How a Methodist Preacher Became a Champion for Black-Led Sustainable Agriculture

A community solar project in a rural Michigan town is making energy more affordable for low-to-moderate-income households. Fifty community members and organizations subscribed to receive energy from and support the construction of a solar array. As a result, their electricity bills are about $300 cheaper each year, and the local utility reported fewer late payments.

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.

All We Can Save Circles are decentralized, 10-course book clubs aimed at helping participants develop communities around climate solutions by inspiring action and allowing them to talk through climate anxieties. More than 3,000 people have formed Circles around the country and 90% of those who participate have taken some kind of climate action on their own, like advocating for change in their communities or taking a climate-focused career.

Generous Design Africa works to reduce plastic pollution through upcycling and recycling. The group recycles plastic and makes products like rulers, cups, and buttons, that are sold for profit. Generous Design Africa also holds two monthly trainings to teach locals about plastic recycling and the dangers of plastic pollution. So far, more than 100 people have attended the training.

The Park East freeway teardown was completed 20 years ago and opened up 24 acres of prime real estate that has since seen increased property values, more space for pedestrians and recreation and has generated over $1 billion in private investment. The teardown has also resulted in less vehicle emissions in the area and further development and revitalization of the surrounding neighborhoods. Now, other areas in the city are turning to the success of the Park East teardown to inspire more freeway removals.

Cars are Europe’s second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions and the leading killer of children. In recent years, Paris has implemented an array of measures to prioritize pedestrians, cyclists, and transit while reducing car use. As a result, car use has dropped about 45% since 1990, the use of public transit has risen by 30% and the share of cyclists has increased tenfold.

Green Means Go identifies central parts of cities called “Green Zones” and then makes efforts to increase infill housing where services already exist for residents and improve access to alternative, more “green" modes of transportation, and reduce commute times. Less vehicle commuting means fewer greenhouse gas emissions. Out of 28 local jurisdictions, 23 have already adopted Green Zones.

Germany’s three-month experiment with €9 tickets for a month of unlimited travel on public transportation saved about 1.8 metric tons of CO2 emissions. The experiment was launched in an effort to cut fuel consumption and relieve a cost of living crisis and sold about 52 million tickets.

Too Good To Go offers a digital platform where food businesses can offer food approaching its expiration date at a third of its original cost. Too Good To Go helps supermarkets recover costs, connects people with cheap food and reduces food waste. Since launching in 2016, the program has saved more than 11 million meals in Denmark alone and the company has now expanded across 17 countries in Europe and North America.

At one high school at the Menasha Joint School District in Wisconsin students are growing their own vegetables inside a classroom. That’s because they have their own a hydroponic garden, a garden that does not require soil. The homegrown produce is part of their meal program and is leading to positive effects. Students express more interest in learning about vegetables and feeling more connected to gardening. “They have a very personal connection to that produce.”