Nine years ago, Paul Quinn College in Dallas transformed its football field into an organic farm. This historically black college was struggling with financial issues, extremely low graduation rates, ...
Preserving Trees & Livelihoods in the Chocó Rainforest
A group of farmers in the Chocó Rainforest in Ecuador is preserving trees from being felled for lumber and banana and palm oil production. Their association, Socio Escondido, is instead growing cacao, ...
Solar Sister Empowers Women and Delivers Clean Energy in Africa
Solar Sister works to both empower women and bring solar energy to remote parts of Africa by recruiting, training, and supporting women in establishing their own clean energy businesses. The Solar ...
Rainwater harvesting supplies water and income in Kenya
With guidance from the Africa Sand Dam Foundation, villages in Kenya's Makueni County are creating rain catchment systems to take action against drought. People in the Kikumbulyu village built rock ...
Bringing Nature Into Schools Increases Student Learning and Well-Being
School facilities with natural features and eco-friendly designs are not just good for the environment, but also for educational outcomes. Classrooms that have plants and natural light show improved ...
The Collective Leadership Institute Builds Capacity for Multisolving
The Collective Leadership Institute is a nonprofit based in Germany and South Africa whose work helps others build capacity for multisolving. Their goal is to foster collective leadership, in ...
BlocPower Finances Energy Efficiency in Underserved Communities
A startup called BlocPower is providing financing for energy efficiency upgrades to small businesses and organizations in underserved communities with aging, inefficient buildings. Small businesses, ...
Conserving water also saves energy and carbon emissions
One silver lining to the ongoing drought in California is that the water conservation measures undertaken by the state have also saved energy and greenhouse gas emissions. According to the Los Angeles ...
Clean Energy Education & Empowerment initiative boosts the role of women in clean energy
The Clean Energy Education & Empowerment initiative serves to increase the leadership and participation of women in the clean energy sector. Created by the Clean Energy Ministerial, the US ...
From Empty Homes to Green Space & Flood Prevention in Detroit
In Detroit, abandoned homes are being turned into "bioretention" rain gardens. These gardens soak up storm runoff, which reduces the flow of sewage into nearby rivers and lowers the risk of street ...
Car sharing Creates Connections while Fostering Disaster Recovery
The 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan swept away 60,000 cars in the city of Ishinomaki. Residents had a difficult time replacing their cars due to car shortages, lack of parking, and lack of money. ...
The UN Poverty-Environment Initiative brings poverty & environment to the forefront of policymaking
The United Nations Poverty-Environment Initiative works in Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America to help governments and other stakeholders manage the environment in a way that also improves ...