Los Angeles, City of Water

Water:Charity assumed that money and celebrity exposure would be able to solve the world’s access-to-clean-water crisis. But this approach often led to more abandoned water pumps. Charities – and journalists who cover them – are now working to concentrate on making their solutions sustainable.

Raton, a town once surrounded by eight coal mines, now has a main street of boarded-up buildings. There is reason for optimism as the town diversifies its local economy, betting on "a mix of small manufacturing businesses, health care and specialty services, and hospitality for travelers" to endure the sudden decline in mining revenue. Its calculated revitalization may hold lessons for other towns.

Small towns located deep in the valleys of steep mountains, like Rjukan, Norway, and Viganella, Italy, can be cut off from sunlight for almost half a year but computer-controlled mirrors are helping to change that. The tailor-made, computer-driven motors on giant mirrors track sunlight throughout the day.

The simple addition of adding handles to bathroom stalls in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh has helped the camps' pregnant women regain a sense of empowerment and dignity. Providing support and balance, the design of these latrines have benefited the elderly in the camps as well.

A grass blend formulated specifically for northern Utah’s environment uses at least 30 percent less water than typical turf.

Lamakani, a small village in India, went barren and townspeople completely depended on water tankers after a drought in the 90s. One leader initiated a watershed movement. They applied a series of approaches which included things like watershed development, bans on grass grazing and tree falling, and collaborating with local artists to communicate messages of conservation. Now, the town is lush again.

El proyecto Una Lata de Agua es una inciativa que busca instalar en las comunidades de Caracas, Venezuela, sistemas de recolección de agua que permitan abastecer a las familias de agua potable, porque en el norte del país la escases del agua es crítica. Con el proyecto instalado en Barrio Nuevo se benefician más de 1600 familias.

Primera entrega sobre MASLAGO, una organización que trabaja por disminuir la sedimentación y contaminación del Lago de Anapás, que es una de las represas hidroeléctricas más importantes de Nicaragua, a través de la educación de los agricultores sobre la reforestación y eliminación de los monocultivos.

Several pilot studies point to the viability of desalination projects being an effective option for farmers in certain fresh-water-scarce regions.

Farmers in Oklahoma adopted the practice of fencing cattle away from streams and providing alternative clean water sources, dramatically improving water quality, restoring local wildlife, and enhancing veterinary outcomes and productivity for local ranchers.