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 193 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

How Asia's 5,000-year-old rice terraces are inspiring modern flood control

Xiaoying You

August 06, 2024 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Thailand, Bangkok

Architects across Asia are taking inspiration from a traditional form of agriculture called rice terraces to create flood-resilient infrastructure in cities that lack places for excess water to go. In Bangkok, for example, a university’s roof mimics the step-like design, and the water it holds is used to grow rice.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Frankfurt Harnesses Local Wind Currents for Urban Cooling

Jana Randow Laura Millan

August 03, 2024 |

Bloomberg |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Frankfurt

Frankfurt is changing the way it designs its buildings to adapt to extreme heat. The city works with urban climatology researchers to ensure new housing and skyscrapers won’t impact the wind corridors that keep residents cool, and it promotes practices like installing green roofs.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A New Wildlife Crossing Provides Safe Passage Over a Busy Interstate

Marlena Williams

July 17, 2024 |

Sentient |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Washington

Environmentalists, biologists, wildlife advocates, and even ski clubs formed the I-90 Wildlife Bridges Coalition to push for wildlife crossings to be a part of a massive construction project on Washington’s heavily trafficked Snoqualmie Pass. The Department of Transportation took notice. It's working with other government agencies and wildlife experts to install bridges and tunnels designed for animals of all sizes to safely cross the road.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Hoboken's resiliency parks fight flooding but come with a big price tag

Ted Goldberg

July 12, 2024 |

NJ Spotlight |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Hoboken, New Jersey

Resiliency parks in Hoboken, New Jersey, look like typical playgrounds and basketball courts. Unlike the average park, they have discrete drains and sit on top of underground tanks that prevent flooding by holding millions of gallons of rainwater.

Read More
Go to Original Story
California Is Showing How a Big State Can Power Itself Without Fossil Fuels

Bill McKibben

June 27, 2024 |

The New Yorker |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

The California-based startup Magrathea Metals is producing magnesium with renewable energy to make the process less expensive and material-intensive. The company aims to make the more environment-friendly metal competitive with steel and aluminum.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Tidal kites: New technology harnessing ocean energy

Adrienne Murray

June 25, 2024 |

BBC |

Video |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Faroe Islands

The renewable energy technology company Minesto developed tidal kites that generate electricity from ocean tides. The machines are attached to the seabed and pushed through the water in a figure 8 pattern. The movement spins a turbine that generates electricity.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Smart, Cheap Fix for Slow, Dumb Traffic Lights

Christopher Mims

June 07, 2024 |

Wall Street Journal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Google’s Green Light project uses data from internet-connected vehicles and navigation apps to adjust the timing of traffic lights to be more responsive to real-world traffic patterns. The project is already in operation in several cities — from Hamburg to Seattle — and data in those cities suggest the system yields a 30% decrease in stop-and-go traffic at intersections.

Read More
Go to Original Story
This self-taught innovator in Nigeria upcycles e-waste into power banks

Johnstone Kpilaakaa Joey Shekwonuzhibo

April 19, 2024 |

Benjamindada.com |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria

Zang Technologies creates portable chargers out of recycled materials, having sold 21,000 power banks since 2018. The chargers are compatible with a variety of devices, including smartphones, and offer sustainable power that also helps reduce waste by recycling electronics and turning them into alternative power sources.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'Valuable and largely overlooked': Interest in virtual power plants grows

Robert Zullo

April 07, 2024 |

Utah News Dispatch |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Utility companies across the United States are using virtual power plants to meet electricity demand, access backup power, and lower the electric bills of participants. To make these power plants work, the utilities use energy from the battery storage systems of customers who have home solar arrays.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Light at the End of the Tunnel

Benjamin Goldfarb

March 26, 2024 |

Hakai Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

Communities in the United States are slowly replacing small culverts that alter the flow of streams and block the paths of migratory fish species with wider culverts and bridges, allowing the ecosystems to recover.

Read More
Go to Original Story