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 462 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

The mechanical stomach powering homes by digesting old food scraps

Gian De Poloni

March 27, 2021 |

ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) |

Broadcast TV News |

3-5 Minutes

Response Location: Australia, Cockburn

The electricity powering 3,000 Perth homes might have started out as moldy bread and rotting lettuce. The city of Cockburn collects food waste from supermarkets and restaurants to be fed into a mechanical "stomach" that converts the waste to energy. Methane is trapped and used to power electric generators. The remainder of the "digested" food is turned into compost and liquid fertilizer. The operation has recycled 43 tons so far, removing 81,000 kilograms of gases that otherwise would escape landfills and warm the atmosphere.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How to reuse a demolished building

Charlotte Horn

March 23, 2021 |

BBC |

Podcast |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: Switzerland, Winterthur

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
Go to Original Story
Mississauga company reduces electronic waste & offers computers to those who can't afford them

Nida Zafar

March 18, 2021 |

The Pointer |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Canada, Mississauga, Ontario

Older electronics are being refurbished and redistributed to those in need by Renewed Computer Technology. The federally funded, Canadian nonprofit collected 13,500 computers and laptops last year for schools, libraries, and charities. RCT also provides steeply discounted electronics for economically disadvantaged families in addition to affordable high-speed internet access.

Read More
Go to Original Story
New city program tackles big trash problem in Philly: clothing and electronics waste

Jessica Blatt Press

February 25, 2021 |

The Philadelphia Citizen |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A residential recycling program in Philadelphia is picking up electronics and clothing from homes for a fee. Retrievr has already prevented 100,000 pounds of waste from ending up in landfills. The program was implemented through the city’s Pitch & Pilot program which put out call for “solutions to reduce waste and increase waste diversion” in a bid to achieve Philadelphia’s goal of Zero Waste by 2035.

Read More
Go to Original Story
How NYC Is Stopping Textile Waste With Low-Tech Donation Bins

Hannah Chinn

February 24, 2021 |

Next City |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

RefashionNYC provides bins for commercial and residential buildings with more than 10 units, though the Department of Sanitation, to recycle clothes and textiles. When full, the contents are sorted by Housing Works, who either sells donations in their thrift shops, sends them to other nonprofit second-hand stores, or exports them to overseas markets. Clothing that is too damaged to be donated is sold to companies that reprocess them as rags or seat padding. 1,300 bins have been installed and over 12,200 tons of clothing and textiles have been diverted from landfills.

Read More
Go to Original Story
From Reviled to Adored

Emily Sohn Carla Rhodes

February 23, 2021 |

bioGraphic |

Multi-Media |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: India, Assam

Purnima Devi Barman has been building trust and working with various community members to save a stork species called the greater adjutant in India. Because of her work, she has inspired more than 10,000 women and their families to help in bird conservation activities and the number of storks in the region has increased to as many as 1,200. This type of community approach could be used in other places as a model for wildlife conservation efforts.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Towards a greener construction with fly ash bricks

Vaishnavi Rathore

February 19, 2021 |

Climate Tracker |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: India

Fly ash bricks help reduce construction waste by utilizing the powdery by-product of burning coal. They are a green replacement for red clay bricks, which contribute to 5-15% of India’s emissions. They also utilize waste from coal-based thermal plants, which often gets disposed of by being dumped in water bodies and on roadsides. In comparison to red clay bricks, fly ash bricks are less expensive and the production process doesn’t emit smoke or use the more fertile top soil. Their use has been mandated by some regions and about 150 small fly ash enterprises have emerged.

Read More
Go to Original Story
The Creative Repurposing of Plywood From Boarded-up Stores

Linda Poon

February 17, 2021 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Paul, Minnesota

In the months after businesses covered their storefronts with plywood as cities erupted in social-justice protests, environmental and other community groups in many cities organized recycling campaigns to reuse the plywood rather than see it end up in landfills. Twin Cities Plywood Rescue in Minnesota, the heart of the protests, collected 642 sheets of plywood and donated it to nonprofits for use in building construction. Other cities' collections have ended up as voter registration booths, outdoor-dining furniture, and animal enclosures.

Read More
Go to Original Story
A Program in Galveston Turns Discarded Oyster Shells Into Treasure

Jody Serrano

February 05, 2021 |

Gizmodo |

Photojournalism |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Galveston, Texas

A nonprofit is taking discarded oyster shells from restaurants and giving them a new purpose as homes for marine life in Galveston, Texas. The Galveston Bay Foundation started an oyster recycling program, which have now grown to include 10 area restaurants. Oysters are collected weekly, at no cost to restaurants, then taken to a facility to be processed and disinfected naturally. "The program has recycled 1,072 tons of oyster shells."

Read More
Go to Original Story
The country rejecting throwaway culture

Peter Yeung

January 28, 2021 |

BBC |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

Paris hosts a dozen "repair cafes," which are free, monthly events where residents can fix household objects and electronics with the help and advice of volunteers. The events usually have about 25 attendees who seek to limit the vast amounts of household waste, particularly E-waste, by repairing broken electronics and appliances. France's National Assembly also introduced an index of "repairability" ratings for appliances such as washing machines, lawnmowers, televisions and smartphones, in hopes of increasing the percentage of electronics that are repaired rather than discarded.

Read More
Go to Original Story