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Multnomah County Trees Are Doing Much More Than We Think

Monica Samayoa Priyanka Runwal

November 01, 2019 |

Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Friends of Trees, a nonprofit organization in the Portland area, are not just planting trees because they help combat climate change and improve air quality, but because they also help stop major flooding and avoid erosion. While it can be expensive to maintain the trees and clean up the leaves from storm drains, these trees could prevent millions of gallons of rainfall from flooding neighborhoods as extreme weather events are expected to increase in the future.

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Greening the Desert With Wastewater

Klaus Sieg

October 29, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Egypt, Ismalia

The Serapium Forest is one of 36 forests in Egypt that are growing because of treated wastewater, part of a country-wide initiative that started 25 years ago as a way to productively use treated sewage water, create forest in the desert, and help minimize desertification. Additionally, the program creates high-quality wood that can be sold, as well as absorbing greenhouse gases.

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Drone Swarms and Gene-Altered Corals Fight Climate Change

Tom Gibson Vicky Feng Leila Hussain

October 29, 2019 |

Bloomberg |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Replanting and replenishing damaged ecosystems is crucial to mitigating further adverse effects of climate change. From the forests of the American Pacific Northwest, to the coral reefs around the globe, startups and scientists are working to increase the resilience of natural systems. DroneSeed, in Seattle, WA, leverages drone technology to increase reforestation efforts. Meanwhile, biologists in Thailand are working to cultivate hardy corals.

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Sonoma and Butte counties see natural lessons in wake of megafires

Stephen Nett

October 25, 2019 |

The Press Democrat |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sonoma, California

California’s Sonoma and Butte counties have been taking new approaches to wildfires – rather than preventing them, they’re hoping to support the ecosystem to withstand them and bounce back. This resilience-centered approach includes controlled burns, fuel breaks, cross-organizational collaboration, and educating the public – especially homeowners – about how they can help.

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What Baltimore Gets Right about Urban Trees

Christine McLaren

October 17, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore has become a leader in maintaining and growing the city’s trees by monitoring their health more closely. Using a new mapping technique, city officials can analyze its current tree canopy and see how it affects other city data like temperature, health, and crime. While growing the green space has been slow and revealed areas of income inequality, their successes could be a model for other communities that want to grow their urban forests.

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This Charcoal-Coated Seed Could Bring Kenya's Forests Back to Life

Randi Eicher

October 10, 2019 |

The Slowdown |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Kenya, Nairobi

To combat the rapidly decreasing forest density in Kenya, an organization created "seedballs," or seeds from trees coated in charcoal and other nutrients that help the seeds survive long enough to germinate. The organization created a competition for schoolchildren to scatter the seeds using slingshots and encourages other creative ways to spread the seeds across the country.

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The Fashion Executives Who Saved a Patagonian Paradise

Jason Mark

September 04, 2019 |

Sierra Club |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Chile, Patagonia National Park

After amassing a large amount of property in Chile, the Tompkins Conservation would donate millions of acres to the government to maintain as national parks for wildlife conservation and sustainable land use. This was the largest act of “wildlands philanthropy” in history. When the Tompkins started buying land, locals were at first distrustful, but now they’re concerned the government won’t be able to maintain the properties. Thanks to the Tompkins Conservation, wildlife, like the South Andean deer, are being reintroduced and forests have recovered.

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When public lands become tribal lands again

Anna V. Smith

August 16, 2019 |

High Country News |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians Reservation, United States, Umpqua National Forest, Oregon

After decades of failed legislation, over 17,000 acres of public land was finally restored to the Umpqua Tribe with the passage of the Western Oregon Tribal Fairness Act. The land was a constant source of tension between the tribe, the government, and environmental conservation groups, “under the pretext that Native peoples didn’t know how to manage them.” But in December 2018, with the passage of the Act and the return of 3% of the land that was originally seized, a sense of justice was felt.

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Interlocking Bricks: A Solution To Environment Degradation

Aisha Nanyonjo

August 07, 2019 |

Things That Work Uganda |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Bidibidi

Because deforestation in Uganda is rapidly increasing, including in the Bidibidi Refugee Settlement, a new tactic for constructing bricks for housing that didn't require trees was developed by Mercy Corps, UK Aid, and the Office of the Prime Minister. The new bricks are made of interlocking soil bricks consisting of sand, gravel, cement, and little water. This new solution is cost-effective, can be made on site, and preserves the local trees.

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Refugees and host community gang up to fight climate change

Noah Omuya

August 02, 2019 |

Things That Work Uganda |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Bidibidi

The Bidibidi refugee settlement in Uganda, the largest such settlement in the world, is working with a number of agencies including the UNHCR and The Office of the Prime Minister to address environmental issues in their ever-growing settlement. They are strategizing about a number of initiatives to improve life and conditions where they live with topics like Water Sanitation and Hygiene, Education, Health, or Infrastructure. Current solutions include planting over 470,000 trees, local communities donating land for settlers to build their own crops, and environmental education in the local schools.

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