Go Midwest, Young Man

America is the world’s main supplier of food aid to impoverished countries; however, food aid has the problems of long-distance transportation, the cost of the transportation and storage, and the navigation through dangerous zones. Different programs around the world are experimenting with alternative forms of aid, including vouchers and cash for work.

A new solar array called North Star in the Twin Cities will soon produce enough energy to power more than 20,000 homes. The project allows landowners to evolve beyond a deteriorating farming industry while maintaining native prairie plants under and around the panels for bees and other pollinators. The project is part of the state's 15-year energy plan to reduce carbon emissions by 60 percent and generate a third of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

To the two social entrepreneurs who founded nonprofit Feedback, the massive amounts of food waste being tossed into landfills in the UK and USA each year was a mounting challenge that required a creative solution. So they founded Toast Ale, a craft brewing company that not only reduced food waste by using unwanted bread from bakeries to brew their ales, but helps bring awareness to the issue through the brand, which is growing in popularity.

American cows are not typically made to withstand the warmer summers occurring across the United States. To combat the negative side effect of a decrease in milk production, farmers are trying solutions such as using fans and misting water and even going so far as to create a new breed of cow.

As cities grapple with higher temperatures, state and local governments are looking for ways to play a larger role in combatting the impacts. Throughout the United States, some of the entities are turning their attention towards solutions that make road more heat-resistant.

Aiming to improve road conditions and cut down on plastic waste, a Scottish engineer found a way to blend the two. After testing a series of different recipes, he found the perfect recipe that is now being used across United Kingdom and the Gulf, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

When designing policies, user engagement is an essential part of obtaining feedback and raising awareness among the very people that the policies are intended to impact. One small government team in Canada, the Next Generation HR an Pay Team, also contends that user engagement must come early on in the process to allow for course correction.

Across the United States, state legislatures are passing “red flag” laws as a preventative effort to mass shootings. These laws make it possible for law enforcement to take guns away from people showing signs of violence or suicide. While there has been push back from gun-rights advocates, with fourteens states passing laws like these, it seem to be a part of a larger, cultural shift.

Oslo, Norway saw zero pedestrian and cyclist deaths in 2019. The success comes from infrastructure redesign, increased traffic enforcement, overall policy prioritization of road safety, and collaboration between residents, organizations, and government. In the United States, many cities are working toward “Vision Zero” – zero pedestrian and cycling deaths – and are looking to Oslo as an example.

Localscapes is a program in Utah promoting more water-efficient landscaping. The program includes state-based horticulturists, landscape professionals, and water experts who help interested people make the most sustainable use of their yards and lawns. "The program focuses on five techniques: a central open space, gathering areas, activity zones, paths and planting beds."