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Meet Mr. Trash Wheel: Baltimore Harbor's Googly Eyed Garbage Gobbler

Peter O'Dowd

April 16, 2019 |

WBUR |

Radio |

5-15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

A trash interceptor floats along a tributary of the Baltimore Harbor removing trash from the water before it can reach the ocean. Known to the community as Mr. Trash Wheel, the machine is powered by the river’s current and collects floating debris that moves along a conveyor belt and ends up in a dumpster. While it doesn’t solve the problem of how trash gets into the water in the first place, it has collected 1,100 tons of trash and one million Styrofoam containers since it started 2014.

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This Thai village created a tiny fish reserve years ago. Today, it's thriving.

Rachel Nuwer

January 12, 2021 |

National Geographic |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Thailand, Na Doi

By setting aside an area of the Ngao River to be off limits for fishing, several villages in Thailand have seen a revitalization of large barb and carp in their waters. Compared to non-protected stretches of the river, reserves saw more than twice the total number of fish, and catches outside of that protected area have also significantly increased. “These small, community-based reserves can be a really effective management strategy for sustaining their own resources and conserving fish,” says a researcher at the Global Water Center.

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Bright Lights and Dark Nights: The Challenge Facing Sea Turtles in the City

Annemarie Mannion

July 30, 2020 |

Hakai Magazine |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Florida

Sea turtle preservation efforts along the Florida coast seek to replace artificial bright lights, which are a deadly hazard that can lead sea turtles astray. Activists launched change.org petitions that successfully pressured two beach towns to correct public lights along the beach and require turtle-friendly lighting in new buildings. Volunteer groups patrol beach front areas to find and report those in violation of the ordinances, who can face a fine. A $10 million settlement from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion helps fund a grant that provides lights and fixtures to about 200 properties.

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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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Going ‘Deep Green,' Office Buildings Give Back to the Planet

Jane Margolies

July 14, 2020 |

The New York Times |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

More and more commercial real estate projects are popping up around the United States that are focused on “deep green” building. This movement suggests that it’s not enough to just make a building out of renewable materials, but they can also be self-sustaining. For example, the Watershed, an office building in Seattle, has a slanted roof that collects rainwater that is then used in toilets. These types of projects can be more complicated and expensive to build, but developers can save money in the long run with the improvements.

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Pakistan pins big hopes on small dams to help farmers beat drought

Imran Mukhtar

January 25, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Pakistan, Nagarparkar, Sindh

A government scheme in Pakistan involves the construction of water-harvesting dams in areas that experience droughts, which allows farmers in the region to use the irrigation water from the dams for their crops. One farmer is growing onions and wheat and because of the access to water, his income has increased more than 60 percent. There are concerns about how helpful the water from the dams will ultimately be in the arid region, but there are plans to build more dams in the next few years.

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Fish Below Your Feet and Other Solutions for a Living Harbor

Tyee Bridge

May 14, 2019 |

Hakai Magazine |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Around the world, scientists are eco-engineering urban waterfront areas to encourage marine species diversity. Seattle’s Central Waterfront area was recently enhanced with a textured and angled concrete sea wall to encourage the growth of algae and invertebrates, a built-up seafloor to attract juvenile salmon who like shallow water, and light penetrating glass bricks in the sidewalk, which boost seaweed growth and entice shade-avoidant salmon smolts. The project also enhances the human experience with more pedestrian access, better storm water management, and a new pier park with direct water access.

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Is Farming with Reclaimed Water the Solution to a Drier Future?

Cirrus Wood

December 17, 2020 |

Civil Eats |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Martinez, California

A California farm has successfully grown crops with the use of post-treatment water which the historically dry state has plenty of. Coco San Sustainable Farm is built on land that is reclaimed and uses free reclaimed water to irrigate its abundant produce. If wastewater reclamation was put into effect by the states $50 billion agricultural industry, it would relieve the water-strapped state’s constant water struggles.

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The magic greenhouse

Julie Ball

March 09, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Somalia

A greenhouse that is cooled by seawater and the wind is allowing farmers in Somaliland to grow crops like tomatoes and vegetables despite extreme heat. By creating an environment that is higher in humidity and cooler in temperature, plants don’t need to drink as much water — almost 10 times less water because of the cooling system. There are challenges to scaling the response, but these greenhouses offer farmers the potential to increase their revenue in Africa.

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Agroecology can help fix our broken food system. Here's how.

Maywa Montenegro

June 17, 2015 |

Ensia |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Berkeley, California

What we sometimes call the “agri-food system” is broken — just ask farmworkers and food workers (exploited, underpaid), honeybees (collapsing), forested landscapes (fragmenting), the climate (warming), and the ever-growing number of people without access to nutritious food, or the land and resources with which to produce it. But a new branch of sustainability, agroecology, helps farmers and researchers develop farming practices that enhance soil fertility, recycle nutrients, optimize the use of energy and water, and, perhaps most importantly, increase the beneficial interactions of organisms in ecosystems.

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