Alle afleveringen van People Fixing The World – pagina 6 van 11

Talking signs, amazing peas and planes mapping fires

19 oktober 2021 · 24 min

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Signs that connect to a mobile phone app, which then reads the information out loud, are appearing in some cities. The technology is designed to help blind and visually impaired people find their way around more easily. Lees meer

People Fixing the World puts the system to the test to see how well it works and finds out what else they’re being used for.

There’s also a clever solution to single-use plastics from a company who’re turning the proteins in peas into a biodegradable type of packaging. Plus, how pilots taking aerial pictures of forest fires in California are helping to tackle the flames.

Producer: Nick Holland
Presenters: Emma Tracey and Nick Holland

Image: A NaviLens code on a street sign

Can computer games improve mental health?

12 oktober 2021 · 25 min

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Apart of Me is a computer game that has been designed to help young people process grief. Lees meer

It’s part of a movement that’s bringing together psychology and gaming.

Whilst many parents worry about the distraction of games consoles and smart phones, some psychologists believe they can be used as a force for good.

We meet the therapist who sets their clients computer games as homework and see how one specially-designed game brings real benefits for mental health.

Produced and presented by Daniel Gordon.

Image: A young person playing a video game (getty)

Robots on the beat

5 oktober 2021 · 24 min

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Police forces in the US are turning to futuristic technology to tackle a rise in violent crime and murder across the country. Lees meer

In one area of California, they are even using robots to patrol the streets. There, the police are claiming it's led to a reduction in crime and an increase in arrests. In New York they even experimented with a robot police dog, but with mixed results.

This and other cutting-edge technologies are helping the police – and the public - stay one step ahead, but they are often controversial.

In this programme we look at the some of the best ways that technology can make the streets safer.

Presented and produced by Ben Wyatt

Image: The Robocop K5

Helping animals cross the road and other obstacles

28 september 2021 · 24 min

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Irrigation pipes have been designed to double as mid-air walkways to help slow lorises cross open farmland in Indonesia; and a footbridge has been built for a rare breed of monkey in Brazil - the golden lion tamarin. These are just two examples of new infrastructure designed to help wild animals cope with human obstacles. Lees meer

Picture credit: Little Fireface Project

Produced and presented by Daniel Gordon.

(Repeat)

Saving mums and their unborn babies

21 september 2021 · 24 min

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Women in a village in Northern Nigeria have come up with an emergency transport scheme that is saving lives. Lees meer

They decided to act when they saw mums-to-be and their unborn babies dying in childbirth because they couldn’t get to hospital in time.

Their solution also inspired the state government to help thousands of other women.

Produced and presented by Bara’atu Ibrahim
(Repeat)

The hotel for homeless people

14 september 2021 · 25 min

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What would happen if the government of a country decided to try to find everyone who was homeless and living on the streets and offer them a place to live? Lees meer

That is exactly what happened in England as the coronavirus pandemic hit. The government says 90% of rough sleepers were offered rooms in hotels that sat empty because of the lockdown.

Simon Maybin spent the past year and a half following the lives of some of the people who came to live in a Holiday Inn hotel in Manchester.

Image: A guest at the Holiday Inn.

The library where the books are people

7 september 2021 · 24 min

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At the human library you borrow a person you wouldn’t usually meet for a half-hour frank conversation. The volunteers have various book titles from polyamorous to former prisoner. The aim of these face-to-face chats is to break down our assumptions and prejudices. We explore whether simple discussions can make a difference. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Claire Bates.

Picture: Ronni Abergel, Human Library

Ways to save the planet: Fridge detectives

31 augustus 2021 · 24 min

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Two sources of greenhouse gas could be lurking in your kitchen: rice and fridges. We meet a biologist breeding climate-friendly rice, and a team of detectives whose job is to stop fearsomely potent fridge gases escaping into the atmosphere. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Jo Mathys and Tom Heap.

Ways to save the planet: Swap concrete for wood

24 augustus 2021 · 24 min

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Wood is strong enough to build skyscrapers, and bamboo - the fastest growing plant in the world - can also be used for building. Both suck up large amounts of greenhouse gas. We find out what would happen if we used these materials instead of concrete in construction. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Jo Mathys and Tom Heap.
Picture: Moelven

The seaweed farmers adapting to warming seas

17 augustus 2021 · 24 min

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Seaweed - we have been using it for centuries in food and toiletries. It can help to keep toothpaste and ice cream soft, as well as being a tasty snack. It is a billion-dollar industry. But in some parts of the world, supply of the crop has decreased dramatically due to climate change. Now people in Zanzibar are fighting back. They are learning new methods of farming seaweed in deeper, cooler waters. It is boosting the amount of seaweed they can grow and improving their livelihoods as a result. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Celestina Olulode. Additional production by Esther Namuhisa and Nicholaus Mtenga.

