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The London Marathon's method for reducing plastic bottles: Edible seaweed pouches

Peter Holley

April 29, 2019 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

The London Marathon debuted a new, environmentally conscious way of keeping runners hydrated: edible seaweed pouches filled with sports drink. The pouches, or “Ooho,” created by Skipping Rocks Labs, can be eaten along with the liquid inside of them, or users can bite the corner and drink the contents, discarding the seaweed wrapping. This was the first mass use of such pouches, with the hope that they can be used to cut down on plastic at large scale events in the future.

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Mini reefs restore SWFL canals

Carolina Lopez

April 17, 2019 |

Changing Florida |

Video |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Florida

Oceans Habitats, Inc. has built and installed over 1,600 mini-reefs in Florida to bring aquatic life back to the canals and to improve the water quality. Water filters through these artificial reefs made out of propylene pipe and boosts the variety of fish and marine life species. These reefs can help grow over 300 fish a year. The organization is looking to make the reefs out of recycled material to be more environmentally friendly.

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Straws Made of Seaweed Could Replace Their Plastic Nemesis

Madison Dapcevich

March 14, 2019 |

EcoWatch |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

An innovative solution to the massive amount of plastic in our oceans is a new startup called Loliware. It produces 100% biodegradable straws "that look, feel, and act like plastic" but are actually made of seaweed. Not only do the straws decompose in a few weeks and are gluten-free, non-GMO, and sugar-free, but the process of creating them sequesters carbon dioxide, which further increases their positive environmental impact.

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Vanuatu Has One Of The World's Strictest Plastic Bans. It's About To Get Tougher.

Nick Visser

February 23, 2019 |

The Huffington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Vanuatu, Port Vila

What started as a Facebook campaign to ban plastic bags has become legislation in the island country of Vanuatu. The country has banned many single-use plastics, including bags, drinking straws, and containers, and hopes to ban more plastics in the future. Citing a cultural respect for the environment, such legislation has been welcomed by residents.

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What a project in Wisconsin can teach others about working with farmers to reduce phosphorus runoff

Stephanie Hemphill

January 23, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Green Bay, Wisconsin

In Green Bay, Wisconsin, farmers are experimenting with BMPs, or best management practices, to farm their land in a way that protects the environment and decrease algae in the water. Five years into the pilot program, early results show some progress - and as more farmers adopt BMPs, the bigger the impact on the waterways will be.

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Guardian to be first national newspaper with biodegradable wrapping

Jim Waterson

January 11, 2019 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

National newspapers and mailers could do a lot to reduce plastic waste. Take a look at the UK's Guardian. In response to reader comments, the newspaper has stopped wrapping its deliveries in plastic, switching instead to a biodegradable material made from potato starch.

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As Disease Ravages Coral Reefs, Scientists Scramble for Solutions

Ret Talbot

January 10, 2019 |

Yale Environment 360 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Miami, Florida

As corals die-off globally, research groups around the world are working on a suite of remedies. From Australia to Florida, scientists are breeding resilient corals strains, transplanting healthy corals to new areas, and even applying antibiotics. But the solutions aren't yet scalable. Unless stresses like global warming and pollution are also addressed, such research is likely not enough.

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Scientists are using bacteria to remove harmful contaminants from our water. Here's how.

Hannah Thomasy

January 08, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Rialto, California

It turns out that bacteria can do a lot more than contaminate water--some species break down toxic chemicals and remove heavy metals. Active sites already clean water in states like Kansas, Utah, Texas, and California; for example, one Californian groundwater treatment plant can clean 2,000 gallons of perchlorate-contaminated water per minute. Though some logistical and technical hurdles remain, these bacterial allies in the fight against water pollution are very promising.

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Precycle Is a New Bushwick Grocery Store With a Mission

Emma Orlow

January 07, 2019 |

New York Magazine |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

In Bushwick, the grocery store Precycle is on the front lines of the battle against plastic pollution. Selling food in bulk, while inviting customers to bring their own containers, reduces not only plastic waste but food prices. But will the inconvenience of bringing containers stand in the way of waste-free stores' success?

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Three promising new technologies could help send stormwater to taps in thirsty cities

Lindsey Konkel

January 04, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa, Cape Town

With water scarcity becoming a reality for many cities, people are looking towards the premise of recycling stormwater into drinkable water collected from urban runoff. One major limitation of this is that the water often is too polluted for consumption, however researchers have piloted several new technologies that may hold the key to being able to scale the stormwater recycling solution.

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