Ensia
27 November 2018
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Kalamazoo, Michigan, United States
Integrated pest management, which uses ecological processes and natural chemicals to control crop-damaging pests, offers an eco-friendly alternative to toxic pesticides. For example, a company in Michigan has rolled out a "biopesticide" derived from spider venom. The ecological and health benefits of biopesticides are vast, but such products account for about 3 percent of the global market yearly.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/30/labeling-the-danger-in-soda
Tina Rosenberg
The New York Times
30 March 2016
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Nutrition labeling on sugary drinks hardly gives understandable measurements so that consumers can make informed choices for their well-being. Outside of the United States, other countries like Mexico have tried the “12 teaspoonfuls” campaign that clearly informs consumers what is in their soda, and Ecuador has tried the traffic-light label to demonstrate nutrition information through colorful symbols. Both of these approaches have shown to be successful at reducing the consumption of high-sugar goods.
https://www.hcn.org/issues/46.20/can-biomimicry-tackle-our-toughest-water-problems
Benjamin Goldfarb
High Country News
24 November 2014
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Clean water and healthy ecosystems are becoming increasingly difficult to come by. With floating islands and other inventions, eco-entrepreneur Bruce Kania thinks that biomimicry - such as reconstructing wetlands and growing biofilms - can tackle the toughest of water problems.
https://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-short/tracking-fish-hook-fork
John H. Tibbetts
Hakai Magazine
9 February 2016
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Sourcing food locally is an increasingly popular trend. New tracing technologies will make it easier to see where fish are coming from.
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/09/01/436292784/denmark-might-be-winning-the-global-race-to-prevent-food-waste
Sidsel Overgaard
NPR
1 September 2015
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To decrease the nation's food waste, activists in Denmark showed the people that it was safe to buy and consume items that were very recently expired. From live demonstrations where celebrity chef features expired items in the entrees to reducing prices for out-of-date items, "Danes now throw away 25 percent less food than they did five years ago."
http://ensia.com/features/researchers-around-the-world-are-learning-from-indigenous-communities-heres-why-thats-a-good-thing
Benjamin Goldfarb
Ensia
31 May 2016
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In the Northwestern Territories of Canada, wildlife biologists received unfavorable critiques from indigenous communities for how they were going about with their caribou studies. By forming relationships with the indigenous peoples, they were able to change their approach and learn from the local communities about what was already working.
http://ensia.com/features/one-by-one-states-are-giving-consumers-the-right-to-know-about-chemicals-in-products
Rachel Cernansky
Ensia
1 September 2015
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The U.S. federal government rarely requires manufacturers to list the chemicals in consumer goods outside of food. Various states are starting to enact legislation requiring greater transparency.
http://ensia.com/features/what-to-do-about-the-antidepressants-antibiotics-and-other-drugs-in-our-water
Elizabeth Grossman
Ensia
11 August 2015
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Prescription drugs are greatly polluting the national water supply, causing researchers to begin looking for a method to better filter water and dispose of unused medicine.
http://modernfarmer.com/2014/06/abstinence-method
Maryn McKenna
Modern Farmer
17 June 2014
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Dutch farmers are saying no to antibiotics for livestock. The Netherlands is in the midst of a high-stakes, government-mandated experiment: Can large-scale meat production succeed without routine use of antibiotics?
http://ensia.com/features/can-bats-reduce-nut-farmers-pesticide-use
Susan Moran
Ensia
21 September 2015
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In California some farms lose up to 10 percent of their crop due to coddling moths. Davis University is measuring the impact bats have on various walnut farms, such as potential savings from reduced insecticide use and crop loss to insects.
http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/health/tweak-to-corn-flour-could-help-prevent-fatal-birth-defects-growing-in-3-wash-counties
JoNel Aleccia
The Seattle Times
11 July 2015
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The life-saving vitamin folic acid is added to flour in the United States, but Hispanics tend to eat little flour. Adding folic acid to corn flour would reduce birth defects in Hispanic women in the U.S.
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