Virginia schools have seen the light, and it's solar

Hawaii private school students were taught about ecological sustainability, but public school students were not. After losing a school essay contest about sustainability, a high school student convinced Hawaii’s legislature to pass a resolution requiring that every student learn the meaning of the concept. Due to this student’s advocacy, the state is also piloting a program to install solar panels on its public schools to teach children how to be more self-sustaining.

In Oakland, a company created an online crowdfunding platform that allows users to earn interest by financing clean energy projects and gives people with good social intentions a direct line of action. Across the world, there is a growing movement toward people-powered clean energy.

Climate-adapted schoolyards are just one way that Paris is adjusting and preparing for climate change under the leadership of Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Although it hasn't been simple and has involved a shift in cultural perception of nature,

Between 1992 and 2011, Nepal and the Netherlands collaborated to install 260,000 domestic biogas digesters across the country that convert livestock and human waste into clean cooking fuel to address energy security and deforestation challenges. The program has helped families save $111 annually on gas and prevents over-consumption of firewood.

Throughout the state, Maine launched several workforce development programs to meet clean energy goals by training workers to help install heat pumps and perform other clean energy jobs. For example, Kennebec Valley Community College's heat pump lab has trained more than 300 students since 2021.

Faced with severe heat waves, escalating electricity costs and frequent blackouts, Pakistan took a grassroots approach to transitioning to solar power, making electricity more accessible and affordable. They’ve become a major market for solar, importing 17 gigawatts of solar panels from China in 2024 alone, doubling their 2023 numbers, making Pakistan the world’s third-biggest importer of solar panels.

SteamHouse’s community boiler system supplies steam energy to about 45 companies in Surat’s industrial area, offering more affordable, reliable, and environmentally friendly ways to power factories.

Local real estate developer Lodha Group created Palava City, a 5,000-acre experimental community using creative green building techniques and layout initiatives, supporting its mission of creating a net-zero community. The city is being developed in phases on a community level, without the restrictions of local government, and plans to house about two million residents. Those already living in the community praise its energy efficiency and walkability compared to nearby cities.

With the help of federal tax credits and localized policies for building, last year, Florida surpassed California as the state with the most new solar panels plugged into its grid, building three gigawatts of large-scale solar in 2024.

The town of Ithaca is working with its local gas utility and area homeowners to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by removing gas pipes from homes and businesses by switching them over to electricity, primarily from renewable sources. While the transition is a long process, the town expects to achieve about a 30% reduction in emissions in the next year.