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  • Desertification Is Devouring India. But There's Hope in the Dunes

    The people of a small village on the edge of the Thar Desert have managed for decades to resist "desertification" -- degradation of arid land to the point that it is uninhabitable -- by storing monsoon waters for use later. The storage device, rectangular plots of land called chaukas, have worked well enough to be copied by dozens of other villages in the area. It is uncertain if this approach can reverse the loss of land, but it is at least holding off the rapid pace of desertification, which risks mass displacements of people as hundreds of millions of acreage is lost.

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  • The Dark Toll of Light Pollution

    In the morning, before the city’s cleaning crew makes its rounds, volunteers of the Lights Out Baltimore chapter are counting the number of birds that fly into buildings. Each year, for four months, they monitor 25 buildings, documenting over 400 bird deaths annually due to flying into a building. Artificial light from buildings can interrupt their vision and cause them to collide with structures. Using citizen science to log bird collisions, they hope to convince property owners to dim their lights during peak hours of the migration season or install a bird-safe film to their windows.

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  • Green burials: Everything you need to know about the growing trend

    Green burials—the practice of burying a body in the earth with the intention of it decomposing naturally—are becoming more popular across Canada as people become aware of the high prices and environmental damage that come with traditional burials. The idea also lends itself to a communal enjoyment of the land: plots are reused and the spot remains unmarked. This practice is low-impact and offers other creative ways for people to bury their loved ones.

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  • Grocery Stores and Local Recycling Centers Offer Solution to Plastic Bag Pollution

    Grocery stores across the nation have explored creative solutions to recycle plastic bags, including melting them into new bags and even using the material to build compact lumber and playground equipment. In Athens, Georgia, residents can bring their recyclables to the local Publix to be delivered to one of these specialty recycling centers.

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  • Are bioplastics better for the environment than conventional plastics?

    As people around the world become increasingly aware of the harmful nature of plastic use, bioplastics have risen in popularity. But the term “bioplastic” actually means different things and the type of bioplastics out there may or may not be as environmentally-friendly as they purport. While scientists continue to experiment in the design of a truly biodegradable plastic, many say that simple reduce and reuse is the way forward.

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  • The rise of urban food forests

    Creating and supporting local food systems requires public-private partnerships in urban planning. Across the United States, nonprofit organizations such as Trees Atlanta in Georgia successfully work with cities to operate and maintain community orchards, or "food forests", on public lands. Planting food forests with several layers of fruit-bearing vegetation reduces the prevalence of food deserts, adding both green space and nutritional value to communities.

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  • Think Globally, Sustain Locally

    A New Jersey nonprofit, Sustainable Jersey, is taking a collaborative approach to environmental health, action, and sustainability. The organization is primarily a certification program, giving New Jersey towns guidelines to follow when it comes to energy use, waste, water, and health, and spotlighting those that are doing it well. At its annual summit, it brought together organizations from across the state, calling upon them and others to take more drastic actions, especially when it comes to waste reduction.

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  • Termite and ventilation system

    Buildings with permeable surfaces increase energy efficiency, mimicking natural structures. In Harare, Zimbabwe, the Eastgate Centre employs methods borrowed from termite mound construction to efficiently regulate the building's temperature. By employing insights that scientists had gained by studying the airflow in termite mounds, the Centre’s architects used materials with a high thermal mass, increased surface area, and maximized ventilation.

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  • Coastal Recovery: Bringing a Damaged Wetland Back to Life

    A coastal recovery project in Delaware Bay is using a technique that they call "engineering with nature" to bring back the 4,000 acres of wetlands from the disastrous effects of human interference and climate change. They use a multitude of strategies, such as stabilizing the dunes and replanting native grasses, and although they approach the project as a research study without progress yet, they have already begun to see a return of wildlife including birds, eels, and crabs. Similar efforts to restore wetlands are also taking off across the globe.

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  • Probiotics help humans stay healthy. Can they benefit other animals, too?

    Across the world, research is being done to figure out if probiotics – live bacteria that hold numerous health benefits – can help animals other than humans. Thus far, such treatments have yielded success in labs working with amphibians, brown bats, and coral, demonstrating that humans can help treat wildlife diseases. While the research continues to show success, many are now figuring out how to give this sort of treatment in nature and on much larger scales.

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