2022 California Journalism Awards - Print Division
Coverage of the Environment ( Weeklies: 11,001 - 25,000)Back
Place Name: First Place Contestant Name: Comstock's Magazine Entry Title: What a Waste Entry Credit: Jenner Junghans Judge Comment: Jennifer deftly engages readers by showing how easily food can turn into uneaten scraps and, shockingly, how much of those scraps end up in landfills instead of being properly composted. She does an excellent job of documenting the environmental consequences of such negligence, highlighting the myriad efforts by government agencies to address the problem and identififying the logistical and financial hurdles they face. By so clearly laying out the issues and ultimate solutions, her story succeeds in informing readers about why it's so important to do something as simple as putting food scraps into a compost pail instead of the trash can.
Place Name: Second Place Contestant Name: Comstock's Magazine Entry Title: A Sea of Hope Entry Credit: Jennifer Fergesen Judge Comment: In compelling fashion, Jennifer reports on an experiment taking place at a dairy farm to reduce methane gas, a major source of greenhouse emissions. There, a seaweed-based food additive is being used to prevent cows from burping so much. Who knew that a single cow could burp up 220 pounds of methane gas a year? Through her clear writing, she explains the science that is subtly transforming farming practices as part of a worldwide effort to reverse global warming.
Place Name: Third Place Contestant Name: San Clemente Times Entry Title: Cyprus Cove Residents Call for Mitigation Efforts; Cyprus Shore Residents Seek Permanent Protection Entry Credit: Collin Breaux, C. Jayden Smith Judge Comment: Collin and C. Jayden do a good job of not only highlighting the consequences of coastal erosion at Calafia State Beach but also of posing whether building a breakwater and launching a massive sand replenishment effort might be more effective solutions than the standard practice of throwing riprap at the problem. Through their reporting, it appears that government officials hadn't given much thought to such alternative mitigation measures. But now they might.
