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One overlooked way to fight climate change? Dispose of old CFCs.

Juli Berwald

April 29, 2019 |

National Geographic |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Chicago, Illinois

Banned refrigerants called CFCs are being cleaned up and recycled to help offset climate change. The refrigerants were banned decades ago as part of the Montreal Protocol due to the extremely destructive effects they carry with them. The voluntary carbon market has allowed private companies in countries with more resources to travel to countries like Ghana and Costa Rica to transport the CFCs, clean them, and offset their carbon footprint on carbon markets.

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Six years later: Learning from the deadly West fertilizer plant explosion

Erin Cargile

April 16, 2019 |

KXAN-TV |

Broadcast TV News |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, West, Texas

Following a deadly explosion at a fertilizer plant, cities in Texas are taking preventative measures. Emergency Management Specialists have updated and are employing software that tracks hazardous material storage in facilities around the state and generates disaster scenarios. The software can be used in real-time by firefighters and other emergency responders on their way to the scene.

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Dying sustainably

Alex Figares

March 28, 2019 |

Changing Florida |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Gainesville, Florida

In Florida, a funeral home is specializing in green burial practices – such as hand-digging graves and using biodegradable urns – as a way of lessening the environmental impact that is often associated with both burials and cremation services. Although their methodologies are not entirely earth-friendly, they are still just one of a few burial cemeteries that is "abiding by strict laws that focus on reducing carbon emissions and land restoration."

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Robots decommission 700,000 munitions for recycling

David Szondy

February 24, 2019 |

New Atlas |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Anniston, Alabama

At a US Army facility in Alabama, nine robots, created by Sandia National Laboratories, was able to decommission and recycle army munitions. What has historically been a dangerous job for humans, these robots are able to safely recycle these parts that have typically been discarded in ways that aren’t exactly environmentally friendly.

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How a team of researchers and high school students in California are working together to reduce pesticide exposure in children

Alessandra Bergamin

February 08, 2019 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Berkeley, California

An on-going research study out of UC Berkeley's Center for Environmental Research and Children’s Health has partnered with youth from the Salinas Valley for two decades to investigate the influence of pesticides on child development. Their findings have been published more than 150 times; the PSA that they designed is regularly aired on 10 radio stations across California, Oregon and Washington; and the children in the study grew up to form the first Youth Council to lead their own research on the impact of pesticides. As a result, many farmworkers in CA are now more educated about pesticide risks.

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On-the-ground pollution data spurred stricter zoning in Los Angeles

Ruxandra Guidi

January 31, 2019 |

High Country News |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Boyle Heights, California

In Boyle Heights, a working class neighborhood of Los Angeles, members of the community have taken to the streets armed with clipboards and pens to document environmental hazards, zoning violations, and and other things that endanger their fellow residents. They then took this on-the-ground information, which they called "ground truths," to local politicians to advocate for change.

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This microplastic biodegrades instead of sitting around for hundreds of years

Adele Peters

January 28, 2019 |

FastCompany |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States

Microfiber company PrimaLoft has developed a new insulation material for clothing like fleece jackets that is made from recycled fiber. Other materials can take hundreds of years to biodegrade, but the new material breaks down quickly in landfills and oceans.

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Reclaiming Appalachia

Mimi Pickering

January 18, 2019 |

Making Connections News |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Whitesburg, Kentucky

Innovative mine reclamation projects across five states in the Appalachian region allow local organizations, schools, and businesses to clean up and utilize abandoned mine land. From a school that's transforming abandoned mine land into a field of solar panels to a housing development project that uses abandoned mine federal grant money to build affordable and energy efficient housing, the Appalachian region is using a comprehensive approach to renew blighted mines.

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Lawrence reborn: A polluted mill town reclaims its future

Story Hinckley

January 11, 2019 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lawrence, Massachusetts

Grants from the US Environmental Protection Agency empower local communities—and workers—to redevelop abandoned industrial sites. These sites, known as brownfields, are often left in disuse because of the presence of hazardous pollutants. In Lawrence, Massachusetts, public and nonprofit job training programs funded by the EPA retool locals in environmental remediation. These new jobs help economically disadvantaged communities platform toward a more sustainable future; and they promote new development, attracting further investment.

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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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