Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 1004 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

These Indigenous Women Are Reclaiming Stolen Land in the Bay Area

Deonna Anderson

April 30, 2019 |

Yes! Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

The Sogorea Te Land Trust is an intertribal women-led organization that is working to reclaim ownership of land in the Bay Area that Ohlone people have lived on for centuries. They regained access to the land through a partnership with another local grassroots organization called Planting Justice, who will eventually hand over the land to Sogorea Te for free once it is fully paid off. Sogorea Te believes that the root of a lot of Indigenous problems is the dispossession of their land, so they hope to use this land to rebuild resiliency and a way of life for and with their people.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Here's what one volunteer fire department is doing to prevent another West explosion

Erin Cargile

April 29, 2019 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, West, Texas

After a fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, the state has developed a safety course that focuses on fertilizer grade ammonium nitrate – one of the causes of the deadly fire years ago. While the course is still voluntary and doesn’t result in official certification, fire departments across the state have voiced their support.

Read More
Go to Original Story
'It's a groundswell': the farmers fighting to save the Earth's soil

Matthew Taylor

April 24, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom

Governments, UN officials, and climate experts alike are ringing the alarm bells of growing soil degradation around the world. But a new agricultural movement is tackling this challenge head on. Instead of the centuries-old method of ploughing, or turning up the soil, farmers have recently taken to keeping their fields covered with varied plants year round, to keep soil healthier. Advocates also point to lower costs on machinery and labor, more resilient crops, and climate change dividends as added benefits as well.

Read More
Go to Original Story
California Has Farmers Growing Weeds. Why? To Capture Carbon

Lauren Sommer

April 22, 2019 |

KQED |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, California

Richer soil not only retains more water and minerals, it also trap carbon from the atmosphere absorbed by plants. As California works to meet its carbon neutral goal, the state is enlisting farmers in its climate change strategy. Grants from the state encourage California’s farmers to grow plants traditionally considered as weeds as a way to boost the amount of organic matter in the soil.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Make America Graze Again

Margaret Renkl

April 22, 2019 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Nashville, Tennessee

In Nashville, a city better known for its music than its wildlife, a flock of sheep has become a tool for environmental preservation. It’s a way to “manage invasive vegetation in a safe, ecologically sensitive and cost-effective way.” Part of a movement known as “targeted grazing,” this method of preserving wildlife without chemicals has spread across America and Europe.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Ranchers Try New Tactics Coexisting with Wolves — Endangered or Not

Kimberly Cauvel

April 19, 2019 |

Bitterroot |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Eureka, Montana

The gray wolf was on the Endangered Species list when they were first reintroduced to the West in 1995, and although they have made an impressive comeback, there is now a debate between ranchers and environmentalists about the best way to handle the influx of predators to their cattle. Ranchers like Joe Purdy in Montana have found a successful mix of nonlethal tactics to keep them at bay: patrol of the area during the hours of 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., wildlife cameras, inviting campers to stay, building fences, and more.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Florida strawberry farmers using robots to pick fruit, control mildew

Paul Brinkmann

April 18, 2019 |

UPI |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Orlando, Florida

Robots are the newest way to improve efficiency of agriculture in the context of an aging immigrant population of fruit pickers, specifically in the strawberry industry. Harvest CROO is the company behind the robot Berry, and it has received millions of dollars to develop this technology. Research shows advancements in agricultural technology may be the only way to feed a growing worldwide population.

Read More
Go to Original Story
As floods increase, cities like Detroit are looking to green stormwater infrastructure

Erica Gies

April 16, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

In Detroit, a city with plenty of open space, there is ample opportunity for green stormwater infrastructure to help the city better manage water. The dual goal of decreasing water pollution and better managing flood conditions has already started with the 16 GSI projects in use. A new approach to water drainage fees based on amount of land has incentivized business owners to implement their own stormwater-reducing measures. The city plans to spend $50 million more on these efforts in the next ten years.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Female Farmers are Coming into Their Own—and Networking is Key to Their Success

Marianne Messina

April 16, 2019 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Wisconsin

As the number of women in agriculture grows, a group of female farmers in Wisconsin participate in a networking cooperative called In Her Boots. Starting as a 12-person potluck, members of In Her Boots now come from more than 20 different counties and swap knowhow more specific to women, such as how to adjust farming practices to fit a smaller frame or how to apply for farm grants. The group is still growing and is now part of a data-gathering metric from the University of Wisconsin which aims to measure the growth of women in sustainable farming.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Decades of wise use pay off for a Kabale wetland

Fredrick Mugira

April 15, 2019 |

InfoNILE |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Rubaya, Kabale

In 1980, the Ugandan government signed an agreement with local communities in the Mugandu–Buramba wetland that gave them the right to own, manage, and conserve their own property. Today, the wetlands are thriving —reducing degradation and improving biodiversity— and creating a livelihood for the 276 people that live there. The government says that since they are using the land responsibly, their agreement will continue.

Read More
Go to Original Story