Locust hunters

10 augustus 2021 · 24 min

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People in Kenya have been paid to catch swarms of locusts eating farmers’ crops. The insects are full of protein and the captured ones are ground up and put into animal feed. The BBC’s Nick Holland and Claire Bates find out what tricks these 'locust hunters' use to catch the critters and what difference the cull makes.
They also hear about a way of capturing tiny micro-plastic particles that come off car tyres and delve into a clever project feeding homeless people in Mumbai. Lees meer

Written and produced by Nick Holland
Presented by Nick Holland and Claire Bates

Image Credit: Getty Images

Turning preachers into LGBT allies

3 augustus 2021 · 24 min

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The LGBT community in Mombasa, Kenya has suffered from violent mob attacks in recent years - often fuelled by influential preachers spreading messages of hate. But one group decided to tackle this in a remarkable way: they have directly engaged with faith leaders. In carefully controlled meetings the pastors and imams get to know LGBT people and have their misconceptions challenged. This has led to a big reduction in violence. Now many of those religious leaders use their influence to help the LGBT community fight discrimination wherever they find it. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Richard Kenny

Picture: Getty Images

The ATMs that dispense clean fuel

27 juli 2021 · 24 min

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Sleek blue machines have been popping up in convenience stores across Nairobi over the past two years. These “Koko points” look like cash machines but instead of giving out money they dispense bioethanol, a fuel made from plants which can be used in cooking stoves. Lees meer

At the moment 80% of Kenyans use wood or charcoal as their main cooking fuel – but these materials have a devastating impact on the environment, and the smoke causes hundreds of deaths every week. Koko’s high-tech solution offers Kenyans a cleaner alternative, although it means a move away from some dearly-held customs.

Reporter: Mercy Juma
Producer: William Kremer

Unsung victories in the fight against disease

20 juli 2021 · 24 min

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Recent years have seen remarkable successes against some of the most unpleasant illnesses on the planet. Lees meer

While much of the world’s focus has been on the fight against Covid-19, the battle against other diseases rages on.

From the battle against hepatitis C in Egypt, to the war against metre-long parasitic worms, to the near elimination of sleeping sickness in the Ivory Coast, we hear the good news that you might have missed.

Produced and presented by Tom Colls

Image: Treating sleeping sickness in the Ivory Coast (Credit: Vincent Jamouneau)

How five friends can change a refugee’s life

13 juli 2021 · 24 min

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Dutch friends Evelien and Roel are part of a group sharing their social networks and local knowledge with Laila, a Syrian refugee, and her family. They’re taking part in a pilot project in the Netherlands called Samen Hier, which matches locals and newcomers. The idea is to help people who live nearby get to know one another and encourage integration. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Claire Bates

Picture: Getty Images

The great mosquito swap

6 juli 2021 · 24 min

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A large study published in June showed how a peculiar intervention could help prevent the spread of dengue fever. Instead of vaccinating people, the World Mosquito Program has found a way to breed mosquitoes carrying bacteria that prevent them catching the disease in the first place. The organisation releases millions of these designer mosquitos into a city with the aim of displacing the wild population and protecting the human residents. People Fixing the World saw the method in action in Colombia in 2019 – this is another chance to hear that report, and get an update. Lees meer

Presenter: Tom Colls
Reporter / Producer: William Kremer

(Photo Caption: The Aedes Aegypti Mosquito / Photo Credit: Getty Images)

The career where it helps to have a criminal past

29 juni 2021 · 26 min

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Former criminals are being employed to run part of the probation system in one of America’s deeply troubled, gang-ridden communities. It’s a bold new approach to crime prevention, and it seems to be working - young lives are being transformed and reconviction rates are dropping. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Jo Mathys

Test-tube rhinos

22 juni 2021 · 23 min

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Scientists have hatched an incredible plan to save the northern white rhino from extinction. The team is using IVF techniques to produce a calf because the only two females left alive are infertile. Nick Holland reports on how close they are to succeeding and of their hopes to eventually release a whole herd back into the wild. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Nick Holland

Smashing the glass ceiling for young Africans

15 juni 2021 · 24 min

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A young Zimbabwean, Farai Munjoma, has set up a network of mentors to help Africa’s youth achieve their dreams. Lees meer

The idea is to link young people up with someone who can inspire and guide them as they apply to university and jobs.

