Himalayan community takes initiative to help dogs, wildlife and itself

Lansing, Michigan built an ecosystem of community violence intervention programs (anchored by Advance Peace and the Lansing Empowerment Network) that reduced shootings by 38% between 2022 and 2025. Their relationship-based outreach, mentorship, and victim support continue to prove effective despite federal funding cuts.

A novel initiative in Wyoming pays ranchers to voluntarily host elk on their private lands, decreasing dependence on disease-spreading public feedgrounds, reducing ranchers' costs, and providing promising results, though scalability and funding challenges remain significant obstacles.

An awareness campaign in Rwanda promotes cattle vaccination to prevent Rift Valley Fever transmission. Campaign organizers broadcast messages on TV, radio, and during community events.

Over 20 organizations in the Austin neighborhood of Chicago work together under the name Austin Eats to improve healthy food access with food pantries, community gardens, and grocery stores.

Dion’s Chicago Dream addresses food insecurity through a community fridge filled with fresh produce and weekly home deliveries of fresh, healthy foods.

Residents of Lapodiya, India, created a Chauka System to manage rainwater and restore groundwater levels in their community. The system is made of shallow holes and canals that hold rainwater for a few days in the monsoon season allowing the water to seep into the soil over time.

New York's Hard Hat Cats turns feral cats into working animals, deploying teams in outdoor spaces and indoor workplaces with rat infestations. Breweries, a prison, and other buildings have seen their rat populations plummet once cats are welcomed and cared for. The feral cats come from colonies of rehabilitated animals who have been trapped and neutered. The colonies prove less annoying to people once they are fed. Despite a lack of help from city officials, the working cats have earned their keep by addressing a problem that New Yorkers often complain about.

Curbing society's reliance on plastic has become a top priority on international levels. In light of this, Kenya took the most drastic approach and implemented a ban on all plastic bags enforced with consequence of jail-time and steep fines. After 8 months in action some are still finding this ban to be unjust due to cost infringements on businesses, but Nairobi’s shanty towns are seeing cleaner streets, healthier waterways and improvements in sanitation initiatives.

Caltrain's $2.4 billion electrification of 51 miles of track replaced diesel trains with faster electric ones, resulting in ridership increases (it doubled on weekends) and shorter trips. This also led to an 89% reduction in riders' exposure to toxic pollution and an estimated 250,000 metric tons of annual carbon emissions reductions.

Several California cities have adopted a new approach to clearing homeless encampments that prioritizes housing over displacement, called Inside Safe. The model involves spending 6-8 weeks getting to know each encampment resident individually, matching them with appropriate housing, moving people gradually and minimizing police involvement. Los Angeles's Inside Safe program has moved 5,200 people indoors over three years, with approximately 25% securing permanent housing.