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On the Delaware, A Promising New Era in Cleanup of an Urban River

Jon Hurdle

August 20, 2020 |

Yale Environment 360 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Camden, New Jersey

Once known for being dirty, the Delaware River is being cleaned up by nonprofits and government entities to the point where they’re encouraging people to swim in it again. The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority diverted the flow of sewage at 52 municipal plants to a new treatment plant, which has kept 15 million gallons of sewage out of the river each day. While overflows have not been completely eliminated, a national advocacy group even named the Delaware its River of the Year because of its improvements in water quality.

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Use of plastic bags in England drops by 59% in a year

Rebecca Smithers

July 30, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, England

The sales of single-use plastic bags has dropped by more than 95 percent in England’s supermarkets since 2015 when a monetary fee was introduced to encourage shoppers to reduce their plastic waste. Despite this reduction, research suggests that the amount of plastic waste in the world’s oceans was still likely to triple in volume in the next 20 years.

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“Ladies First!”: Women fight against solid waste dumping in this Himachal Pradesh village

Vaishnavi Rathore

April 13, 2020 |

Mongabay |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Sudher, Himachal Pradesh

A group of women volunteers, known as the Mahila Mandal, from Sudher in India are fighting against the dumping of garbage in their village and the pollution and potential negative health effects that come with it. Despite daily household and farm work, the group has been pressuring authorities through demonstrations and protests to clean up the solid waste dumping site.

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How to Exorcise the Ghosts of Crab Traps Past

Dani Leviss

January 09, 2020 |

Hakai Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Jersey

Low cost sonar helps teams of crabbers in the Great Bay Estuary locate abandoned traps, which they use hook lines to remove to protect wildlife and damage to fishing boats. Funded by three grants, teams have retrieved around 2,200 traps and crabbers are compensated for their efforts. The initiative is modeled after one in the Chesapeake Bay, where 34,408 ghost pots were removed over six years. Similar efforts have been implemented around the world, including the Ghost Trap Rodeo in Tampa Bay, which is styled like a fishing tournament but competitors collect abandoned traps instead of catching fish.

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The Lady of Rabindra Sarovar lake

Mou Chakraborty

December 17, 2019 |

Mongabay |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: India, Kolkata, West Bengal

For decades, Sumita Banerjee has mobilized her community to save the Rabindra Sarovar lake. The lake preserves floral species, generates oxygen, and offers green space for locals to enjoy, but it’s threatened by government inaction and festivals the lead to pollution. Her work with petitions, cleanups, and legal action has made slow but steady change to preserve the lake.

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Three years of mining, 40 years of taxpayer clean up for river downstream of Vancouver Island copper mine

Andrew Findlay Taylor Roades

December 16, 2019 |

The Narwhal |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Vancouver Island, British Columbia

After an abandoned copper mine destroyed the Tsolum River in Canada, it took decades and cross-sector collaboration to reduce acid runoff and bring back fish populations. The government, a restoration society, and even the mining industry worked together to come up with solutions to save the river. Their latest attempt — capping the mine waste with glacial sediment and an asphalt covering — in 2009 succeeded. In 2015, 129,000 pink salmon came back to the river — a record return since fish counts began in 1953.

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In Peoria, Green Infrastructure As a Path to Social Equity

Emily Nonko

November 20, 2019 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Peoria, Illinois

Green infrastructure provides a return on investment and improves the quality of life in a community. In Peoria, Illinois, the city’s Public Works Department has piloted several green infrastructure initiatives with the help of funding of a Bloomberg Philanthropies grant. Projects like the Well Farm at Voris Field, zero runoff streets are proving successful at capturing sewer runoff and creating economic value, while the youth volunteer PeoriaCorps are helping make the projects community-based.

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Lake Erie's green monster: Climate change adds pressure to prevent toxic algal blooms

Brian Albrecht

November 10, 2019 |

Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Ohio

Toxic green algae has become a prominent threat in Lake Erie, but local farmers are trying to reduce their footprint by limiting agricultural nutrient runoff from manure and fertilizer that is spread on their farm fields. From increasing transparency around agriculture practices to altering how fertilizer is distributed, early signs are showing success with these measures despite there still being a long ways to go.

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Battle to restore Chesapeake Bay provides lessons for Great Lakes

Brian Albrecht

November 10, 2019 |

Cleveland.com (The Plain Dealer) |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Chesapeake, Ohio

The Great Lakes region is becoming overtaken by algal blooms, but reduction efforts from past projects are helping to create a guide for a way forward. The Chesapeake Bay Program – a multi-state and multi-agency effort – is proving to be one such model since reporting "reductions in algae growth, and an increasing percentage of water tributaries meeting clean water standards."

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Water Warriors

Michael Premo Rachel Falcone

November 04, 2019 |

PBS POV |

Documentary |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Canada, New Brunswick

After an energy company began exploring New Bruncwick territory for oil and natural gas, Indigenous tribes and white people worked together to protect their water and ban fracking. They held protests at government buildings and set up road blocks to prevent equipment trucks from getting out. Some of the protests included violent clashes with police, which made national news and drew more supporters. As a result of their actions, the government put a moratorium on fracking in the Canadian province.

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