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Seattle Public Utilities' waste-pumping program has cut sewage spills from homeless people's RVs in half

Scott Greenstone

November 28, 2020 |

The Seattle Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

To help those experiencing homelessness, Seattle Public Utilities workers travel around the city knocking on RV doors and asking occupants if they need their sewage tank pumped. Some RVs are broken down and occupants can’t get to a public dump site to dispose of their waste, so wastewater spills have increased over the years. However, since the pilot program was introduced in 2020, the spills from RVs have been cut in half.

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How sunshine can make the railways greener

Richard Kenny

November 24, 2020 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Australia, Byron Bay, New South Wales

As a way to reduce the amount of diesel fuel that powers trains, governments and transit companies around the world are turning to solar panels as a way to utilize renewable energy. In Australia, a solar train launched in 2017 that uses lithium-ion batteries that are charged by solar panels on the roof of the carriages. And a rail line in the United Kingdom uses energy from a solar farm to keep the train running. Scaling solar panels for nation-wide transit systems can be challenging, but many countries are committed to eliminating the use of fossil fuels on their rail networks.

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A Desert City Tries to Save Itself With Rain

Chris Malloy

November 23, 2020 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Tucson, Arizona

As Tucson works to combat the effects of climate change, the Arizona city has been implementing policies to conserve its limited water supply through initiatives like a city rebate program. By focusing efforts on water harvesting — both rainwater, which can be drinkable, and stormwater, which can be used for irrigation — the city can use that water to create more green spaces and lower water bills. The rebate program pays back residents as much as $2,000 for purchasing water harvesting systems. During one year, the program saved 52.1 million gallons of water, which is enough for 160 households.

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This entrepreneur is plugging the world's drinking water into the (digital) cloud

Brianna Baker

November 20, 2020 |

Grist |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

“In 2015, nearly 21 million U.S. residents relied on water systems that violate the standards set by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act.” Meena Sankaran is helping to reverse the trend. Her startup, KETOS, uses analytics and sensors that provide real-time data that can be sent through a mobile app. Instead of having to wait for people to monitor and process the data, or for people to get sick, data can be delivered instantaneously. “So far, the company has compiled 13 million data points from municipalities across all 50 states, spanning the last 18 years.”

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Why Las Vegas Is at the Heart of Western States' Water Conundrums

Frederick Clayton

November 15, 2020 |

Truthout |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Las Vegas, Nevada

After running out of water during a drought in 2002, the Southern Nevada Water Authority and Las Vegas Valley Water District took proactive steps to conserve the region’s water for future generations. Thanks to public service campaigns, outdoor water usage limits, and turf replacement programs, the region’s water usage per capita has dropped by 46 percent. However, many people still don’t fully comply with the city’s water regulations and the region continues to grow at an expanding rate. Yet, similar conservation efforts could be a model for other arid regions around the United States.

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Crowdfunded solar puts Red Lake Nation on a path to energy sovereignty

Frank Jossi

November 13, 2020 |

Energy News Network |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Red Lake Indian Reservation, Minnesota

The Red Lake Nation in Minnesota is building a 240-kilowatt solar array on top of a workforce training center, which will generate about half of the building’s electricity. This project was financed through crowdfunding, where they raised $250,000 from religiously inclined microlenders. The goal: to allow the tribe to have energy sovereignty, create higher-paying jobs, and maintain a healthy environment.

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How conservation groups confront distrust from communities of color

Eric Siegel

October 29, 2020 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

For environmental groups like Conservation Colorado looking to expand their reach, they’ve learned that they need to rebuild relationships and trust with communities that have historically been excluded from conservation conversations and take the time to understand the issues directly impacting them. Once they’ve taken those steps, Conservation Colorado was able to work with an all-women’s Latina group to prevent a waste treatment plant from expanding into their community.

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Yemen's ‘microgrid girls' power community amid war and COVID-19

Veronique Mistiaen

October 18, 2020 |

Al Jazeera |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Yemen, Abs

A solar-grid station is powering rural Yemeni communities on the front-line of the war and in the midst of COVID-19, while also empowering women who typically have very few professional opportunities. The microgrid project supplies the community with affordable and clean energy, replacing expensive diesel generators which are bad for the environment. Electricity bills have been cut by 65 percent, an impressive gain in one of the world's poorest country. Thousands of entrepreneurs have generated income based on the new electricity source and many more have benefitted from new services and products available.

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‘Energy Aggregation' Has the Potential to Transform How We Get Power, But Hurdles Remain

Chad Small

October 14, 2020 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, California

California communities are turning to “community choice aggregators,” which allows them to buy electricity from green providers and have more control over the energy grid. However, the financial pressure for these programs to offer competitive rates as public utilities can mean that the programs might increase their dependence on cheaper, less green energy sources. So far, 21 of these community-choice programs are in the Golden State, serving 10 million customers.

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Pee fanatics want to feed the world with your liquid gold

Katy Lee

October 07, 2020 |

Wired |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Bordeaux

A French startup is turning urine into an environmentally-friendly fertilizer that could replace chemical products. Early tests suggest that the urine mixture created by Toopi Organics can compete with synthetic fertilizers, which end up in waterways and can alter lake and river ecosystems. While the organic fertilizer requires a significant amount of urine to make, it could be a viable alternative to grow crops.

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