Reporter: Victoria Uwonkunda
Producer: Jo Mathys

The helpline for jealous and violent men

8 juni 2021 · 24 min

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This week we hear from Colombia, where a helpline with a difference recently opened. Its aim is to stop domestic violence, but instead of targeting victims, it targets the perpetrators. Lees meer

The idea is to get men in particular, who are struggling with jealousy, anger and other strong emotions, to phone in and get help.

Produced and presented by Craig Langran

Picture: Getty Images

Turning the desert green

1 juni 2021 · 24 min

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The Sinai desert in Egypt is a dry, barren place where not much grows. But Ties van der Hoeven has come up with a scheme to turn it into a green and fertile land. It’s a plan on a huge scale which involves dredging a lake, restoring ecosystems, and even bringing back rain to the desert. He’s been inspired by a successful project to restore the Loess Plateau in China. But could it work in the Middle East? Lees meer

Produced and presented by Richard Kenny.

Picture: Getty Images

Catching up with the problem solvers

25 mei 2021 · 24 min

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Are stickers still saving lives? Was a coral reef repaired? Did the volcano erupt? Lees meer

In this episode we check back in with three projects that have featured on our programme over the past four years and find out if everything went to plan.

We hear from the scientist who developed a sticker that stops car crashes, the people behind an insurance scheme for coral reefs, and find out if a plan to deliver aid before a disaster was up to the test.

Producer/presenter: Tom Colls
Reporters: Richard Kenny and Jo Mathys

Image: The Red Cross operation in Ecuador

Regrowing the rainforest

18 mei 2021 · 28 min

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It has taken him 40 years, but Omar Tello has turned a patch of exhausted farmland in Ecuador back into rainforest. One of his biggest challenges was repairing the soil. His land was so degraded he had to make enough new soil - from unwanted wood shavings and chicken manure - to cover the entire plot. That alone took about 15 years.
He also travelled deep into the Amazon for days at a time, looking for seeds and plants he could rescue. Now his forest is flourishing and the wildlife has returned - it is home to snakes, toucans, monkeys and many other animals. And he is sharing what he has learned to encourage others to protect the rainforests instead of cutting them down. Lees meer

Presented and produced by Jo Mathys.

Repeat - first published 31 March 2020.

Turning oil platforms into reefs

11 mei 2021 · 23 min

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There are thousands of oil and gas platforms in the world’s oceans and in the coming decades many will become obsolete. Some people think that instead of treating them as industrial waste, we should embrace the ecosystems they’ve created and leave them in the sea as artificial reefs. This approach has been adopted by some US states, and scientists are considering whether this could also work in the North Sea. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Celestina Olulode

Picture: Getty Images

The forest sound detectives

4 mei 2021 · 23 min

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Scientists are checking up on the health of forests by analysing the sounds in them. They test their vital signs by measuring the croaks, tweets and hums of resident creatures. If they can hear a full range of animals they can be confident an ecosystem is doing well. However, if gaps start to appear, it’s a sign something is up. Lees meer

Nick Holland hears more about how it works and how it’s being used to strike a balance between the needs of Papua New Guinea’s growing indigenous communities and the need to preserve the biodiversity of the forests they live off.

Produced and presented by Nick Holland
Image: The Nature Conservancy

The detection dogs tracking poachers and Covid-19

27 april 2021 · 24 min

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Marlo the labrador is learning how to sniff out Covid-19 in the UK. In Tanzania, Polish hound Thor is on the track of wildlife poachers. We explore how their extraordinary noses are tackling these issues and more around the globe. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Claire Bates

Pedal power: How bicycles can change lives

20 april 2021 · 24 min

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This is the story of how one man is trying to transform lives through the power of the humble bicycle. Lees meer

Many rural communities in rural Africa don’t have access to cars or good roads, which can make it hard to take fresh produce to market or get to school.

But Wyson Lungu wants to change that with an innovative scheme to sell affordable bicycles. We follow him as he delivers a new set of bicycles to excited customers in southern Zambia.

Produced and presented by Richard Kenny

Image: unfoldstories.co.uk

Shred it yourself: The DIY plastic recyclers

13 april 2021 · 23 min

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Machines to shred, melt and mould waste plastic are popping up in workshops around the world - from the UK to Malaysia, Kenya to Mexico. Lees meer

The project is being led by an organisation called Precious Plastic. They put designs for the devices online for anyone to download and build themselves.

More than 400 teams around the world are now taking on the challenge of plastic waste using these machines, making everything from sunglasses to plastic bricks in the process.

