SOCIETY

Community Development

Microtransit Brings Public Transportation to Rural Doorsteps

Public buses and trains don’t usually extend into the outskirts of rural communities, if they stop in them at all. Microtransit helps more rural residents reach their local station, but it comes at a cost.

Taylor Haelterman

July 28

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

The U.S. is On a Wartime Spending Spree As Critical Infrastructure Crumbles

The U.S. federal government is spending billions in taxpayer dollars on foreign wars and immigration enforcement while basic needs at home go unfunded and unaddressed.

Tina Casey

July 24

Community Development

Free Public Transit Is Trending in Rural Washington

Anyone in Washington can travel hundreds of miles by bus without paying a cent. As gas prices and the cost of living climb, transit ridership is rising in counties with zero-fare programs.

Elyse Hauser

July 21

Community Development

How Donated Bicycles Help Girls in India Stay in School

India's most decorated triathlete, Pragnya Mohan, is on a mission to help 1 million Indian girls finish high school by the end of the decade. Refurbished bikes are turning that goal into reality.

George Timms

July 7

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

As Community Pushback Grows, Data Centers Are a Major Election Issue Ahead of the U.S. Midterms

As the data center boom becomes an election issue ahead of the November midterms, some state and local office holders are taking action, while others are caught flat-footed.

Tina Casey

June 26

Community Development

Cities Are Rehearsing For Deadly Heat. Will It Help When Disaster Comes?

As heat waves grow longer and deadlier, cities around the world are using drills and tabletop exercises to expose weaknesses before a real emergency strikes.

Natalie Donback

June 9

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

Philanthropists Rush to Bridge the USAID Gap. Will Congress Ever Act?

Activists and philanthropists have scrambled to fill the need for humanitarian relief after USAID was dismantled at the start of Donald Trump's second term. But private charity is no substitute for public policy.

Tina Casey

May 13

Community Development

Water Conservation Works, But Climate Change Is Outpacing It: Phoenix, Denver and Las Vegas Offer a Glimpse of the Future

Amid water shortages and policy negotiations, cities in the Colorado River Basin turned to demand management to reduce water use. Researchers say they need to think about bigger solutions.

Renee Obringer & Dave White

May 1

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

U.S. Communities Fight to Control Data Center Development

Adding fuel to the fire is rising public awareness — and anger — over the wealth gap and the concentration of money and control in the tech sector. Ordinary households are grappling with high electricity rates and potential job loss while big tech companies make billions from AI growth.

Tina Casey

April 22

Community Development

The Grandmothers on the Front Line of Zimbabwe’s Mental Health Crisis

Grandmothers are the custodians of culture in Zimbabwe. For generations, people sought advice from grandmothers across the country. Now, they're training in talk therapy to offer free mental healthcare on public benches.

Farai Shawn Matiashe

April 6

Community Development

In Rural West Texas, Renewable Energy Brings a Windfall for Seniors

Officials in Crockett County are using wind investments to help older residents age in place.

Bekah Stolhandske McNeel

March 20

Community Development

The Straightforward, Inexpensive Way to Help People Remember Their Court Dates

A recent study found that automated text reminders help more people get to their scheduled court dates.

Gary E. Frank

March 17

Community Development

Plexes, Pods and Micro-Centers: New Family Childcare Models Are Bringing Business and Families Back to Main Street

By converting homes and small-scale commercial spaces into turnkey sites for family childcare providers, small towns across the country are creating new childcare slots, good jobs, and communities where young families actually want to stay.

Anne Vilen

March 13

Community Development

Inspired By the Film Industry, This Mobility Device Helps People Move Without Motors or Batteries

Many of the over 5.5 million people who rely on mobility devices in the U.S. need multiple pieces of equipment to address their daily needs. The creators of the Zeen want to change that.

Megan Amrich

February 28

Community Development

Camden Healthcare Workers Confront the Barriers Holding Back Their Neighbors’ Health

A community-based healthcare system in Camden, New Jersey, is improving patients' health by considering every aspect of their life a part of the treatment.

Amy Brown

February 27

Community Development

Nigeria Is Using CNG to Fight Fuel Inflation. What Does That Mean for Its Clean Energy Transition?

Facing soaring fuel prices, Nigeria is testing compressed natural gas (CNG) as a cleaner and cheaper alternative. Other African countries are watching closely to see what works and what still holds the transition back.

Abdullahi Jimoh

January 26

Community Development

The Solutions Effect

The Solutions Stories Our Readers Loved in 2025

In 2025, we shared stories about solutions across the globe: repurposing mines in Australia, brewing beer with bread in the United Kingdom, the rise of employee housing in the Outer Banks and many more. Today, we’re revisiting some of the standouts from our solutions journalism series to kick off the new year.

