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Citizens of the Week Gaye Harley and Jamie Powell

Jessica Press

August 12, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Wilmington, Delaware

In Wilmington, Delaware, Gaye Harley repurposes her hospital's operating room wraps, the oversize sheets of synthetic material used to package instruments, into portable maps for the homeless. Instead of disposing of the materials, she has urged the hospital to recycle them into nearly 100 mats and counting. They have also used the mats to make tote bags, which they distribute with donated socks, also to the homeless.

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Improving our own environment

Madison Kuklentz Gabriella DeMelfi Thomas Garlick

August 09, 2019 |

The Mercury |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Schwenksville, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy has built a grassroots base of volunteers that help clean up the local environment. Through education at schools and summer workshops, outreach projects, and asking volunteers to recruit new people, the Conservancy saw over 1,000 volunteers at its annual stream cleanup event. While the organization is still trying to figure out how to retain volunteers for long-term projects, the response to immediate projects has been overwhelming.

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Oregon Rethinks Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: Life After the Chinese Import Ban

Maggie Mertens

August 09, 2019 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

After China stopped buying recycling near the end of 2017, Oregon faced mounting piles of mixed recycling that seemed bound for the landfill--a move that might have been illegal under Oregon law. Instead, the state's recycling industry made adjustments, including limiting the types of items to be recycled and using local processing plants instead of Chinese ones.

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Less Trash, More Schools — One Plastic Brick at a Time

Anemona Hartocollis

July 27, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan

The recycling economy is helping Ivory Coast overcome a building shortage and create jobs. The Fighting Women, a community organization in Abidjan, collect plastic waste to resell to manufacturers. In partnership with UNICEF, the Columbian company, Conceptos Plásticos purchases plastic waste from the Women and recycles it into bricks, which are used to construct classrooms.

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Bring Containers, Leave Your Guilt at Home

Karine Vann

July 26, 2019 |

DigBoston |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Package-free shopping encourages more sustainable consumption. In Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cleenland offers package-free household products, including shampoo and cleaners. Customers use their own containers and pay by weight. Asking consumers to pay more attention helps reduce waste generated by packaging and contributes to municipal zero waste strategies.

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How Women Are Leading the Charge to Recycle Whole Houses

Teresa Carey

July 24, 2019 |

Smithsonian |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Leonardtown, Maryland

To avoid the waste that would incur from demolishing structures such as houses and apartment buildings, a reuse center in Maryland works with deconstruction crews to disassemble the buildings and then sells the salvaged materials at a reduced cost. Although "the trend is hardly noticed," this type of movement has spread across the United States and is mostly led by women.

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Living without plastic: One family's journey

Susan Spillman

July 19, 2019 |

Los Angeles Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

For one family, living plastic-free was a lifestyle decision made after they learned more about the harm that plastic waste causes. The Watt family lives as plastic-free as possible – carrying their own utensils, buying in bulk and bringing their own glass containers, making their own household cleaner, and using reusable beeswax wraps instead of cling wrap. While these are all steps in the right direction toward reducing the nearly 335 million tons of plastic produced every year, experts say we need to rely less on individual actions and push for tougher laws and systemic changes.

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Are bioplastics better for the environment than conventional plastics?

Anja Krieger

July 16, 2019 |

Ensia |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin

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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How grassroots partnerships are working toward long-term food security

Alexis Allison

July 03, 2019 |

Columbia Missourian |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Branson, Missouri

Overcoming the causes of social isolation plays a crucial role in combating food insecurity. From faith-based community meals paired with job programs in Branson, to food recycling initiatives that tap into local markets in Kansas, multiple organizations across Missouri and the United States are developing solutions oriented toward local needs. In some cases, such as the work of Mother Hubbard’s Cupboard in Bloomington, IN, building community leads to political advocacy and civic engagement.

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Campus Thrift Stores

Nick Fiorellini

July 03, 2019 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Annadale-on-Hudson, New York

Recycling and repurposing second hand items helps to reduce a community’s carbon footprint. At Bard College in New York, the FreeUse Store collects second hand items from students and redistributes them free of charge to members of the community. Run by the university’s Office of Sustainably, the program provides a model for using campus bins to recycle textiles and other items to reduce landfill use.

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