Presented and produced by Tom Colls

Image: Precious Plastic

Helping animals cross the road and other obstacles

6 april 2021 · 24 min

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Irrigation pipes have been designed to double as mid-air walkways to help slow lorises cross open farmland in Indonesia; and a footbridge has been built for a rare breed of monkey in Brazil - the golden lion tamarin. These are just two examples of new infrastructure designed to help wild animals cope with human obstacles. Lees meer

Picture credit: Little Fireface Project

Watching out for Gran with help from her toaster

30 maart 2021 · 24 min

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As many countries contemplate the best way to care for an ageing population, a common question is how to support the elderly to continue living in their own homes for as long as possible. One idea is to monitor their use of home appliances, such as kettles and ovens. Lees meer

Advocates say NILM – non-intrusive load monitoring – offers family and carers an insight into a person’s daily life without invading their privacy. It could even be used to track or help diagnose long-term health conditions.

Reporter William Kremer road-tests the technology with his own parents and finds out about a NILM project in Japan.

Picture: Getty Images

How to reuse a demolished building

23 maart 2021 · 24 min

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Is it possible to construct a new building, just by reusing materials from homes and offices that have been knocked down? Lees meer

That’s the dream of a pioneering Swiss architect Barbara Buser, who trains specialist treasure hunters to track down everything from window frames to steel beams for her buildings.

People Fixing the World finds out about her latest project, which is made of 70% reused material. We ask whether Barbara’s approach, which has a much lower carbon footprint than building with new material, can take off around the world.

Presenter and producer: Charlotte Horn

Image: Barbara Buser’s building K118 (Copyright: Martin Zeller)

Using satellite photos to help distribute cash

16 maart 2021 · 24 min

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Togo has found a high-tech way to identify people who need financial help in the pandemic and send them emergency cash, using satellite photos and mobile phones. Lees meer

Computers search for clues in images, such as the density of buildings, roofing materials and road surfaces. They combine this with data collected before the pandemic to work out how wealthy different areas are and which ones may need financial support.

Produced and Presented by Hannah Gelbart

Picture: Getty Images

The magic greenhouse

9 maart 2021 · 23 min

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A greenhouse cooled and humidified by seawater and the wind is transforming arid land. In Somaliland, vegetables have been grown in a spot previously thought too hot and dry for farming. Lees meer

It works by creating a cool oasis that shields the plant from the heat. The designers believe if more were built, they could make Somaliland completely self-sufficient in fresh produce.

Presenter Julie Ball
Written and Produced by Nick Holland and Julie Ball

Picture: Karl Fletcher, Seawater Greenhouse

The secret to making your stuff last longer

2 maart 2021 · 24 min

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The world generates more than two billion tonnes of rubbish every year. So we’re visiting companies in Sweden that want to make it easier to mend things when they break instead of replacing them – whether that’s clothes, bikes or washing machines. Lees meer

We also hear about the country’s tax breaks designed to give people a financial incentive to repair more.

Produced and presented by Maddy Savage

Tackling sport’s concussion problem

23 februari 2021 · 24 min

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Head injuries in sport can have a devastating effect on the brain, which is often only noticed later in life. So lots of people are investigating ways of making it safer to play sports such as American football, boxing and soccer. We look at new technology including smart mouth guards and innovative helmets, and we find out about the latest medical developments that are helping people to combat the risk of brain disease. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Ben Wyatt

Beating superbugs

16 februari 2021 · 25 min

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A small team of Indian scientists think they’ve found a new way to kill superbugs. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are killing hundreds of thousands of people every year, and that number is going up fast. But one Bangalore-based biotech company thinks they might be on the verge of a breakthrough. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Jo Mathys

Picture: Science Photo Library

How to store power in soil and salt

9 februari 2021 · 24 min

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Giant towers of building blocks rising into the sky and huge vats packed with volcanic rock or molten salt are being used as massive batteries. Lees meer

They are the latest ideas for storing energy generated by the sun and the wind – so you can keep the lights on when it’s dark or the wind isn’t blowing.

We meet the entrepreneurs and scientists who are trying to harness the fundamental forces of physics to power the world.

Presenter: Tom Colls

Image: The Energy Vault tower (c/o Energy Vault)

The breath of life

2 februari 2021 · 25 min

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A clever invention is saving the lives of hundreds of children. Lees meer

Pneumonia kills about 1.4 million children under five every year. Treatment with concentrated oxygen could save many of them, but the machines that provide it need a reliable source of electricity. Some hospitals have frequent power cuts though, which can be fatal.

So scientists in Australia and Uganda came up with an innovative way to deliver oxygen when the electricity cuts out.

Produced and presented by Ruth Evans.

Repeat. This episode was first broadcast on 12 May 2020.

