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

How mangrove forests helped stall environmental crime

Kagondu David Njagi

April 27, 2021 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Gazi

A blue carbon credit scheme in Kenya is not only restoring mangrove forests, but it’s also reducing environmental crimes and providing a way for residents to make money. The Mikoko Pamoja carbon project is a partnership that encourages the protection of mangroves in exchange for selling carbon credits. Since the project launched 2013, each year it traps the equivalent carbon emissions of about 650 cars. While it’s not a perfect system, it has inspired other blue carbon programs in other villages.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Community restores grasslands, makes village drought-resilient

Vinaya Kurtkoti

April 21, 2021 |

Village Square |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Dhule, Maharashtra

Lamakani, a small village in India, went barren and townspeople completely depended on water tankers after a drought in the 90s. One leader initiated a watershed movement. They applied a series of approaches which included things like watershed development, bans on grass grazing and tree falling, and collaborating with local artists to communicate messages of conservation. Now, the town is lush again.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Mexican women who kicked out the cartels

Monica Wise Robles Richard Sprenger Katie Lamborn Charlie Phillips

April 15, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Mexico, Cherán, Michoacan

Ten years after the women of Cherán, an indigenous town in Michoacán, took up arms to lead an uprising against criminal cartels, their town is an "oasis" of low crime in a region otherwise beset with violence. The town declared itself autonomous and women now belong to the community police force that patrols the town and its surroundings. The cartels' illegal logging and extortion of businesses had corrupted local politicians and threatened a way of life. The town's men did nothing about it, so the women led the uprising that established order and kept the crime at bay.

Read More
Go to Original Story
With phones and seeds, jobless Kenyans tackle illegal logging

Kagondu David Njagi

April 15, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Kwale

As a way to combat unemployment due to the COVID-19 pandemic and to prevent further deforestation in Kenya, local rangers are using smartphones, satellite feeds, and global mapping to monitor their forests. The project employs more than 250 people and allows them to target vulnerable areas more effectively. Because of their efforts, there have been lower incidences of illegal logging and forest fires from poachers.

Read More
Go to Original Story
They Overcame Mutual Loathing, and Saved a Town

Nicholas Kristof

April 10, 2021 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, John Day, Oregon

Loggers and environmentalists aren’t always known for getting along, but the collaboration between these two groups in Oregon may have saved a town from going under. By creating a dialogue together and working to understand each other’s side, they were able to create a contract that allows loggers to continue thinning forests that were overgrown, which, in turn, keeps the forest healthy and people employed. This kind of cooperation could offer lessons for other groups who are looking to find common ground.

Read More
Go to Original Story
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.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Return of the Polish Wolf

Krzysztof Story

April 08, 2021 |

Tygodnik Powszechny |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Poland

Scientists, NGOs, conservationists, and the government worked together to bring the Polish wolf back from the brink of extinction. Methods like GPS tracking and genetic sampling have helped politicians made decisions about how to reduce human-animal conflict and ensure human development didn’t interfere with their habitats. As a result, over the last 50 years the wolf population in Poland has increased 50-fold.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Nuts for coco de mer: islanders rally to save world's biggest seed

Anne Pinto-Rodrigues

April 05, 2021 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Seychelles

A public-private scheme between the Seychelles Islands Foundation and a government agency is allowing residents to plant seeds of the coco de mer, or sea coconut, as a way to save the endangered tree species. So far, 96 seeds have been planted on 26 properties. Despite its extremely slow growth rate, island residents are excited to grow trees for future generations and protect them from poachers.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Planting trees can create plastic waste. One teenager is changing that.

Kanchan Srivastava

April 05, 2021 |

Footprint |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Chintalkunta, Telangana

A teenager in India came up with a solution to combat the plastic waste crisis that usually comes with planting trees. Srija created a biodegradable pot made out of groundnut shells that decomposes in the soil after 20 days. She’s working with an organization to scale her product, which costs just 27 cents to make.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How Do You Kill an Invasive Species? Bring in a Bigger, Meaner Species to Eat It

Moira Donovan

March 16, 2021 |

The Walrus |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

An insect that makes its home on eastern hemlocks in Nova Scotia has the power to wipe out the tree species if left unchecked. Scientists are looking to a strategy called biological control — a historically controversial approach — that would introduce a new predatory species to kill the insect. After rigorous lab testing showed a small black beetle only attacked their targets and didn’t disrupt other ecosystems, they released them in 2003 at an orchard on Vancouver Island. Results show they have been somewhat effective, but it’s unclear if it will completely solve the problem.

Read More
Go to Original Story