Last week, the National Association of Science Writers announced that a short documentary in the “Black Snow” series won the Science in Society Award in the Science Features category. The film was a collaboration between ProPublica, The Palm Beach Post, WLRN and WGCU.

“Brazil Shows You Can Harvest Sugar Cane Without Polluting the Air: What Florida’s Sugar Farmers Can Learn About Burning Cane” by Nadia Sussman; Leticia Klein of Ambiental Media; Joseph Singer; Mauricio Rodríguez Pons; Lulu Ramadan, a Post reporter at the time; Kevina Tidwell, a freelance archival producer; Almudena Toral and Michael Mishak, followed reporting that showed how Florida regulators allow the sugar industry to burn crops at the expense of communities of color in the state’s heartland, despite internal research and complaints from residents.

Throughout the reporting process, Florida’s largest sugar producers challenged the news organizations’ approach and methodology. They maintained that burning was safe and could not be stopped without significant economic impact. But the reporting team learned that other countries had found ways to harvest their crops without those burns. Sussman traveled to Brazil, the world’s largest sugar producer, where São Paulo officials largely phased out burning years ago after residents there voiced concerns similar to those of Floridians today. The documentary showed how the industry switched to another harvesting method, one that has paid off for companies in terms of profit and for the public in terms of health. Notably, Brazilian officials in government and industry told ProPublica that their solutions were transferable to Florida.

“The powerful video investigation reveals the hypocrisy of Florida’s sugar cane producers, while moving beyond a mere exposé,” contest judges said. They added that the “refreshing and effective journalistic approach calls attention to the false dichotomy of pitting economic needs against environmental responsibility.”

See a list of all NASW Award winners.