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, …
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 …
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 …
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. …
Rwanda Solar Installation Increases Electricity and Jobs
Helping Rwanda move toward its goal of delivering electricity to half the population by 2017, a new 8.5MW solar farm has increased power generation by 6% and added 350 local jobs. The project had an …
The Young African Leaders Initiative Wants You to Plant Trees
In honor of Earth Day 2016, the Young African Leaders Initiative is participating in the goal to plant 7.8 billion trees, one tree for every person, by the year 2020. The Initiative will be sharing …
New building designs integrate nature for greater efficiency
Many architects, planners, and designers are taking ideas from nature when constructing new buildings, a concept known as biomimicry. For example, a building in Harare, Zimbabwe, uses air channels and …
Energy renovations provide residents comfort and higher home values
Energy upgrades are perhaps the most valuable home upgrade one can make. Money-wise, a recent home remodeling study found that in addition to lower utility bills, attic insulation projects recouped …