Crowdfunding amid blackout saves Kwara residents from losses

To prevent utility poles from falling due to lack of maintenance, damaging homes and leaving residents without power, community members worked together to raise funds to build 18 new concrete poles without the help of any government entities or power companies.

One Minneapolis resident launched a grassroots education campaign to help her neighborhood reduce carbon emissions from home heating by upgrading her home insulation and using electric appliances. She then shared information about the energy-efficiency improvements and available rebates to fund them. Between 2019 and 2024, area residents using these strategies reduced natural gas use by 29%, and is now being replicated in other neighborhoods throughout the city.

In an effort to lower electric rates and move toward more renewable energy, Kauai residents raised funds to acquire and turn the area’s for-profit utility company into a locally owned cooperative, the Kauai Island Utility Cooperative (KIUC). When it was formed in 2008, KIUC pledged to reach 50% renewable electricity by 2023, and last year it was already generating 60% of its energy from renewables like solar power.

In order to have more say and control of their utilities, the city rallied together to create a campaign to take over their local electricity distribution. This take-over has created city jobs for local residents that are more secure than those in the private sector and residents have also seen lower electricity rates.

Honor the Earth is an anti-data center coalition monitoring the construction of hyperscale data centers in or near indigenous land. Through their efforts, town halls, doorknocking, attending tribal council meetings and more, they’ve formed a community with people in agriculture and beyond, working to push back against data center construction and enact protections for communities. As a result of their efforts, the Tulsa City Council signed a 9-month moratorium on data centers, and the Seminole Nation also unanimously passed its own moratorium.

In an area long-known for poverty and poor health outcomes, residents in Mumbai are joining forces to lead a community-building initiative that works to create shared community spaces, such as libraries, workshops and designated areas for rest and play, specifically with women and children in mind, as city planning historically overlooks these needs and groups.

The Haitian nonprofit Life of Hope had faced chronic rental instability for years before developing a financing strategy using federal funds, bridge loans, and private donations to finally secure permanent ownership of a facility. Since purchasing a warehouse to house the organization in June 2024, the organization has solidified itself as a permanent pillar in the local Haitian community, providing English classes, cultural programming, and other community services to more than 60,000 people, serving as a model for other Haitian nonprofits.

The Cherokee Nation is addressing long-standing water insecurity and infrastructure challenges through proactive investments triggered by the passage of the Wilma P. Mankiller & Charlie Soap Water Act. By shifting from emergency fixes to long-term planning, the tribe has funded targeted infrastructure upgrades, leveraged state and federal partnerships, and used precise data assessments to pinpoint urgent community needs.

Several cities have fully banned or passed ordinances regulating Airbnb and other short-term rentals to prevent the cities from being overrun by tourists and rental properties. These policies combat the “Airbnb effect” that has been seen in cities from Irvine, California all the way to Bed-Stuy in New York. Cities that have passed these ordinances see lower rent rates, more equitable housing markets and a more sustainable tourism economy.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, several locals are joining together to occupy land and avoid further displacement. Community members have worked together to address food insecurity by creating community gardens and have also cleaned and repaired abandoned buildings in the community to turn them into food banks, housing options and resource centers for those in need.