The Solar Electric Light Fund is providing solar-powered pumps that combine with drip irrigation systems to women farmers in Benin. These pumps allow women to farm year-round despite the 6-month dry season, and save them from having to haul water by hand for long distances. As a result of the pumps, food production has increased […]
Sweden Incentivizes Repairing instead of Buying
Sweden is implementing tax breaks and refunds on repairs in order to incentivize consumers to repair broken objects rather than replace them. This measure is intended to reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions related to consumption. It also will help grow the service industry for home repairs, which may help immigrants without formal education to find […]
California Pays Farmers to Add Nutrients to Soil
California’s Healthy Soils Initiative has set aside $7.5 million for a program paying farmers to add nutrients to the soil, such as by adding compost or planting cover crops that return organic matter to the soil. This measure could help the soil and the plants grown in it absorb millions of tons of carbon dioxide every year. It […]
Transforming Women’s Health with Solar in Zimbabwe
Oxfam International’s Rural Sustainable Energy Development Project has equipped five health clinics in rural Zimbabwe with solar power, providing not just light but also reliable vaccine refrigeration and water pumps. Patients and expectant mothers no longer have to provide their own lighting when visiting the clinics, and clinic staff no longer have to use candles or cell […]
Creating Jobs and Forests in Oaxaca
The Government of Mexico and the World Bank are providing assistance to communities in the Mexican state of Oaxaca to manage their forests sustainably while also using them as a source of employment (link in Spanish). The trees can be cut under certain regulations, and reforestation and sustainable management practices must occur simultaneously. People use the […]
Singapore Is Creating Therapeutic Gardens for the Elderly
Facing an aging population, the city of Singapore created a therapeutic garden to improve quality of life for the elderly. Green spaces reduce stress, improve mood, clean the air, and provide a place for people to exercise and gather. The garden also serves as a space to practice horticultural therapy, which reduces isolation and increases mental and physical […]
New York’s Clean Energy Fund Will Reduce GHGs and Energy Costs
New York State’s $5 billion Clean Energy Fund aims to both mitigate climate change and lower energy costs for low-income families, many of whom are forced to choose between “heating or eating” in the winter due to high energy costs. The Clean Energy Fund will initiate a design competition to bring down the cost of […]
Detroit Uses LEDs to Reduce Emissions, Stimulate the Economy
Detroit has added 65,000 LED lights to replace old, broken-down sodium lamps across the city. The new lights save the city of Detroit $3 million in electricity bills and cut carbon emissions by 40,000 tons per year. They even discourage crime because they replace copper wiring with aluminum, so there is no incentive to strip […]
Reforesting with Drought Tolerant Trees in Kenya
Reforestation efforts in Kenya are being combined with investments in breeding drought-tolerant trees to halt land degradation. The program would restore 5.1 million hectares of degraded or deforested land, and communities living in these lands would receive funds to participate in the rehabilitation process. The program director, James Ndufa, says they “intend to provide farmers […]
Ultra-Low Vehicle Emissions in London
London mayor Sadiq Khan is planning to create an Ultra Low Emission Zone, or ULEZ, by 2019. The zone will be an area in central London “within which all cars, motorcycles, vans, minibuses, buses, coaches and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will need to meet exhaust emission standards (ULEZ standards) or pay a daily charge to […]