Ii: The greenest town in Europe

Rahr Malting, a brewery in Shakopee, MN, has found a creative way to sustainably address their energy needs. The company partners with the Mdewakanton Sioux Community to use waste barley hulls from the malting factory to generate electricity for their facilities, selling excess power to the public grid while the waste heat sprouts the malt to make beer.

In Paris, about 7,500 buildings are heated using geothermal energy, a cost-saving and carbon neutral energy source. Water is drawn from deep below ground at a central location and heated by the earth, and then sent via underground pipes to individual buildings. The Bagneux and Chatillon district has scaled up the system, providing heat to over 40,000 people. Districts created joint ventures to reduce construction costs and residents do not notice the energy source shift because when the temperature drops to a point where geothermal energy is not viable, gas boilers automatically keeps the heat flowing.

An economic shift to renewable energy could take decades, but thanks to rapidly evolving disruptive technologies, dropping prices of solar and wind power sources, and increasing market demand for green business, the new age of renewable energy could encompass the world economy much more quickly.

A collaborative effort among the United Nations' District Energy in Cities Initiative, the Malaysian government, and private partners has facilitated planning in Malaysia's rapidly developing southern state of Johor for a "District Energy System": a single heating and cooling network which decreases energy consumption by converting waste heat from large power stations. Because of this intervention, Iskandar is projected to decrease its energy use by almost 40% -- all while saving money on energy costs, recycling heat energy, and contributing to the nation's goals under the international Paris Accord.

Small towns across America are leading the shift towards renewable energy. Part of a series called "American Futures", this video visits Kansas, Pennsylvania, and California to learn more about green initiatives in biofuel, wind, and solar power. Although each solution is different, each are a new way of generating income for the residents of the towns and often comes with societal acceptance as well.

Ashton Hayes- a small town in England- adopted a Carbon Neutrality mission, meaning they hoped to produce as much energy as they consumed. Over the past 10 years they have reduced their emissions by 40%, attributing their success to the resulting neighbourhood cohesion, dedication, and it being a public decision as opposed to one made or implemented by politicians.

As climate change drastically alters the land, sea, and how humans subsist in the face of a changing environment, governments are finding that traditional methods of development are no longer sufficient or sustainable. To adapt, governing bodies around the world are turning to their citizens - especially those most at-risk to the effects of climate change - to lend their ideas and experiences to ensure better, more sustainable development for the future.

The densely populated Canadian city is tenth most at risk of flooding in the world as climate change raises sea levels. The government has instated a number of successful flood adaptation projects, with an ambition to become the “greenest city in the world."

Powerhouse, a collective of architects, engineers, environmentalists, and designers based in Oslo, reimagines building design to address climate change. Not only are many of their structures energy-neutral, but they actually produce surplus energy. For example, Powerhouse Brattørkaia in Trondheim is an eight-story office that will generate 485,000 kWh annually. Such "energy-positive" building has made great strides in Norway.

Setting the bar high for environmental sustainability can encourage innovation and experimentation. Developers of Paris’ new Clichy-Batignolles eco-district are reducing the neighborhood’s carbon footprint in nearly every way imaginable. Solar panels and vegetation cover the energy-efficient buildings, the water table under the 10-hectare (25-acre) park provides geothermal heating, deliveries are directed to a central drop-off site, and much more.