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How Banana Waste Is Turned Into Rugs, Fabric, And Hair Extensions

Jacqueline Baylon

February 19, 2021 |

Business Insider |

Video |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: Uganda, Kampala

A Ugandan company called TEXFAD is taking the stems from banana trees that would normally go to waste and is turning them into new textiles like rugs, place mats, and hair extensions. Over its eight year existence, TEXFAD has grown to also employ 23 people, many of whom started in their internship program for students. While the cost to make these products can be expensive, the textiles are biodegradable and use less water and land to produce.

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Flood City: Louisiana prepares to move neighborhood after 50 years of floods

Andrew Yawn

February 19, 2021 |

USA Today |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New Roads, Louisiana

Pecan Acres in Louisiana is known as Flood City since many residents can’t remember a time when their homes weren’t impacted by rising waters. To help these people, the state has started a relocation project to move the neighborhood to higher ground. The new neighborhood, called Audubon Estates, already has 17 households signed up to move in. The government is buying the residents out of their old homes, which has proved a more difficult process than originally thought. Yet, some are ready for the change.

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Towards a greener construction with fly ash bricks

Vaishnavi Rathore

February 19, 2021 |

Climate Tracker |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: India

Fly ash bricks help reduce construction waste by utilizing the powdery by-product of burning coal. They are a green replacement for red clay bricks, which contribute to 5-15% of India’s emissions. They also utilize waste from coal-based thermal plants, which often gets disposed of by being dumped in water bodies and on roadsides. In comparison to red clay bricks, fly ash bricks are less expensive and the production process doesn’t emit smoke or use the more fertile top soil. Their use has been mandated by some regions and about 150 small fly ash enterprises have emerged.

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The Texas Freeze: Why the Power Grid Failed

Katherine Blunt Russell Gold

February 19, 2021 |

Wall Street Journal |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Texas

By relying on the market to give energy suppliers' incentives to keep the power going during extreme weather events, a historic cold snap in Texas revealed cracks in the state’s free-market energy system, which left millions powerless during the storm. Critics of the state’s system say “the alphabet soup of Texas energy oversight bodies” led to inaction and there was a lack of preparation from plant owners to ensure that they could continue to operate in extreme heat and cold temperatures.

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Instead of Eviction, Landlords and Tenants Talk It Out

Emily Nonko

February 19, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia's Eviction Diversion Program has helped keep more than 400 landlord-tenant disputes out of eviction court proceedings, mainly by using volunteer mediators to work out mutually agreeable plans for tenants to get caught up on their rent payments. The program started in 2020 as a way to keep people housed during the pandemic. By giving landlords and tenants a place to talk out their issues without the expense and repercussions of going to court, and by connecting tenants with rent-assistance aid, the program's launch was successful enough to win an extension throughout 2021.

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Outdoor preschools grow in popularity but most serve middle class white kids

Tina Deines

February 19, 2021 |

The Hechinger Report |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Outdoor schools are growing in popularity, but don't often reflect the diverse communities they serve. Two outdoor schools, one in New Mexico and the other in Washington state, are implementing programs and strategies to address the root of this systemic issue. Tiny Trees Preschool in Seattle has found success through its Redefining The Outdoors program, which gets more families of color involved in the outdoors, and by offering tuition assistance to families of color and those facing economic hardships.

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To maximize emission cuts, this Boston campus gets its power from the Midwest

Sarah Shemkus

February 18, 2021 |

Energy News Network |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

Boston University is getting all of its electricity from a wind farm in South Dakota, which should cover its annual energy needs of 205 million kilowatt-hours. Some energy advocates say the higher education institution should have purchased their renewable energy locally, but the university says their main goal was to maximize its reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. They hope to share their model with other “large energy buyers” and use the wind farm as an educational and research opportunity for students.

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Teacher in Greece offers hope to inmates through TV classes

Elena Becatoros

February 18, 2021 |

Associated Press |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Greece, Avlona

When the pandemic shut schools down in Greece, that included the schooling system in place for those in Greece’s Avlona Special Youth Detention Center; so, the director of the school started broadcasting lessons over a TV channel. The director and his team worked together to get the station up and running and then with the young men who are incarcerated to popularize it throughout the detention center via word of mouth.

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« Les élèves ne viennent plus au théâtre, alors le théâtre va à eux » : dans les écoles, le spectacle continue

Sandrine Blanchard Rosita Boisseau

February 18, 2021 |

Le Monde |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France

Depuis le début de l’année 2021, les artistes privés de scène en raison du Covid-19 investissent les établissements scolaires pour le plaisir des enseignants et des élèves.

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The pandemic could change U.S. fisheries forever. Will it be for better or for worse?

Katarina Zimmer

February 18, 2021 |

The Counter |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States

To weather the uncertainties of the pandemic and geopolitical trade disputes, many small, locally-operated fisheries in the United States have upended the way they do business by selling their catches directly to consumers. For example, OC Wild Seafood in California started to sell its spiny lobsters locally. Though the logistics and regulations can make fish-to-dish initiatives challenging, many community-supported fisheries saw an increase in sales and customers in 2020.

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