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Here comes the sun canoe, as Amazonians take on Big Oil

Francesc Badia i Dalmases

March 13, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Ecuador, Kapawi

The Kara Solar Foundation is looking to connect indigenous communities in Achuar territory in Ecuador to learn about solar power as an alternative to oil. By building solar-powered canoes, they can replace vessels that burn fossil fuels into the atmosphere. While the two boats in operation have run into technical problems, the intercultural training programs are instructing Achuar people on how to fix the technology. “Sustained and truly intercultural collaborations can create technological solutions that serve indigenous communities, rather than destroying them,” says Oliver Utne, the foundation's founder.

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Can rationing carbon help fight climate change?

Frank Swain

February 17, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Australia, Norfolk Island

As countries wrestle with how to reduce their carbon emissions, grassroots carbon rationing experiments are taking shape around the word. On an Australian Island of 800 people, a quarter of them participated in a test that calculated their carbon footprints with a goal of reducing their fossil fuel use by 10 percent. The average household reduced their usage by 18 percent and almost two-thirds of participants wanted to continue. Other experiments in Finland and the United Kingdom have taken place, yet some question if carbon rationing is equitable.

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Phoenix replacing diesel-fueled garbage trucks with natural gas ones

Christopher Howley

January 31, 2020 |

Cronkite News - Arizona PBS |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Phoenix, Arizona

Arizona has the second most-polluted air of any state in America, but local government leaders are championing the Cleaner Trucks Initiative as one tool to improve air quality. The city of Phoenix received $1 million from the EPA to transition garbage trucks from diesel to compressed natural gas to reduce emissions and pollution.

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Mountain athletes push progress over perfection in climate fight

Jason Blevins

January 31, 2020 |

The Colorado Sun |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Since 2007, Protect Our Winters (POW) has engaged outdoor athletes to advocate for climate change. They believe in “imperfect advocacy,” in which they focus on corporate polluters whose habits can create larger-scale change, rather than putting the impetus for change solely on individuals. In doing so, they have been able to successfully engage athletes in their mission, build a partnership with the Climate Action Corps, a coalition of outdoor outfitters working for change at a corporate-level, and host rallies to sway public officials.

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The audacious effort to reforest the planet

Ben Guarino

January 22, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Munich

In an effort to get back to the roots of climate change, Plants for the Planet and other international initiatives plant millions of trees each year to help capture the massive amounts of carbon being released into the atmosphere. While tree-planting is only one piece in the larger fight to slow climate-change, it offers people around the world a low-cost and uncomplicated way to contribute.

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How Coal Country Becomes Solar Country

Nick Bowlin

December 14, 2019 |

The Atlantic |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Colorado

In former Colorado mining towns, solar energy programs in high schools are introducing students to new types of job opportunities and helping schools save money on energy costs.

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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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Can Green License Plates Help Plug Electric Cars?

Feargus O'Sullivan

October 25, 2019 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

The United Kingdom has started cracking down on high-emission vehicle drivers by creating restricted zones that fine drivers of cars that emit a designated amount of pollution into the air; the carbon emissions in this type of zone in London has decreased by more than a third in six months. Now, the U.K. is taking their sustainability initiative a step further by labeling low-emission cars with green license plates that allow them to be easily recognized - and rewarded.

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How Penn State Is Cutting Greenhouse Emissions In Half — And Saving Money

Dan Charles

October 04, 2019 |

NPR |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, State College, Pennsylvania

Enrolling administrators and financial planners in sustainable projects takes proving that investments pay for themselves. With the help of pressure from students and faculty, Penn State Universities administrators have adopted a long-term strategy to reduce the university’s carbon footprint and implement sustainable practices. Students produced the data that illuminated the university’s unsustainable practices; the numbers now show that their efforts are paying off.

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After oil and gas: Meet Alberta workers making the switch to solar

Sharon J. Riley

October 02, 2019 |

The Narwhal |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Canada, Alberta

Alberta, Canada is a place that historically has had a close relationship with oil and gas. But as renewable energy surges into the market, these industries become more and more precarious. This article talks to a range of young men—a key demographic in these industries—about why they made the decision to leave oil and gas for solar energy and what helped them make that transition. Many said, among other things, that their motivations lay in wanting to leave a better world for their children to grow up in.

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