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Is Burying Power Lines Fire-Prevention Magic, or Magical Thinking?

Angela K. Evans

July 11, 2022 |

Inside Climate News |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Boulder, Colorado

Burying electrical lines underground — a process called undergrounding — can prevent wildfires and mass power outages. Most of the country’s existing electric infrastructure is above ground and outdated, which is something cities at risk for wildfires are beginning to address.

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Climate change: 'Sand battery' could solve green energy's big problem

Matt McGrath

July 05, 2022 |

BBC |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Finland, Kankaanpää

A team of Finnish engineers havevinstalled the first commercial battery made of sand, which can store green energy in it for months. Solar panels or wind turbines generate electricity, which is then stored as heat in the sand battery. When needed, the battery can discharge hot air to heat up water which is then used to heat homes, offices, and a swimming pool. This solution may be difficult to scale, but it’s a low-cost storage idea that could be useful when it’s cold and energy is more expensive.

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Nigerian Rural Community Stuck In Water Crisis. A Nonprofit Takes A Photo, And It Tilts The Narrative

Abiodun Jamiu

May 28, 2022 |

HumAngle |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Nigeria, Afon, Kwara

The Grassroots Aid Initiative uses the power of photography to bring safe drinking water to communities in Nigeria. The women-led nonprofit takes pictures of these villages and uses the images to crowdfund on social media. So far, they’ve been able to bring motorized boreholes in 15 communities to help combat water scarcity.

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Saving the Great Lakes, one laundry load at a time

Erika Engel

May 13, 2022 |

CollingwoodToday |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Parry Sound, Ontario

A pilot experiment in Canada shows that adding a filter on a washing machine can prevent microfibers from entering the wastewater system and ending up in marine ecosystems. After installing these filters on machines in a community, there was a 41 percent decrease of microfibers in the washing machine liquid waste. This will not keep all microfibers from ending up in the environment, but legislators are working on passing bills requiring manufacturers to get these filters installed on new machines.

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How San Antonio prioritizes helping low-income residents with their water bills

Conor Morris

May 05, 2022 |

The Land |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, San Antonio, Texas

San Antonio’s water discount program has a higher enrollment rate compared to other cities, making it a successful initiative worth emulating. An emphasis on outreach to increase enrollment, a donor-funded emergency relief program, simpler applications, and bilingual representatives have all helped to increase the number of households enrolled in the program.

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What can Philadelphia learn from Cleveland's water department?

Conor Morris

May 04, 2022 |

The Land |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland’s water affordability initiative has provided relief to qualified homeowners in the city. The Homestead Water program alleviates debt and locks in reduced water utility rates. The program also has a streamlined application process, which has led to higher enrollment rates.

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A tale of two cities' water bills: how one place was able to reduce mounting utility costs for low-income households and how Ohio may follow suit

Conor Morris

May 02, 2022 |

Eye On Ohio |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia’s Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) provides water debt alleviation and locks water bill rates to 2-3 percent of a household’s income. The program provides a unique security net to qualified homeowners in the city. Cleveland has the potential to provide a similar benefit to its residents with a few manageable changes.

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What can Cleveland learn from Philadelphia's ambitious experiment in water billing?

Conor Morris

May 02, 2022 |

The Land |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia’s Tiered Assistance Program (TAP) provides water debt alleviation and locks water bill rates to 2-3 percent of a household’s income. The program provides a unique security net to qualified homeowners in the city. Cleveland has the potential to provide a similar benefit to its residents with a few manageable changes.

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Solar Power Is Clean and Cheap, But Still Has Challenges to Overcome

Ethan Brown

March 25, 2022 |

The Sweaty Penguin |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, San Jose, California

Solar energy is a clean, cheap, renewable, and land-efficient resource, making it a valuable technology to scale up in the face of climate concerns and clean energy. Diversifying the supply chain for creating and sourcing solar panels can help make solar energy more reliable when faced with geopolitical and human rights issues.

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Oregon Is Turning Sewage into an Endless Supply of Green Energy

Britany Robinson

March 17, 2022 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Clackamas county, Oregon

A wastewater treatment plant in Oregon not only cleans water that is released into the local river, but it also creates fertilizer that is sent to farmers to use on non-food crops and it produces renewable power from methane. The green energy created at the plant heats five buildings on the site and produces half of the energy the facility uses. This kind of co-generation system is growing in other places in the United States, China, Brazil, and Norway.

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