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It turns out vodka and icy roads can be a good mix

Matt Rocheleau

January 30, 2018 |

The Boston Globe |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Although alcohol and driving don't typically go hand-in-hand, researchers found one way to successfully and safely combine the two. By taking the by-products of the distilling process and combining them with the typical road salt that is used to help melt snow during winter conditions, these researchers created a super mixture which enhances the capabilities of melting the ice.

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Bioeconomy: A global trend?

Vijay Shankar Balakrishnan

January 22, 2018 |

Deutsche Welle (DW) |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Finland

Bioeconomy is the practice of using biological processes and organic materials to reduce waste, and it's gaining traction as a means of business. Finland is home to one of the largest bioproduct mills, where "a whole ecosystem of companies" work together on projects such as converting sustainably logged wood into pulp before selling it to Europe and Asia and producing solid biofuels which will eventually create electricity.

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These women in the Philippines scour a dump site for trash to turn into 'something beautiful'

Rina Diane Caballar

December 11, 2017 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Philippines

After a typhoon hit Dumaguete City in the Philippines’ Central Visayas region, Whitney Fleming began to work with local women “ to create jewelry from materials found in the local dump site.” Eventually their collaboration led to the creation of Lumago Designs, a social enterprise. The jewelry is made from found reusable items and the local women are paid fair wages.

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An Argentine startup that makes shoes from discarded tire scraps and employs single mothers

Lucy Sheriff

December 08, 2017 |

Public Radio International (PRI) |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Argentina

In Argentina, a trio of friends wanted to curb tire pollution, while simultaneously create financial opportunities for single mothers. That’s exactly what they did. Xinca, is a shoe company that uses rubber from old tires. So far 20,000 kilograms of tires have been recycled, and 25 women from rural areas have been hired. “This opportunity is very good because you are not just learning, you are meeting incredible people in the job and earning money at the same time.”

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In Cremona, ideas to make the ‘circular economy' real for cities

Simone D'Antonio

November 29, 2017 |

Citiscope |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Italy, Cremona

Cremona is dedicated to decreasing the amount of waste it produces and educating its residents in the process. It intends on creating a 'circular economy' where products are recycled, waste is costly, training programs educate the public on decreasing waste and other methods that are now also reaching all around Europe as well.

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Abandoned at Burning Man, bicycles now head for Houston and the Caribbean

Jessica Lussenhop

September 25, 2017 |

BBC |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Black Rock City, Nevada

Many argue that the Burning Man festival has become an exclusive and wasteful indulgence for the wealthy - an opinion that was exacerbated this year when thousands of perfectly good bicycles were left among the debris in the desert. But a few enterprising individuals and organizations saw an opportunity to aid the victims of hurricanes Irma and Maria by rescuing, fixing, and transporting the abandoned bikes to communities where many people had lost all other forms of transportation, stifling their recovery efforts. Now hope is being restored for some, two wheels at a time.

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‘Upcycling' Ocean Plastic Trash Comes into Fashion

Erica Cirino

August 07, 2017 |

News Deeply |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Cape Porpoise, Maine

When global oil prices drop, so do incentives to recycle plastic materials, and even more plastic debris and trash ends up collecting in our oceans and ecosystem. An alternative solution in the form of "up-cycling" is helping to combat plastic pollution, as nonprofits and do-gooders who gather beach and ocean trash partner up with companies and retailers to produce desirable products crafted from materials collected out of the oceans.

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Ghost Gear Busters: Paying Fishers to Collect Derelict Nets, Traps

Erica Cirino

July 26, 2017 |

News Deeply |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Barnegat Bay, New Jersey

"Ghost gear" describes the nets, lines, and other debris lost off the back of commercial fishing boats in staggering amounts each year, and it spells death for hundreds of thousands of marine animals and birds who get tangled in it. Previously, there was little financial incentive to pull this litter back out of the water, but a new public-private partnership called Fishing For Energy is paying fishers to gather up ghost gear and help recycle it, as well as developing new technologies to prevent bycatch and educating communities about the issue.

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How Vienna Conquered Its Own Filth

Feargus O'Sullivan

June 27, 2017 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Austria, Vienna

With the staggering amounts of garbage produced by modern lifestyles, waste disposal is becoming an increasingly difficult challenge for communities around the world. Vienna has tackled the trouble of trash with an innovative system, channeling the heat from incineration to warm homes and provide hot water, recovering reusable items from the waste stream and selling them in a special shop, and proactively educating the populace about how to reduce waste.

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A second life for waste

Amina Nazarli

June 24, 2017 |

AzerNews |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Azerbaijan

Students are paving the path for a more sustainable and environmentally conscious future in Azerbaijan. In a state that doesn't sort its garbage, this group of student-volunteers started "Papillon," a project aimed at up-cycling discarded waste into useful and aesthetic interior decorations and accessories.

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