BBC
14 February 2016
Radio / Over 15 Minutes
Costa Rica
Costa Rica has pioneered a methodology that has resulted in getting most of its electricity from hydroelectric plants, reversing deforestation through implementing financial incentives and achieving a 99 percent fossil-fuel free year. This progressive approach has put the country in the running to become the first carbon-neutral country by 2021.
http://www.cgdev.org/blog/7-hopeful-climate-stories-around-globe
Jonah Busch
Center for Global Development
20 April 2015
Text / 800-1500 Words
Evidence continues to build that humans are contributing to a climate change issue that is nothing but bad news for the planet. Hopeful stories from seven countries, including India, Indonesia, and China, show that efforts to combat climate change might finally be working.
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2015/0125/Africa-s-quiet-solar-revolution
Lorena Galliot
Christian Science Monitor
25 January 2015
Text / Over 3000 Words
Electricity is hard to come by in much of Africa. Now, skipping over the fossil fuel age, solar panels are bringing a cheap form of electricity to the continent.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/10/a-light-in-india
David Bornstein
The New York Times
10 January 2011
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Access to electricity in India takes a huge economic, educational, and health-related toll. A small company called Husk Power Systems has created an innovative system that is turning rice husks into electricity and illuminating India’s poorest state.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/19/opinion/bill-gates-cant-build-a-toilet.html
Jason Kass
The New York Times
18 November 2013
Text / 800-1500 Words
Ecological toilets that use natural composting to break down waste are simple to construct, waterless and are easy to fix. But as philanthropists are finding, getting these to those that need it most is harder than anticipated.
http://www.journalismwithoutwalls.com/kenya2013/?p=635
Dipti Kumar
Michael Ruiz
Ansa Varughese
Journalism Without Walls
3 February 2013
Video / 3-5 Minutes
In order to hunt for the oldest fossils in Africa, scientists needed to produce alternative forms of energy to allow them to live in these desert regions. One such project is the gasifier, which turns discarded doum palm nuts into energy.
http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/09/29/Fix-Climate-Hawaii
Geoff Dembicki
The Tyee
29 September 2014
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Amidst a world struggling with smart ways to confront climate change, Hawaii's 2050 Plan for sustainability is working to be a model for the rest of the world. So far, it is on it's way to being a leader in solar energy, with Honolulu having the most "solar panels per capita than any other North American city," and the state is working to produce more food locally, as well.
http://ensia.com/features/climate-change-mitigations-best-kept-secret
Jim Motavalli
Ensia
6 January 2015
Text / 1500-3000 Words
The breakdown of the ozone layer is one of the most well-known effects of climate change. Citizens enact different ways to protect the atmosphere from a build up of methane gas.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/crowd-funding-clean-energy
David Bornstein
The New York Times
6 March 2013
Text / 1500-3000 Words
In Oakland, a company created an online crowdfunding platform that allows users to earn interest by financing clean energy projects and gives people with good social intentions a direct line of action. Across the world, there is a growing movement toward people-powered clean energy.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/23/in-urban-jungles-green-roofs-bring-relief-from-above
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
23 May 2012
Text / 1500-3000 Words
New York City black tar roofs cause a number of environmental problems, including air pollution, heat absorption that raises energy consumption, and storm water runoff in the sewer system. Efforts to turn these old roofs into green spaces cool the buildings, enable the containment of more rainfall, reduce sewer discharge, generate energy, and absorb carbon emissions. New York City has a pilot program offering financial help for green roofs.
http://thetyee.ca/News/2014/10/17/Sustainability-Definition-Changed-Law
Geoff Dembicki
The Tyee
17 October 2014
Text / 1500-3000 Words
Hawaii private school students were taught about ecological sustainability, but public school students were not. After losing a school essay contest about sustainability, a high school student convinced Hawaii’s legislature to pass a resolution requiring that every student learn the meaning of the concept. Due to this student’s advocacy, the state is also piloting a program to install solar panels on its public schools to teach children how to be more self-sustaining.
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