar locators. But residents near these new flight paths have risen up to contest the air pollution created by the lower, more frequent flight patterns. With impending lawsuits, the F.A.A. has to work with local officials to create a joint solution.

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Wildfires and blackouts mean Californians need solar panels and microgrids

David Roberts

October 28, 2019 |

Vox |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, California

Localized, distributed energy systems are popping up around California. As the larger electricity system becomes less reliable in the face of wildfires, more individuals are turning to microgrids and solar energy with help from organizations like Clean Coalition and Stone Edge Farm Microgrid. While still happening on a small scale, such energy systems may become more popular as its sustainability in a changing climate shows to be more resilient.

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Curing Our Plastic Problem

Tom Gibson Vicky Feng Leila Hussain

September 30, 2019 |

Bloomberg |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Thailand

A company in Thailand called Universal Bio Pack created biodegradable packaging made out of cassava starch and natural fiber that could reduce the amount of single use plastic that people consume. Another company in Spain called Plastic Energy takes mixed plastics that can’t be recycled and converts it into usable oils that make fuel. Both are different solutions that could be used simultaneously to tackle the world’s plastic pollution crisis.

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Storing energy in compressed air could finally become cheap enough for the big time

Akshat Rathi

September 19, 2019 |

Quartz |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Canada, Toronto, Ontario

To reduce carbon usage in electric grids, companies around the world have turned to new technologies that store wind energy that can be converted to electricity. One such company called Hydrostor, based in Ontario, Canada, traps compressed air in underground caverns to store energy without the use of fossil fuels.

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Step by Powerful Step, Citizens Lead Puerto Rico into Its Solar Future

Melanie La Rosa

September 19, 2019 |

NACLA |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Puerto Rico

After Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico, knocking out power across the country, solar energy has stepped in to be a sustainable possibility. Such efforts have included lobbying local legislatures to incentivize communities to create their own solar project and training residents to install solar panels on their own. Many of the solar initiatives that have started have been community-led and hyper-local, meaning that what many deem a basic right – access to energy and electricity – are more accessible than ever.

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Solar Panels as Solution for SEPTA's Power Outage Problems

Matt Delucia

August 26, 2019 |

WCAU-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Storing solar energy improves the resilience of public transportation systems to disruptions in the energy grid. With the potential of extreme heat or weather conditions to cause issues in the reliability of electrical power, Philadelphia’s SEPTA public transportation system has begun to invest in solar power. By storing solar energy in batteries at various hubs, the public transportation system can avoid delays caused by local outages.

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Buried lines helping prevent outages during Carolina hurricanes

John Sharpe

July 26, 2019 |

Carolina Public Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, North Carolina

Coastal cities across South and North Carolina are considering the benefits of underground power lines. With hurricane winds doing major damage to above-ground lines, buried lines often go unharmed, leaving residents with power during such storms. Those in the field note that the cost of rerouting power underground is substantial, and something that residents must cover themselves.

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Is it time for a radical new approach to fighting global warming?

Daniel Hurst

June 25, 2019 |

Global Ground Media |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Indonesia

Geoengineering, a term used to cover a broad range of large-scale, drastic measures to combat climate change, has the science and policy communities divided. These measures are currently being explored across the world, and while they could work as a response to climate change, many cite them as temporary band-aids that will only delay the effects of global warming. Many cite the need to understand the complexity of the issue and, rather than bandaging the issue, take a comprehensive, structural approach.

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