Taylor Haelterman

January 7

Community Development

E-Bikes Revolutionize Rural Transportation and Empower Women in Zimbabwe

Difficult-to-traverse roads in rural Zimbabwe make delivering farm-fresh produce to markets a struggle. Electric cargo tricycles are giving women the opportunity to start their own delivery businesses.

Farai Shawn Matiashe

January 5

Community Development

New Yorkers Keep Loneliness at Bay with Life Story Club

Loneliness is a silent epidemic among older people in the United States. Life Story Club proves that coming together to share stories can make all the difference.

Amy Brown

December 22, 2025

Community Development

Telemedicine Turns The Tide For Women with Diabetes in Rural Zimbabwe

Rural telehealth facilities provide life-changing treatment for women battling diseases like diabetes in small towns across Zimbabwe where healthcare is otherwise inaccessible.

Farai Shawn Matiashe

December 11, 2025

Community Development

Youth Champion Cleaner Air and Reforestation at Kenya’s Refugee Camps

Most of the refugees in Kakuma, Kenya, do not have access to clean cooking fuels, leaving them inhaling dirty fumes when trying to put food on the table. Youth in the community are championing change by building cleaner stoves.

Farai Shawn Matiashe

December 9, 2025

Community Development

From Paris to Belém: What a Decade of Climate Negotiations Teaches Us About Adaptation

Ten years after the Paris Agreement, adaptation threaded through nearly every major debate at the United Nations climate talks in Brazil (COP30) last month, with local governments at the center.

Joyce Coffee

December 5, 2025

Community Development

Where to Find Food If Your SNAP Benefits Are Cut Off, and How to Help If You’re Able

More than 40 million people are set to lose their food benefits this weekend due to the U.S. government shutdown, but communities are rising up to support each other even as their government fails to step up.

Mary Mazzoni

October 31, 2025

Community Development

Flood-Prone Houston Faces Hard Choices for Handling Too Much Water

Houston residents have spent years waiting for a flood protection system. City officials are debating three options, including one from Elon Musk's Boring Company. But will any of them truly solve the city's flood problem?

Ivis García & James M. Kaihatu & Shannon Van Zandt

October 21, 2025

Community Development

Are Low-Emission Zones Freeing European Cities from Smog?

Low-emission zones can help reduce pollution from cars, but many are still a work in progress. Experts say success comes from gradual, flexible, incentive-driven design.

Elyse Hauser

October 10, 2025

Community Development

Boston’s Food Forests Take Root as a Climate Equity Strategy

A decade of organizing has turned trash-strewn lots into edible parks. Now Boston is expanding food forests as part of its climate action plan.

Ryan Krugman, Inside Climate News

October 9, 2025

Community Development

New Satellite Network Seeks to Give Wildfire Responders an Edge With Ultra-Precise Early Detection

FireSat detects wildfires less than a half acre in size, sounding the alarm far before existing systems. The team behind the program hopes to help communities around the world act earlier.

Gary E. Frank

September 29, 2025

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

A New Business Organization Helps U.S. Farmers Forge Community Connections with Solar Power

Community solar projects offer relief to farmers in financial distress, and by integrating agrivoltaic principles, installing solar doesn't mean losing usable land. A new partnership aims to capitalize on solar benefits for farmers by connecting them with opportunities to lease their land.

Tina Casey

September 10, 2025

Community Development

Installing Heat Pumps in Factories Could Save $1.5 Trillion and 77,000 Lives

A new report finds that replacing conventional boilers with heat pumps could also avoid 33 million asthma attacks by 2050 thanks to improved air quality.

Matt Simon

September 2, 2025

Community Development

From Commuter Corridor to Green Ribbon: Sustainable Development Pays Off for Arlington

The neighborhoods that makeup what’s now known as National Landing were built with driving to the office in mind. Today, the community is bringing a new vision, focused on people and sustainability, to life.

Mary Riddle

August 26, 2025

Community Development

Peace Out, Gross Hospital Food: This Startup Brings Indoor Farming to Health Systems on a Micro Scale

Hospitals in the United States aren't exactly known for their healthy food options, so Babylon is bringing the farm to them.

Riya Anne Polcastro

August 19, 2025

Community Development

Climate Adaptation Turns Fisherfolk into Farmers in the Philippines

Fisherfolk in the Philippines face dwindling fisheries and more frequent severe weather. One former fisherman is helping his community find stability through farming.

Riya Anne Polcastro

August 4, 2025

Community Development

Early Warning Systems Offer a Climate Lifeline for Rural Communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Rural farmers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo face increasingly erratic weather without access to effective tools to prepare. A remarkably simple early warning system is offering new hope for over 3,000 farmers and displaced people across the region.

