In mid-May, the California Energy Commission voted unanimously to approve building standards that will require new California homes to have rooftop solar panels, greater energy efficiency, better ventilation, and lighting standards for commercial buildings. All in all, these rules will lead to a reduction of 493 million pounds of carbon emissions every year. The commission projects that the […]
Lakota Solar Grows Native-Owned Renewables in Tribal Communities
Lakota Solar Enterprises is a Native-owned and operated renewable energy company located on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. Its aim is to help tribal lands reduce their dependence on fossil fuels and achieve energy sovereignty. In doing so, it also creates jobs and reduces energy bills in remote and energy-poor communities. Lakota Solar […]
Turning Mountaintop Coal Mines into Farms
Coalfield Development, a nonprofit social enterprise in West Virginia, is working to turn former coal mining areas and mountaintop removal sites into farmland and forest, using farm animals to root out invasive plants and fertilize the depleted soil. These efforts have created dozens of full-time jobs, and residents are offered training and stipends to work on their […]
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 […]
Helping Refugees Start Urban Farms
Plant It Forward Farms trains refugees in the city of Houston to set up their own urban, organic farming businesses. Although Houston resettles the highest number of refugees in the USA, many are unable to find meaningful work. This initiative helps them settle in their new home and earn good livelihoods. It also provides 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 […]
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 […]