The spacesuits saving mothers’ lives

26 januari 2021 · 24 min

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A suit originally designed for astronauts has been adapted to save the lives of mothers who experience bleeding after giving birth. It stems the bleeding, buying time until people in remote areas can get to hospital for treatment. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Craig Langran

A forest down your street

19 januari 2021 · 25 min

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Forests the size of tennis courts are being planted in towns and cities around the world. They use a special method from Japan which can grow a dense forest in just a few years. At that size they won’t make much of a dent in global warming but they do have many benefits including bringing increased biodiversity into the heart of the city. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Richard Kenny

Picture: Afforestt

The solutions whisperer

12 januari 2021 · 24 min

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Dhruv Boruah’s mission is to inspire other people to solve problems facing the planet. What’s more, he gets them to come up with their ideas in just one day. But are their solutions any good and can they survive in the real world? Nick Holland went to Dhruv Boruah’s first solutions event in 2019. Two years on, he tracks down some of the people who were there to see whether anything came of their ideas. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Nick Holland

Can doughnuts save the planet?

5 januari 2021 · 24 min

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Imagine a ring doughnut. This is the basis of an idea about how we could run the world in a way that gives everyone what they need - food, homes, healthcare and more - and save the planet at the same time. Economist Kate Raworth, who came up with the idea, explains how it works. And we visit projects in Amsterdam that are using the model to provide food, clothing and sustainable housing. Produced and presented by Anna Holligan. Lees meer

What happened next to our problem solvers

29 december 2020 · 24 min

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We revisit Lewis to find out how the hydrating sweets he designed for people with dementia have gone into production. We find out how a housing project where residents have to promise to socialise has coped with Covid. And the latest from a pharmacist in the Netherlands - after a setback, her operation to make cheap medication for her patients has started up again. Produced and presented by Claire Bates Lees meer

Saving mums and their unborn babies

22 december 2020 · 25 min

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Women in a village in Northern Nigeria have come up with an emergency transport scheme that is saving lives. Lees meer

They decided to act when they saw mums-to-be and their unborn babies dying in childbirth because they couldn’t get to hospital in time.

Their solution also inspired the state government to help thousands of other women.

Produced and presented by Bara’atu Ibrahim

Making meat in a lab

15 december 2020 · 25 min

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Imagine if the meat we ate was all grown in shiny silver vats, with no animals harmed in the process. Lees meer

That’s the vision of start-ups around the world, each trying to perfect lab-grown or cultured meat.

It’s a huge challenge in bioengineering to make it work at a cheap enough price. But there are big benefits for the planet if they can pull it off.

Presented by Amy Elizabeth
Produced by Amy Elizabeth and Tom Colls

Image: Lab-grown meat produced by Memphis Meat

Building with fungi

8 december 2020 · 24 min

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Companies are growing light and durable packaging from mycelium that is easy to compost. Another team in Europe is creating a fungal home, which will sense when it’s dark and switch the lights on. And researchers in the UK are developing strains of fungi that won’t just replace plastic, but eat it as well. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Claire Bates

Picture: Getty Images

Perovskites: The future of solar?

1 december 2020 · 24 min

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A new kind of solar cell - made by drying a special liquid on a surface - is being heralded as a revolution in solar power. Lees meer

The minerals known as perovskites were discovered more than 150 years ago. More recently, their crystal structure has been copied using other materials and used to produce energy.

If it can be made to work, these crystals could be used to literally print out solar cells to put on skyscraper walls, furniture and electrical gadgets.

Produced and presented by Tom Colls

Image: Olga from Saule Technology

Riding the solar railway

24 november 2020 · 24 min

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Can you make the railways greener by powering trains with energy from the sun? We hear about the pioneering train in Australia that’s run entirely on solar power. Plus we visit the solar farm that’s plugged directly into a railway in Britain and hear about Indian Railways’ big plan for converting to renewable power. Lees meer

Produced and presented by Richard Kenny

From prison to star employee

17 november 2020 · 28 min

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Why former criminals are being chosen for jobs at hundreds of companies in a small US city. Lees meer

One boss even tells us that some violent and sex offenders have become her best employees.

Produced and presented by Jo Mathys

Photo: Getty Images

Audience takeover: Your questions answered

10 november 2020 · 24 min

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Audience members praise and pick holes in solutions we’ve covered. Nick Holland and Kat Hawkins hear the best comments and questions and try to get answers. Lees meer

Among the solutions under review is a story about a man who regrew a rainforest in Ecuador. One listener is worried it’ll just get cut down again when he dies. And eyebrows are raised about nurses in Kenya using motorbikes to rescue snakebite victims.

Producer: Nick Holland