Anicet Kimonyo

July 22, 2025

Community Development

How This Kansas Town Rebuilt Itself as One of the Greenest in the U.S.

Now known as one of the greenest towns in the United States, the Greensburg community made sustainability a core part of the rebuilding process after a devastating tornado swept through the Kansas town in 2007.

Gary E. Frank

July 15, 2025

Community Development

What Can We Do To Address the Threat of Fungal Superbugs Tied to Climate Change?

As climate change alters temperatures and ecosystems, more areas are developing the right conditions for fungi that cause infections like Valley Fever to move in and thrive. Scientists are working to set up a line of defense.

Riya Anne Polcastro

July 7, 2025

Community Development

The Solutions Effect

More Cities Are Becoming Bike-Friendly: Is That a Good Thing?

Cities are positioning bike-filled streets as a way to meet their sustainability goals, improve public health and reduce traffic congestion. Many are cruising toward a tipping point on bike infrastructure.

Taylor Haelterman

July 1, 2025

Community Development

The Petaluma Reusable Cup Project Results Are In, And Organizers Aren’t Done Yet

The Petaluma Reusable Cup Project generated a lot of buzz when it launched in 2024. The results are in, and they show promise for scaling city-wide reuse programs.

Gary E. Frank

June 25, 2025

Community Development

Danone Links Up with the Social Enterprise Sistema.bio to Bring Biodigesters to Smallholder Dairy Farmers

Danone and Sistema.bio are bringing biodigesters to smallholder dairy farms, many with fewer than 20 cows, at no cost. The technology will help improve farmer livelihoods in emerging markets while decarbonizing the sector.

Mary Riddle

June 24, 2025

Sponsored

Force for Good: Giving Back to Communities Nationwide

Subaru and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Help Nearly 500,000 People Facing Cancer in 10-Year Partnership

Subaru of America is the largest automotive donor of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and 2025 marks the partnership’s tenth year. Collectively, the automaker and its retailers will have supported nearly 500,000 cancer patients with financial assistance, care packages, comforting blankets and messages of hope by the end of this year.

Gary E. Frank

June 17, 2025

Community Development

How AI is Powering a New Era of Community Health

Tech startups are equipping health workers in underserved regions with artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can diagnose eye conditions and identify mosquitos carrying malaria, bridging access gaps.

Abha Malpani Naismith

June 16, 2025

Community Development

Turning Kenya’s Water Hyacinth Crisis into an Eco-Friendly Opportunity

Kenya-based HyaPak found a way to turn the waterway-choking aquatic weed water hyacinth into seedling wrappers and plastic bag alternatives. "We’re showing that innovation can come from where the problem is,” said Joseph Nguthiru, the startup's founder.

Brenda Holo

June 5, 2025

Community Development

G Adventures and Planeterra Team Up For Tourism That Supports Climate Resilience

The partners plant one tree for every day a traveler spends on a G Adventures trip through the aptly named Trees for Days initiative, but they don't just drop saplings and move on. They work with communities to plant the right trees in the right places for lasting impact.

Riya Anne Polcastro

May 20, 2025

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

In Chicago, a New Food Waste Solution Combines Renewable Energy and Urban Farming

At the Green Era Campus, a nine-acre remediated brownfields site on Chicago’s South Side, a newly opened anaerobic digester will process local food waste into renewable natural gas and support urban farms with nutrient-rich compost.

Tina Casey

May 7, 2025

Community Development

Welcome a New Generation of Boomtowns: Climate-Ready Cities

As families and businesses relocate from areas prone to climate disasters, cities in milder climates that are thoughtfully preparing for an influx of new residents stand to benefit the most. In new research, Climate Resilience Consulting identifies the American cities with the promise to become future boomtowns.

Joyce Coffee

April 29, 2025

Community Development

A Community-Based Approach to Forest Conservation is Taking Off in Mexico

Over 43 ejidos across Mexico are working with the California-based nonprofit Cool Effect to generate income from restoring the forest around them instead of relying on extractive practices like logging. 

Mary Riddle

April 25, 2025

Community Development

This Nonprofit is Helping Families Rebuild Their Lives After the Los Angeles Wildfires

When the Los Angles wildfires began, A Sense of Home sprung into action, using its expertise to launch an initiative that's helping survivors who lost everything fill their new homes with essentials.

Gary E. Frank

April 15, 2025

Community Development

A New Approach to Rare Disease Clinical Trials

Most rare disease clinical trials fail, and that's usually not due to issues with the potential treatments in testing. The pharmaceutical startup Uncommon Cures is changing the way these trials operate — eliminating inefficiencies, recruitment difficulties and logistical barriers that typically lead to failure.

