A Virtual Landscape-Architecture Camp Introduces Girls to Careers They Didn't Even Know Existed

Outdoor schools are growing in popularity, but don't often reflect the diverse communities they serve. Two outdoor schools, one in New Mexico and the other in Washington state, are implementing programs and strategies to address the root of this systemic issue. Tiny Trees Preschool in Seattle has found success through its Redefining The Outdoors program, which gets more families of color involved in the outdoors, and by offering tuition assistance to families of color and those facing economic hardships.

In Chicago's West Side, "virtual learning havens" are helping students to access in-person resources for their education during the Covid pandemic. These programs – provided by groups such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs – offer an adult-supervised setting for students to interact with their peers and access the technology needed to complete their schoolwork.

Many counties in New Hampshire are addressing the digital divide by loaning laptops to students without access to a computer at home and providing paper assignments to students who don’t have access to the internet. Though not available for every student who lacks access to a computer, school districts, business leaders, and citizens have loaned out thousands of laptops to students. The state's largest school district has bus drivers bring breakfast, lunch, and paper assignments to school children each day, which also enables the bus drivers to continue working during the Covid-19 pandemic shutdown.

Gallaudet University has interior design and architecture built with the needs and preferences of people who are deaf or hard-of-hearing in mind. By analyzing the effects of lighting, color, space, and other design principles emphatically, restaurants and other public spaces can be similarly accommodating for individuals with different hearing abilities.

In the age of iPhones and laptops, parents are always looking for ways to get their kids to ditch the screens and spend more time outside. One startup is turning to the very technology that has been critiqued as a solution to the dangers of "nature-deficit disorder." Tinkergarten is using an app to get kids and their parents to take the initial step out the door at which point, the startup's founders say, the technology fades to the background.

Doctors are leveraging trust built over time with patients to combat misinformation around climate change. The Medical Society Consortium on Climate and Health and its affiliates, including Georgia Clinicians for Climate Action, train healthcare providers on climate communication through fellowships, advocacy work, and educational materials to better equip them for these conversations.

Students at Catholic University of America in a net-zero design course are analyzing church structures and making suggestions for green improvements to address the climate crisis, reduce carbon emissions and support the Vatican’s Laudato Si’ mission to conserve energy and protect the planet. Though in its early days, the course has proven beneficial for U.S. dioceses, and students say it’s impacted the way they see architecture and design, and how it can have implications tied to the environment.

A cooperative in Switzerland is building sustainable apartments using recycled materials and green building practices to create carbon-neutral communal living spaces. These “cluster apartments” cut down on living space per person and save energy.

Architects across Asia are taking inspiration from a traditional form of agriculture called rice terraces to create flood-resilient infrastructure in cities that lack places for excess water to go. In Bangkok, for example, a university’s roof mimics the step-like design, and the water it holds is used to grow rice.

Several groups are emerging to help youth cope with eco-anxiety and the mental health effects caused by climate change. Groups like the Bay Area Youth Climate Summit educate and facilitate conversations about climate change with young people, helping them build a sense of community with others who share their concerns. Research shows those who participate in climate work and have a social support system have reduced feelings of eco-anxiety and depression linked to climate change.