Urban mining, or recycling and reusing everything from buildings to electronics to household waste, is a way to preserve the value of goods that would otherwise be thrown away. Nearly everything can be recycled: “Paint is dried up to make chalk, the rancid oils are processed into cosmetics, and old devices dismantled to recycle materials such as paper, plastics, metals […]
Espigoladors: Spain’s second chance for food, planet, and the socially excluded
In Spain, the art of gleaning – harvesting farmers’ unwanted crops – is feeding the hungry and creating employment for the socially excluded, while also reducing pressure on land use, reducing CO2 emissions, conserving water, improving diets, and changing society’s perception of food waste. Finding treasure in waste helps people and climate Espigoladors contributes to the […]
Warm Up New Zealand is Multisolving with Home Insulation
A government program in New Zealand demonstrates how health, economic vitality, and climate protection can all be enhanced via investments in energy efficiency. A radical move What would it look like if, in the middle of an economic crisis, your government invested in a program aimed at keeping vulnerable households warm? What if this action […]
Regenerative Agriculture Protects the Land and Its Inhabitants
Regenerative agriculture is a type of farming that sequesters CO2 while improving water retention, soil health, and rainfall conservation. It uses techniques such as agroforestry, crop rotation, and rotational grazing, while excluding pesticides and factory farming. Many of the techniques used are an adaptation of indigenous and local farming practices. Regenerative agriculture can help communities […]
The Netherlands Recycles Toilet Paper to Pave Bike Paths
The Dutch province of Friesland is innovating by recycling toilet paper and using it to enhance the safety of asphalt, which is used to pave bicycle paths. Normally, toilet paper is filtered out at wastewater treatment plants and then incinerated, which releases CO2 and destroys the resources contained in the toilet paper. Instead, this project extracts […]
Interfaith Power & Light Helps Congregations Protect the Climate
Interfaith Power & Light is an organization helping thousands of diverse religious congregations limit their carbon emissions and organize campaigns to urge lawmakers to take action on climate change. Their programs help faith communities reduce their emissions by increasing renewable energy, energy efficiency, water conservation, and starting local organic farms. They also have a program that […]
Learning Conservation in Prison
The Sustainability in Prisons Project is partnering with inmates to develop and advance conservation efforts in prisons in the United States. Some of the conservation programs include zero-waste centers, cultivation of native plants to restore local habitats, and breeding threatened pollinator species. These programs engage prisoners and give them opportunities to learn more about conservation, […]
Solar-Powered Gardens in Benin Reduce Poverty & Food Insecurity
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 […]
Changing the Conversation on Sustainable Development in Canada
Changing the Conversation is an organization in Canada that provides “a civil, open source inter-generational space where Canadians can come together to join or start a conversation around issues that matter to them and their communities.” They hold dialogues on issues such as energy, food security, waste, and rural revitalization. They also provide tools for […]
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 […]