Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

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  • 2 Years Ago, Kenya Set The World's Strictest Plastic Bag Ban. Did It Work?

    In 2017, Kenya implemented a plastic bag ban and to ensure it was followed, set hefty fines and even jail time for those who broke the law. The law has had an impact – streets are cleaner and the use of single-use plastic bags has reduced, but there is still work to be done. The replacement bags, reusable ones made from polypropylene, have come under scrutiny for their lack of quality, and Kenyan residents cite confusion and fear as a result of not knowing which bags are allowed and which are not.

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  • Mending Coastal Marshes

    Martin Ecosystems uses recycled plastic bottles to manufacture artificial islands and shorelines, allowing native vegetation to grow and preventing land erosion, which has restored Louisiana’s wetlands and barrier islands. Plastic mats are layered, injected with Coast Guard approved foam for buoyancy, and planted with native vegetation. Once anchored in rows of up to 20 or more, they act as breakwaters reducing wave height by up to 80% and minimizing erosion. The mats also provide cover for nesting birds and a complex ecosystem for aquatic life. They have withstood years of hurricanes and tropical storms.

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  • Fashion has a waste problem. These companies want to fix it

    Fashion has long been known as a major contributor to climate change, but brands (from fast fashion to luxury houses alike) are taking steps to address their carbon footprint. This article lists several initiatives working on reducing fabric waste, such as FabScrap, a NY organization that collects and resells 6,000 pounds of discarded fabric weekly.

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  • Solar Panels, Sustainable Workplaces Bring New Energy to Athens

    The town of Athens, Georgia has committed to a 100% renewable energy pledge. Both the local government and local businesses are working towards it by implementing sustainable practices such as solar panels and wastewater pretreatment systems.

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  • Are 'ableist' economies depriving themselves of the purple pound?

    Although Indonesia is making efforts to improve disability rights, progress is slow. In the meantime, a group called Economic Empowerment for Entrepreneurs with Disability (EEED) was formed in partnership with the British Council’s DICE (Developing Inclusive Creative Economies) program. Participants in the program learn entrepreneurial skills by creating their own social enterprise, supplemented by lessons in things like marketing and management. This helps those in Indonesia with disabilities become socioeconomically independent and able to envision a develop a meaningful vision of the future.

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  • How Local Trash Disposal Affects Climate Change

    With Georgia’s Athens-Clarke county landfill nearing its fill limit, residents, organizations, and the city are taking a multi-pronged approach to reducing waste. A key part of this has been the fact that nearly half of what goes into the landfill can be recycled, and Georgia-based industries like aluminum and carpet manufacturing are willing to buy recyclables. In addition, composting supported by the state has grown in popularity, and universities have taken on recycling education and collection programs.

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  • Advocates want to recycle CT's wasted prescription drugs. The state says it's already doing that.

    Connecticut has a law that requires the state to collect unused prescription drugs to be reimbursed by the vendor companies, but advocates for better health equity want to see the unexpired drugs instead be distributed to those that need them. While one pharmacy in Bridgeport has already started a model to get the drugs into hands of the uninsured or underinsured by importing pharmaceuticals from a Tennessee non-profit, leaders of the Bridgeport operation hope to one day "see a drug reclamation program that steers unused medications from within Connecticut to charity dispensaries" within the state.

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  • Kenyan scientist builds with bottles to beat plastic pollution

    Repurposing plastic waste into construction materials reduces pollution and lessens the carbon footprint of construction. Eco Blocks and Tiles, an environmentally-savvy company based in Gigil, Kenya, manufactures roof tiles from discarded plastic and glass. The value-added product is more durable and lighter than clay. The company has received support through crowd funding and grants, and has also attracted the attention of Kenya’s National Construction Authority (NCA).

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  • Chew On This: Farmers Are Using Food Waste To Make Electricity

    Food waste typically ends up on in landfills, which exacerbates climate change, but in Massachusetts, dairy farmers are converting the waste into electricity. Food waste from around the state is gathered, ground, and liquefied and then transported to an anaerobic digester on a dairy farm which is able to convert enough energy to power more than just the farm.

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  • Can old fridges be recycled to make new ones?

    A recycling plant in Telford, England has found a way to recycle old refrigerators into new ones using a new technology that preserves the plastic without contamination from the refrigerator coolant. Usually, recycled refrigerator materials can only make simple products, like plant carriers; now, new technology can reduce the waste created from thrown-away fridges.

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