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Embracing the light: Churches tap solar power

Jhesset Enano

April 11, 2021 |

Philippine Daily Inquirer |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Philippines, Leyte

Over 70 Catholic dioceses in the Philippines have entered into an agreement with energy resource company WeGen Laudato Si to install solar panels on their parishes, schools, and other buildings. The Diocese of Maasin on Leyte Island became the first in the world to completely shift to renewable energy. Installing the panels can be expensive, but shifting to solar has saved one diocese at least 100,000 pesos a month in energy bills.

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How Madison County Residents Successfully Lobbied Legislators Over Pollution Concerns

Jared Gilstrap

April 09, 2021 |

Grady Newsource |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colbert, Georgia

After Georgian residents raised concerns about a pollutant that was being emitted by a nearby biomass plant, they banded together to pass legislation that effectively put an end to the practice. These concerned residents founded the Madison County Clean Power Coalition to raise awareness of the effects of creosote burning, which, when breathed in, has shown to increase the risk of lung and heart disease. Their lobbying efforts resulted in the governor signing into law a ban on burning creosote-treated wood.

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Black to the Land Coalition connects Detroit's BIPOC communities with the outdoors

Rhonda J. Smith

April 08, 2021 |

Planet Detroit |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

The nonprofit Black to the Land Coalition is working to expose more members of BIPOC communities to outdoor activities and the healthy benefits that come with being nature. They have partnered with other organizations to help alleviate costs and they’ve done activities like archery, camping, and kayaking. “We’re creating opportunities for Black and brown people to engage in natural spaces beyond the playscapes and basketball courts,” says one of the founders. “We’re taking on the outdoor world, period.”

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Indigenous Food Sovereignty Movements Are Taking Back Ancestral Land

Melissa Montalvo

March 31, 2021 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Quapaw, Oklahoma

More and more Indigenous communities throughout North America are reclaiming their ancestral lands as a way to access traditional foodways. For example, a group of Mi’kmaq tribes in Nova Scotia bought a majority share in one of the largest seafood businesses on the continent, allowing them to use the company’s fishing licenses to harvest more scallops, lobsters, and crabs. The Quapaw Tribe in Oklahoma is restoring their land that had been polluted by mining. Under the Quapaw Cattle Company, they are able to sustain more than 1,000 cattle and bison as well as growing two crops.

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The secret ingredient in Paris' green public housing

Colin Kinniburgh

March 30, 2021 |

Grist |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

Paris Habitat, the city’s main social housing agency, used hempcrete — a concrete-like mixture of hemp, lime, and water — as insulation in one of its apartment complexes. This material helps maintain temperature and reduces a building’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The cost of using hempcrete can be expensive but making the material is more environmentally friendly, and has shown that it can be implemented for affordable housing and not just for those who already have the means to pay for it.

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Meet the Black Mambas, South Africa's all-female anti-poaching unit

Emma Gregg

March 23, 2021 |

National Geographic |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa

The Black Mambas are an all-female anti-poaching and ranger unit based in South Africa’s Balule Nature Reserve. They patrol on foot and by vehicle to remove bushmeat snares and look for evidence of illegal poaching activities. They also run the Bush Babies Environmental Education Programme, which teaches local school children about wildlife and conservation. The group combines anti-poaching enforcement with efforts to ensure local communities have food security and understand the economic and employment benefits of tourism as a way to protect wildlife. The Mambas are seen as role models within the community.

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Green space in cities can bring considerable health benefits for communities, but access is unequal

Ambika Chawla

March 19, 2021 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Platte Farm Open Space used to be a garbage dumping ground in Denver, but it’s now an urban green space thanks to the efforts from community members, organizations, and the government. This community-led project was able to secure funding to replace the contaminated land with fresh soil that now attracts animals and includes walking paths and a playground for children. This project offers lessons on how to build a green space in a diverse neighborhood and the health benefits that come from such an initiative.

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The 'Army Of Environmental Super Voters' Is Growing, And Marching On City Hall

Alexander Kaufman

March 18, 2021 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

The Environmental Voter Project has contacted nearly 6.2 million non-voters that care about the environment in 17 states since 2015, estimating that over 733,000 of them now vote regularly. They identify voters using demographic and behavioral data, verify the data using surveys, and apply algorithms to predict “super environmentalists,” focusing on people who don’t vote. They concentrate on local elections, such as mayoral races, and call, text, and knock-on voters’ doors. They also fundraise, increasing donations from about $475,000 in 2017 to nearly $2.7 million in 2020, mostly from small donors.

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The human right that benefits nature

Katarina Zimmer

March 16, 2021 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Costa Rica

A court in Costa Rica decided that a local municipality was illegally polluting a stream and this ruling set the stage for the country to ensure that a clean and healthy environment is a human right. They ingrained this right in their constitution joining about 110 other countries that have constitutionally recognized it. Although the law is not perfect, it has allowed courts to rule that killing endangered green sea turtles is unconstitutional, for example. Costa Rica’s success with this legal pathway could be used in other countries seeking to adopt the right to a healthy environment.

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Agroforestry and land reform give Brazil cacao farmers sweet taste of success

Patricia Moll

February 24, 2021 |

Mongabay |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Brazil, Ibirapitanga, Bahia

After there was a fungal disease outbreak in the 1990s that affected cacao crops in Brazil, a group of 150 community members got together to collectively manage a farm to grow back cacao trees using agroforestry techniques. Because of their efforts, they sell their cacao to major chocolate brands and have seen their monthly income more than double.

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