Western State Colorado University is implementing an on-campus program called "Sources of Strength". The program helps prevent suicide by connecting trained students with their at-risk peers. The program will be used alongside the "question, persuade, refer" training that is administered to students and faculty to be used in a suicide crisis situation.

Late-night disturbances. Unfamiliar cars. As short-term rentals became common in Telluride, nuisance concerns rose too. In response, the town council passed an ordinance, defining short-term rentals as stays of less than 30 days and instating strict zoning and licensing requirements on rental businesses. Five years later, the policy remains effective and popular.

Integrating behavioral health care with primary pediatric care helps address chronic, long-term issues. Using grant funding, Pediatric Partners of the Southwest improved its approach to health care. The introduction of screenings for social determinants of health allows pediatricians to direct families to the proper resources.

A nonprofit in Colorado helps homeowners protect their properties from fires by making them “stand-alone defensible.” That means controlling fuels on the property to affect a fire's behavior and possibly avoid losing the home if fire suppression crews cannot reach the site. This is especially important as more homes are at risk because more people build in areas closer to wilderness and Western fires are growing bigger and hotter due to climate change and drought.

To mitigate against growing concerns about the disconnect between Carbondale, Colorado police officers and community members, a local high school proposed a plan: have the cops learn Spanish. Not only has this impacted the police departments outreach, but it has also improved community and police trust.

As tourism activity increases on the trails throughout Colorado and crowds of mountain bikers flock to the Gunnison Valley area, a group born out of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association has formed to act as a boots on the ground type of coalition. From trail maintenance to educating newcomers on proper trail etiquette, the Crested Butte Conservation Corps have taken matters into their own hands.

Many people struggle with some form of addiction, but not many will seek help. Young People in Recovery aims to change that by not replacing other avenues of help, but rather "enhance other forms of care" by providing a place for support through meetings, events and activities.

In Durango, Colorado, the emergency room was being treated as a primary care center by those that did not understand how to navigate the health care system when faced with times of uncertainty in their life. To both address the misuse of the hospital and provide additional resources to this community Mercy Regional Medical Center implemented the Life Interruptions Need Kindness program which connects a social worker with the patient.

Creating and strengthening relationships within a community is crucial in suicide prevention efforts. In Colorado, community and non-profit organizations have come together to address the problem of youth suicide. An approach that enrolls institutions such as schools, medical centers, and social spaces can increase youth access to healthy relationships as well as resources and mental health care support.

With a shortage of women pursuing careers within the sciences, a program based out of University of Colorado, Boulder is looking to tip the scales. Implemented by two female graduate students, Girls of Rock is open to women and people of color nationwide and provides nearly two weeks of experiential and hands-on learning in the backcountry.

Armed with data, local activists are taking on environmental justice campaigns. In the absence of action on the part of the Federal Government, local organizations in Mississippi and across the South are working to increase transparency, generate data on public health issues, and mobilize action on climate change.

Officials in rural Montana towns are trying to find what the correct “formula” is for spurring population growth. The town of Choteau is working with the Montana Economic Developers Association to conduct research assessments to gain insight. In the past, these assessments show tangible growth in other towns, so Choteau will model its development efforts based on the data they collect. This is part of a series on economic development in Montana.

Farmers and land owners in the Rio Grande del Rancho region are using a collaborative, community-based approach fostered by acequias to ensure better sharing of water resources in times of scarcity.

When lead and arsenic levels threatened the communities in Southeastern Colorado, the Environmental Protection Agency was asked to step in. In order to have a seat at the table when decisions were being made, community members in the city of Pueblo created a Community Advisory Group. This allowed them to not only increase their understanding of possible decisions, but also offer feedback. It has also offered a model for surrounding communities that are facing similar situations.

Carbondale is one of several Colorado towns that is focusing on preserving affordability for local artists. Since a different town was selected for a state-run program called Space to Create, Carbondale had to get more creative. The town is now working with a consulting group called Artspace that specializes in affordable housing for artists. Though the project is still in the early stages, they have already conducted a feasibility study and have clear plans in place to the development of affordable housing sites.

Having made a commitment to commissioning and placing hundreds of pieces of public art, a Colorado city is now also making a commitment to artists. A 30 unit apartment building has been created with the purpose of providing artists with affordable housing and not pricing them out of living downtown.

Improving sanitation and hygiene in rural communities requires coordinating experts and policy makers to find solutions that fit. In addition to coordinating research projects on alternative forms of sewage and wastewater management, the Equal Justice Initiative, the Alabama health department, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are working to educate residents about sanitation and public health.

Raton's economy took a devastating blow when its coal mine shut down and hundreds of people lost their job. In recent years the town has made great strides in rebuilding by taking inventory of what the town needs, encouraging local businesses, seeking tourists and businesses, and trying to build a stronger work ethic in the residents and decrease the prevalence of drugs.

A tax break for open space may help protect New Mexico’s farm land from development, preserving generations-old tradition and ownership, while maintaining valuable land for a future agricultural resurgence.

In the western United States, a couple nonprofits are working to kill two birds with one stone: reducing catastrophic wildfires while creating a profitable (yet sustainable) market for harvested wood. Yet these management techniques have yet to prove economically viable.

Together, the nonprofit real estate developer Artspace and Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), a government program supporting creative industries statewide, are helping support artists through affordable housing and economic development. Artpsace helped build a live-work building for artists in Loveland. CCI is leveraging government resources to provide support as well. Though this addresses just a small segment of those needing affordable housing in the state, it sets a model that can spur more affordable development from other groups.

In the 1980s, throughout African and Asian countries, a tropical disease known as guinea worm was being transmitted through contaminated stagnant water. Thanks to a combination of endeavors that included "education and intervention programs, funding for clean water access, and government-supported public health campaigns," the near eradication of this epidemic is now being used as a model for how to combat other diseases in various parts of the world.

Taos High School has recently lost a couple of students and a recent graduate, all of whom committed suicide. The school has developed an Emotional Intelligence Retreat for its ninth graders as an opportunity to form deeper connections and build their own emotional understanding, in order to help them cope with hardships.

One small thing colonization destroyed was seeds. Indigenous communities used to pass seeds down from generation to generation, but according to some estimates, seed erosion has wiped off as much as 90 percent of agricultural crops. A global effort is being undertaken to save seeds, and also conserve tradition.

On New Mexico's public lands, volunteer effort can go a long way for wildlife restoration. Each year, nearly 200 volunteers hike around 10,000 cutthroat trout to the edge of the Río Grande del Norte National Monument Wild Rivers Recreation Area. For a fish occupying less than 10 percent of its historic range, sparking interest in conservation is an added benefit in helping the species.