Klean Kensington pays teens to clean and green their own blocks

Los Angeles is partnering with two nonprofits, the Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative (LANI) and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps (LACC), to accelerate sidewalk repairs ahead of the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games. LANI has spent over two decades helping council districts fix broken sidewalks more cheaply and flexibly than the city's official process, and LACC pairs the repair work with paid job training for youth ages 18–26, with 30 participants already completing the program.

The Hope Work Initiative by Atlantic City's Homeless Outreach Unit connects unhoused community members with temporary employment cleaning up the city streets for three days a week, making $75 a day.

Residents of Cambridge, Massachusetts, are planting Miyawaki forests to help regenerate the local ecosystem, sequester carbon, and cool the air. Originally created in Japan, these forests consist entirely of native plants made to mimic a natural forest in a small area of urban land.

In an effort to address issues of waste disposal, the Women Recyclers Empowerment Initiative empowers women in local communities by paying them to recycle plastics. Not only does the initiative address waste issues, but it also allows women to become financially independent. So far, 40 women have participated in the initiative.

The Tamarindo Integral Development Association (ADI) has achieved success in a seemingly mundane task: taking charge of vacant lots. The ADI first borrowed use of vacant lots to start a farmers market and a soccer school. The group then mapped 40 vacant lots across the Tamarindo area. Now, the group is successfully working on reviving public spaces for the common good all across the town.

Alleys in Seattle were once places of illicit, illegal, and unsanitary activity. The International Sustainability Institute in Seattle began organizing music and art events to bring in people, which, in turn, cleaned-up the crime and garbage. As an urban development strategy, adjacent vacant storefronts re-opened for business and beautification could be seen in new gardens.

Environmental design interventions in Philadelphia (which include LED streetlight upgrades, vacant lot cleanups, community gardens, and planter installations) have contributed to measurable reductions in gun violence (including a 21% drop in nighttime gun violence after streetlight upgrades and a 39% decrease in gun crimes near remediated buildings). These interventions have also fostered community bonds and strengthened feelings of safety.

In an effort to reduce plastic waste, recycling centers like Recyclift Recycling Technology Company collect plastic waste and crush it into processed pellets to be repurposed. The company employs over 50 people, all working toward the goal of crushing 100 tons of plastic each week.

Investment groups and developers Voyage Investments and Shift Capital are working to raise funds to transform abandoned buildings into useful spaces that benefit the community, like a new high school or studio space for local entrepreneurs. These projects have brought upwards of 500 jobs to locals and help keep the community involved in the city’s development by allowing them to make small investments in upcoming projects.

The nonprofit Action Northeast Trust organizes youth ultimate Frisbee matches to strengthen social cohesion, promote gender equality, and foster peace among young people from different villages, ethnicities, and mother tongues in Assam, India.