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Watery Bangladesh Works to Prevent Child Drowning Deaths

Amy Yee

September 24, 2020 |

Voice of America (VOA) |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh, Dhaka

After experiencing a high rate of drownings among children due to the number of rivers and ponds in the country, a non-profit organization in Bangladesh has been offering swim lessons to children in rural areas that are more susceptible to encountering dangerous waters. Since the program started, the rate has decreased nearly 50 percent while the confidence of the participants has increased.

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How trucking eels is reviving a river

Clare Fieseler

September 17, 2020 |

The Washington Post |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Conowingo, Maryland

Biologists are trapping baby eels in the Susquehanna River and are physically relocating them via trucks upstream past hydroelectric dams. These dams have interrupted the natural migration route the eels have traditionally taken, which has had unintended consequences for other ecosystems on the East Coast. While this technique, known as assisted migration, may be one way to save some species from climate change, some question whether the cost and conservation consequences are worth it. So far, biologists have have moved over 1 million eels since 2008.

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The remarkable floating gardens of Bangladesh

Kalpana Sunder

September 10, 2020 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Bangladesh, Gopalganj, Bihar

Bangladeshi communities are reviving a traditional method of crop cultivation known as floating vegetable gardens to grow food during monsoon season. On these floating organic beds, farmers can grow vegetables like okra, spinach, and snake gourd. They can supply enough food to feed their family and be a source of income. While scaling this approach to other parts of the country can be difficult, many see this practice as a way to adapt to the effects of climate change.

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Can we harness the Arctic's methane for energy?

Amy Yee

September 01, 2020 |

Arctic Today |

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Under 800 Words

Response Location: Rwanda

Alternative energy systems in Africa could help inform how to trap methane in the Arctic. Due to permafrost thawing and glaciers melting, methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, is leaking into the atmosphere. In Rwanda, a lake-based methane power plant extracts methane from the water and turns it into electricity. But questions remain about how similar systems and infrastructure could work in the Arctic landscape.

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With the Hippo Roller, a revolution in fetching water rolls on

Morgane le Cam

August 21, 2020 |

Heidi.news |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: South Africa

After realizing the difficulty that people in South Africa were facing when carrying water back to their communities, two South African engineers devised a machine "that brings all the water back in one trip by rolling it." Users report that while it does not perform well on steep terrain, it can carry much larger amounts of water "effortlessly and in a single trip." So far, 60,000 of these large plastic drums have been sold, but the cost of the machine is often a barrier for those who live below the poverty line.

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How Ashland SWCD uses art to teach stormwater management

Katie Ellington

August 21, 2020 |

Richland Source |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Ashland, Ohio

As a way to raise funds and awareness for stormwater education, some cities are turning rain barrels into an art exhibit. Rain barrels catch water as it runs off rooftops, which can be used later for watering plants. It also reduces the amount of water that picks up pollutants and is carried into waterways. The Ashland Soil and Water Conservancy District in Ohio featured 10 rain barrels painted by local artists, allowing residents to vote and bid on their favorite design. Their efforts were inspired by a similar event in Indiana where they’ve auctioned 100 barrels for residents to use at home.

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On the Delaware, A Promising New Era in Cleanup of an Urban River

Jon Hurdle

August 20, 2020 |

Yale Environment 360 |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Camden, New Jersey

Once known for being dirty, the Delaware River is being cleaned up by nonprofits and government entities to the point where they’re encouraging people to swim in it again. The Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority diverted the flow of sewage at 52 municipal plants to a new treatment plant, which has kept 15 million gallons of sewage out of the river each day. While overflows have not been completely eliminated, a national advocacy group even named the Delaware its River of the Year because of its improvements in water quality.

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A secret hidden in centuries-old mud reveals a new way to save polluted rivers

Paul Voosen

August 18, 2020 |

Science Magazine |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Scientists have transformed a stream in Pennsylvania into a marshy waterway because of a restoration project that removed 22,000 tons of legacy sediment built up by colonial-era farming and logging. After removing meters of mud from the banks of Big Spring Run, native vegetation returned, which resulted in the storage of organic carbon tripling in the restored area and the amount of key pollutants in the stream sharply dropping. Similar restoration projects are being tried in other mid-Atlantic states.

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Raising Nature on Florida Ranchlands

Virginia Gewin Carlton Ward Jr.

August 11, 2020 |

bioGraphic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

Ranchers and conservationists in Florida are working together to lobby for policies that preserve their farmland, protect wildlife species, and conserve water instead of turning it over to be developed. The Sunshine State has experimented with conservation incentive programs like payments for panther habitat restoration, reimbursements for livestock losses, and water storage projects but most of these programs have had mixed success and are often underfunded.

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Use of plastic bags in England drops by 59% in a year

Rebecca Smithers

July 30, 2020 |

The Guardian |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, England

The sales of single-use plastic bags has dropped by more than 95 percent in England’s supermarkets since 2015 when a monetary fee was introduced to encourage shoppers to reduce their plastic waste. Despite this reduction, research suggests that the amount of plastic waste in the world’s oceans was still likely to triple in volume in the next 20 years.

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