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A San Francisco Airport Site Is Crawling With Snakes—And That's a Good Thing

Ashley Stimpson

July 27, 2021 |

Atlas Obscura |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

The endangered San Francisco garter snake has made a comeback due to conservation efforts at the San Francisco International airport. They built ponds and wetlands to make the conditions ideal for the snake to thrive and as a result, approximately 1,300 snakes call the property home. While there are still issues with invasive plants and industrial runoff polluting the area, the ecological improvements have helped the snake population’s rebound.

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Fighting plastic waste: a double-edged sword

Justice Nwafor

July 26, 2021 |

SciDev.Net |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Lagos

Teams of recyclers in Nigeria gather plastic bottles from the streets and landfills and brings them to recycling plants where they can exchange the waste for money. HISL Recyclers collects this waste — which usually contains polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, a dangerous chemical — as a way to remove the waste from the environment. However, more work needs to be done to get more people to participate in the program and to scale the operations. So far, they’ve been able to recycle up to 20 tonnes of plastic waste a month.

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Many mangrove restorations fail. Is there a better way?

Katarina Zimmer

July 22, 2021 |

Knowable Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Guinea-Bissau

Mangrove forests are known to be excellent storers of carbon and hosts of biodiversity, but they are also able to protect communities on coastlines from storm surge. However, many of the projects to restore these forests fail because they are rushed or planted in the wrong places. Scientists argue that organizers should focus on natural regrowth or “ecological mangrove restoration,” a science-based approach, which has been used in Indonesia and Guinea-Bissau.

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Cooler, Cleaner Megacities, One Rooftop Garden at a Time

Marianne Dhenin

July 08, 2021 |

Yes! Magazine |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Egypt, Cairo

Organizations in Egypt and Bangladesh are greening their cities by turning rooftops into urban gardens that can grow food, reduce air pollution, and decrease air temperatures. Green Savers in Dhaka has installed more than 5,000 rooftop gardens in the city and Urban Greens in Cairo partners with sponsors to install hydroponic rooftop gardens for families experiencing economic hardship. It’s been a challenge to convince people that the cost to maintain these spaces is worthwhile, but through community outreach efforts, these organizations have seen an increase in interest in installing rooftop gardens.

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How Montana ag producers are building topsoil, drought resilience and profits

Emily Stifler Wolfe

July 06, 2021 |

Montana Free Press |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Montana

Faced with the effects of climate change, in Montana, some farmers are turning towards organic or regenerative practices, a form of farming that includes thing like crop rotation, and using fewer pesticides. It’s a switch from conventional farming, which usually involves mono crops, heavy use of pesticides, and genetically modifies seeds, producing thehighestt yield. A technique that has led to soil erosion. Nationally, farmers are turning towards regenerative farming which builds the topsoil, meaning it is better for the land and the environment.

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Could miniature forests help air-condition cities?

The Economist

July 03, 2021 |

The Economist |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Japan

The Miyawaki method of planting miniature natural forests in cities as a way to reduce air pollution and cool down temperatures is gaining ground throughout the world. The process involves planting a variety of trees in a particular way that allows for them to grow rapidly. While this method is very labor intensive and can be difficult to scale, there are more than 1,500 of these types of forests in Japan, India, and Pakistan.

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The people racing to replant Africa

Laura Joffre

July 02, 2021 |

Pioneers Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Senegal

The Gambia river which rests in Sahel, the region between the Sahara desert and the African rainforest, used to be extremely fertile, farmers could live of the land. Yet, climate change and years of deforestation have made the land uncultivable. One NGO, with help from other organizations and international funders, is trying to rebuild the land by creating, "The Great Green Wall,” an effort to build an 8,000-km mural of plants and trees along the southern border of the Sahara desert. So far, 18 million hectares of land have been restored.

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Cleaning up Cambodia's kitchens could curb deforestation, climate change

Marissa Carruthers

June 22, 2021 |

Mongabay |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Cambodia

In Cambodia 2.5 million people use stoves fueled by forest biomass; charcoal and wood. The emissions caused by using biomass are extremely harmful not only to people but also to the environment. The emissions caused by biomass globally are equal to those of the aviation industry. To counter the problem, several organizations and companies are providing alternatives for Cambodian families like electric stoves. One company, Khmer Green Charcoal, created stoves that run on “clean” charcoal made from coconut shells. More than 6,500 households across the country have made the transition.

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'The Beachcombers' town is now famous for fighting climate change

Alanna Mitchell

May 18, 2021 |

Broadview Magazine |

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Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Gibsons, British Columbia

A hit TV show in the 1970s and ‘80s called The Beachcombers brought the town of Gibsons and its logging practices into homes across Canada. After years of pollution and land degradation, it became one of the first towns in the world to incorporate nature into the municipality’s finances. Developers have to take stock of what natural infrastructure is on their property before they build. The town also launched an initiative to encourage other places to calculate the value of their green infrastructure. So far, 30 of them have signed up across the Great White North.

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Saving Mowers and Wildlife

Kristine Nemec

May 15, 2021 |

Stormwater Magazine |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Vermont

After the Vermont Agency of Transportation had to release more than 50 northern water snakes that were entangled in plastic erosion control netting alongside a road, the department looked for other products that could get the job done while also protecting wildlife. Many states, including Vermont, have switched to more biodegradable options that use natural fibers and found that there hasn’t been a difference in performance and haven’t seen any wildlife mixed up in the new netting.

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