Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 438 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Can We Change Our Behavior or are We Stuck?

David Byrne

August 14, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia, Melbourne

When Melbourne, Australia came close to running out of water in 2008, the water utility conducted a behavioral study to launch an effective communications campaign aimed at reducing water usage among city residents. Along with the effective advertising campaign, the city distributed water-efficient shower heads, offered rebates to people who bought water-efficient machines, and used other "nudge" techniques like telling people how much water they used in relation to neighbors.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Improving our own environment

Madison Kuklentz Gabriella DeMelfi Thomas Garlick

August 09, 2019 |

The Mercury |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Schwenksville, Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s Perkiomen Watershed Conservancy has built a grassroots base of volunteers that help clean up the local environment. Through education at schools and summer workshops, outreach projects, and asking volunteers to recruit new people, the Conservancy saw over 1,000 volunteers at its annual stream cleanup event. While the organization is still trying to figure out how to retain volunteers for long-term projects, the response to immediate projects has been overwhelming.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Unusual Weapon Yellowstone Is Using To Combat Invasive Species

Maggie Mullen

August 02, 2019 |

Wyoming Public Media |

Multi-Media |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: United States, West Thumb, Wyoming

At Yellowstone National Park, they’re renting dogs to sniff out invasive species like zebra and quagga mussels. The dogs are part of the Working Dogs for Conservation non-profit organization and have been trained to sniff out invasive and endangered species. By catching species like the zebra and quagga mussels, the dogs are able to save ecosystems from environmental crises.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Solar Powered Water Projects Solve Clean Water Crisis In Bidibidi Refugee Settlement

Kiberu Gideon

August 02, 2019 |

Things That Work Uganda |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Uganda, Bidibidi

Solar-powered pumps can improve access to clean water for displaced populations. The United Nation’s High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN’s Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) program have sponsored the installation of dozens of water pumps in Uganda’s Yumbe district, where up to 80 percent of the children in some schools are refugees.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Yellowstone Fights Lake Trout With Nets, ‘Judas' Fish And Pellets

Rachel Cramer

July 27, 2019 |

Yellowstone Public Radio |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, West Thumb, Wyoming

Yellowstone Park’s invasive fish management team has been working to save the native cutthroat salmon by fighting non-native lake trout for over a decade. To save the cutthroat salmon, which are crucial to the ecosystem’s food web, the team uses gillnetting traps. Since starting this initiative – funded by donations and federal funding – they’ve caught and killed over three million invasive trout.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Living without plastic: One family's journey

Susan Spillman

July 19, 2019 |

Los Angeles Times |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Los Angeles, California

For one family, living plastic-free was a lifestyle decision made after they learned more about the harm that plastic waste causes. The Watt family lives as plastic-free as possible – carrying their own utensils, buying in bulk and bringing their own glass containers, making their own household cleaner, and using reusable beeswax wraps instead of cling wrap. While these are all steps in the right direction toward reducing the nearly 335 million tons of plastic produced every year, experts say we need to rely less on individual actions and push for tougher laws and systemic changes.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Are bioplastics better for the environment than conventional plastics?

Anja Krieger

July 16, 2019 |

Ensia |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Germany, Berlin

As people around the world become increasingly aware of the harmful nature of plastic use, bioplastics have risen in popularity. But the term “bioplastic” actually means different things and the type of bioplastics out there may or may not be as environmentally-friendly as they purport. While scientists continue to experiment in the design of a truly biodegradable plastic, many say that simple reduce and reuse is the way forward.

Read More
Go to Original Story
What Can We Do About Our Water?

Jennifer Reed

July 01, 2019 |

Gulfshore Life |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Sanibel, Florida

On Sanibel Island, Florida, residents know all too well the intensive steps necessary to clean up polluted water. Like many other bodies of water in Florida and across the country, the city has suffered from "nutrition pollution" that has threatened their environment, but comprehensive measures enacted over the past decades - including land use plans that severely restrict development and efforts to educate homeowners on pond management - are helping the area turn around and providing a playbook for other cities.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Think Globally, Sustain Locally

Donna Liu

June 26, 2019 |

CivicStory |

Multi-Media |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Holmdel, New Jersey

A New Jersey nonprofit, Sustainable Jersey, is taking a collaborative approach to environmental health, action, and sustainability. The organization is primarily a certification program, giving New Jersey towns guidelines to follow when it comes to energy use, waste, water, and health, and spotlighting those that are doing it well. At its annual summit, it brought together organizations from across the state, calling upon them and others to take more drastic actions, especially when it comes to waste reduction.

Read More
Go to Original Story
What are nature-based solutions?

Amelia Axelsen

June 21, 2019 |

Apolitical |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Portland, Oregon

Nature-based solutions to climate change involve strategic use of greenery to staunch the negative impacts of climate change broadly, but these solutions also have been proven to increase jobs and contribute to the overall economy. For instance, in Portland, the Green Streets project used trees rather than concrete to absorb excess runoff, helping the city in multiple ways in the process.

Read More
Go to Original Story