Artwork stating 'Education Destroys Barriers', 'We Demand Treatment', and 'I Need A Chance'

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 363 results  for your search.  View and Refine Your Search Terms

  • The detection dogs tracking poachers and Covid-19

    Detection dogs and their handlers can be trained to sniff out any number of problems. In eastern Africa, the Canines for Conservation project has deployed dogs to search for poachers and illegally harvested wildlife products. By tracking poachers from the scenes of illegal kills and finding ivory and rhino horns stashed in warehouses and shipping containers far more efficiently than X-ray methods, the project has contributed to nearly 400 product seizures, higher conviction rates, and elimination of elephant poaching in parts of Kenya. The next frontier being tested: detecting COVID-19 infections.

    Read More

  • How mangrove forests helped stall environmental crime

    A blue carbon credit scheme in Kenya is not only restoring mangrove forests, but it’s also reducing environmental crimes and providing a way for residents to make money. The Mikoko Pamoja carbon project is a partnership that encourages the protection of mangroves in exchange for selling carbon credits. Since the project launched 2013, each year it traps the equivalent carbon emissions of about 650 cars. While it’s not a perfect system, it has inspired other blue carbon programs in other villages.

    Read More

  • Pedal power: How bicycles can change lives

    Onyx Connect sprang from the imagination of one entrepreneur who saw how poor roads and poverty made bicycles the only practical alternative to walking great distances in southern Zambia. Onyx sells sturdy bikes with a monthly payment plan that makes them affordable but also gives bike owners a personal stake in maintaining their own investment, instead of just having it donated to them. Bikes have given girls greater access to education and farmers more income because they can deliver fresh milk or other goods more often, more quickly, at greater distances than before.

    Read More

  • People Fixing the World - Pedal power: How bicycles can change lives

    Long distances and lack of transportation present steep obstacles to education, healthcare access, entrepreneurship, and economic mobility in general for Zambians. Onyx Connect is an initiative that provides affordable bicycles to women and youth who live in rural Zambia. A study of the outcomes showed an increase in enrollment at the local school.

    Read More

  • People Fixing the World: How a bicycle tripled one woman's income

    Bicycles are improving mobility for Zambians living in rural areas. Access to affordable bicycles has increased their business profits, drastically cut their travel time to school, and improved access to health facilities in the countryside. Residents are able to pay small monthly installments for the bicycles, which have drastically improved their quality of life. The majority of Zambians living outside of cities live over 1 mile away from a good road.

    Read More

  • The fight to save India's most elusive cat

    After a fishing cat was first documented in an Indian coastal city, state authorities, scientists, and conservationists sought to understand how many felines called the wetland home. Using camera traps, they observed 10 individual fishing cats among the mangrove forests, though this method of estimating the population is tricky. Another survey is underway as researchers study how the health of these habitats are linked to the health of the fishing cats, and how to effectively educate locals about the importance of protecting this species.

    Read More

  • The exchange project uniting young Americans during the pandemic

    The American Exchange Project connects high school students from different socio-economic, racial, and regional backgrounds across the U.S, with hopes to become the country’s first domestic exchange program after the pandemic. So far, 175 students at 39 schools in 14 states have connected in weekly online “hangouts” where discussion topics range from favorite music and other commonalities in the lives of teenagers to more serious issues such as racism. Getting to know people from different backgrounds has helped dispel stereotypes and some participants have forged real friendships with one another.

    Read More

  • Helping animals cross the road and other obstacles

    As human infrastructure continues to threaten animal habitats, researchers are coming up with ways to use artificial structures as bridges for these creatures to get where they need to go. In Indonesia, irrigation pipes help farmers water their crops, but they’re also used by slow lorises to cross over the farmlands. In Brazil, a bridge crossing a major highway will be used by golden lion tamarins to avoid the busy traffic.

    Read More

  • How satellite images are helping one country hand out cash

    "Poverty maps" that combine satellite imagery and survey data enabled the Togolese government to target emergency pandemic charitable aid to the people in greatest need. Togo officials relied on the expertise of University of California-Berkeley researchers whose system interprets aerial images showing such factors as the density and condition of housing. Initially, 35,000 people received $13-$15 per month for five months to make up for the loss of jobs and small-business income during pandemic shutdowns. Applications were sought from targeted areas through advertising, and money was sent via mobile phones.

    Read More

  • How to reuse a demolished building

    A warehouse in Switzerland is being transformed into new creative workspaces. The catch: It’s being constructed out of reused building materials. About 70 percent of it is being made from old materials like wood floorboards, steel beams, and windows. A network of treasure hunters are on the lookout for used materials that can be used in constructing these buildings. The workspace is nearly complete and it already has tenants for all of the spaces. They were also able to cut the building’s carbon emissions in half.

    Read More