This Evolving 3,000-Mile-Long Park Is Already Improving Cities Along Its Path

Gipave is a new type of asphalt technology that combines plastic waste with bitumen, a material already used to pave roads, to make recyclable road surfaces with longer lifespans and reduce emissions from road work by 70%.

Norway’s electric vehicle adaptation has grown to outpace the sale of fossil-fuel cars. The country’s government accomplished this by investing millions of euros in distributing charging ports, incentivizing electric vehicle purchases, disincentivizing purchases of fossil-fuel cars, and requiring locations like parking garages have electric infrastructure available.

A community-led nonprofit restarted New Orleans’ bike-sharing program Blue Bikes with a focus on affordability and equity after a for-profit company ended it during the pandemic. The founders used the bike stands and tools left behind from the original program, the city provided spaces for the bike racks, and the funders provided money for a fleet of bicycles.

Bamboo is growing in popularity as a cheap, sustainable building option that can replace hardwoods and other common construction materials.

Since 2022, Denver has given out almost 15,000 electric bike rebates via an online portal to make them a more accessible transportation option. The applications are so popular they’re gone in seconds, and they can only be redeemed in person at participating local bike shops.

Cities in the United States are changing zoning restrictions in residential areas to allow businesses like corner stores and cafes to reestablish themselves there. It’s in an effort to improve walkability, cut emissions, and build a stronger sense of community — and people are responding well.

The residents of Kikandwa, Uganda, came together to create the Kikandwa Environmental Association to implement nature-based solutions in their community. The solutions are combatting climate change and generating more income than options with a negative environmental impact. For example, many people traded cutting trees to make charcoal for selling seedlings at the local tree nursery.

St. Paul, Minnesota, is retrofitting city-owned buildings, improving their efficiency, and swapping to renewable sources of heating and cooling to decarbonize their operations.

The startup Pipedream Labs is running small, electric vehicles in tunnels under Peachtree Corners, Georgia, to make last-mile deliveries for local restaurants. The aim is to reduce emissions, traffic, and delivery costs for businesses.

Local governments in France are educating residents about waste reduction and finding ways to incentivize the behavior change necessary to meet the country’s ambitious zero-waste goals. Roubaix, for example, teaches residents simple lifestyle changes that will also save them money. Whereas, Smicval transitioned from door-to-door waste collection to a central collection point where residents drop off trash themselves.