Communities getting 'smart' on climate change

Depending on the swap, switching a home’s heating and cooling system for a residential heat pump can produce less greenhouse gas emissions and result in cost savings down the line.

Depuis le début de la crise sanitaire, des centaines de milliers d'enfants auraient été « perdus » par leurs enseignants, d’après le ministre de l’Éducation. Malgré le manque d’équipements informatiques ou les difficultés des élèves à travailler à la maison, des professeurs, associations et bénévoles sont en partie parvenus à maintenir le lien.

Although solar installations have been on the rise, it's often those that could most benefit from this renewable energy source that can't access it. The Darebin City Council in Australia recognized this challenge faced by very low-income households, and began what is now known as the Solar Saver program. Although it initially began as a way to help these families cut electricity costs, it is now focused on making solar more accessible by providing no cost installations and a 10-year payment plan that ultimately helps the families cut costs.

Las Ollas Comunes son comedores comunales que proporcionan almuerzo a los miembros de las comunidades aledañas de manera gratuita. Las ollas funcionan con el trabajo organizado y voluntario de las mujeres de las comunidades, quienes se aseguran de dividir los alimentos que logran recolectar, de manera equitativa.

The Flight of the Angel attraction has helped the area to create more jobs and improve the economy through tourism. In 2007, when the attraction opened, there were only two restaurants and two hotels in the city. But now, there are about 50 bed and breakfasts, eight restaurants and over 130,000 visitors annually.

Hawaiians are restoring fishponds to working order with tasks like fixing rock walls and removing pollution to reimplement land practices of the past into daily life. These ponds consist of a rock wall, a gate for midsized fish to enter, and things the fish feed on like algae and coral.

In Nigeria, the Arewa Women Initiative For Climate Change Advocacy And Environmental Sustainability works to educate people on climate change and empower them to make informed, environment-friendly decisions. Through events like tree planting campaigns, the initiative spreads awareness on a variety of issues while coordinating action.

St. John the Divine Episcopal Church's overnight parking program offers those who are temporarily unhoused a place to stay, typically by camping in their cars or RVs. Recently, the Church partnered with local social service agencies to add three semi-permanent housing huts to their parking lot. Residents staying in the hut have access to amenities in the Church, like a kitchen, and are welcome to stay as long as they need to until they decide to move into more permanent accommodations.

A brewery and a winery in Oregon are setting the standards and building the infrastructure for a reusable glass bottles system to reduce their environmental impacts. They sell their products in bottles that customers are incentivized to return so they can be cleaned, refilled, and sold again.

By combining rebates from the Inflation Reduction Act and funding from the state’s Focus on Energy program, Wisconsin homeowners can make energy efficient upgrades at a fraction of the typical cost, with some low-income residents paying as little as $1. Though the future of the funding is uncertain with a new presidential administration, one Wisconsin contractor specializing in green projects currently has 10 projects in progress with another 50 on tap.