Mary Riddle

April 10, 2025

Community Development

An Asbestos Exposure Registry Could Combat Mesothelioma Misdiagnosis in Veterans

United States veterans are diagnosed with mesothelioma at alarming rates. An asbestos exposure registry could prevent misdiagnosis, allowing for earlier, more effective treatment.

Jonathan Sharp

April 10, 2025

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

From Tariff Woes to Construction Worker Shortages, Can 3D-Printed Homes Solve Our Problems?

The notion of 3D printing homes has quickly grown from a high-tech curiosity to a potential means of constructing more affordable housing, a remedy for worker shortages and tariff disruptions, and a strategy for reducing carbon emissions in the construction industry.

Tina Casey

April 9, 2025

Community Development

Stories From the Frontline: Climate Activists Making a Difference

The Climate Leader With a Big Vision for Detroit’s Future

Jeffrey Jones is working to turn Detroit's Hope Village into a healthier, more sustainable neighborhood. As executive director of Hope Village Revitalization, Jones emphasizes expanding access to sustainable home upgrades and fresh, local food across the community.

Riya Anne Polcastro

March 25, 2025

Community Development

The Puerto Rican Community Taking Energy Resilience Into Its Own Hands

After years of living with an unreliable electricity supply, a new community-driven plan is setting Castañer, Puerto Rico, on the path to energy resilience.

Gary E. Frank

March 18, 2025

Community Development

Computer Models That Consider Human Behavior Could Prevent Chaos During Evacuations

Researchers at Boise State University are developing computer models that more accurately predict how people will respond to a disaster and how effective evacuation strategies are, helping communities plan ahead and respond quickly.

Gary E. Frank

March 17, 2025

Community Development

The Solutions Effect

Progress Is All Around Us, If You Know Where to Look

For many Americans, the news is feeding fatigue and frustration. But beyond the trending headlines are stories of individuals, communities, cities and states making progress on sustainability and social issues. If you're searching for stories like that, read on.

Taylor Haelterman

February 28, 2025

Community Development

Drought Can Hit Almost Anywhere: How 5 Cities That Nearly Ran Dry Got Water Use Under Control

Water scarcity can occur just about anywhere in the United States, and global temperature rise makes hotter, drier conditions more likely. Communities can learn from the cities that already confronted major water supply crises to avoid the worst impacts of future droughts.

Sara Hughes and Michael Wilson

February 7, 2025

Community Development

The Solutions Effect

Net-Zero Cities: Local Approaches to a Global Problem

Cities around the world are heading toward net zero. Many plan to reach the milestone between 2030 and 2050. That might seem far away, but the projects that will make it possible are happening now.

Taylor Haelterman

January 31, 2025

Community Development

African Healthcare Innovation: Local Solutions Driving Change Amidst Funding Challenges

African entrepreneurs are plugging gaps in the existing healthcare system. Their companies are poised for growth, but it will require financial support and access to public-private partnerships, according to a new report.

Gladstone H Taylor

January 3, 2025

Community Development

Slowly but Surely, the Outer Banks is Changing the Way It Looks at Tourism

For decades, North Carolina's Outer Banks aimed to attract as many tourists as possible to its picturesque shores. As the chain of islands experiences an incredible influx of visitors, and the environmental and social impacts that come with it, locals are looking to a new approach to tourism.

Taylor Haelterman

December 5, 2024

Community Development

The Solutions Effect

The Denver Nonprofit Tackling Food Waste and Hunger at Once

We Don’t Waste has rescued 220 million servings of food from going to waste, redistributing it to over 100 local hunger relief organizations, and it doesn't plan on slowing down.

Taylor Haelterman

November 26, 2024

Community Development

Helping Hurricane Displaced Pets is a Nationwide Effort

Hurricane Helene put extra pressure on animal shelters that were already at capacity in North Carolina as they worked to rescue and reunite displaced pets with their families. Nationwide adoption drives and financial support help ease that strain.

Riya Anne Polcastro

November 25, 2024

Community Development

Showcasing Sustainable Solutions for Urban Life

Cities are major contributors to climate change, but they can be a part of the solution, too. The Smart City Expo World Congress brings together innovators from around the world focused on transforming cities into more sustainable and livable spaces.

Ruscena Wiederholt

November 19, 2024

Community Development

Helping Teachers Support America’s Newest Students

Teachers spent an average of $610 of their own money on classroom supplies last school year. The nonprofit DonorsChoose helps teachers in the United States create funding campaigns for classroom supplies and experiences. Its new campaign directly supports students who are new to America.

Amy Brown

November 11, 2024

Community Development

Tony the Tiger is Keeping U.S. Middle-Schoolers Engaged in Sports

Named after the Frosted Flakes cereal mascot, WK Kellogg Co.'s Mission Tiger initiative has provided 2 million sports experiences for youth at 3,000 schools across all 50 states.

Andrew Kaminsky

September 16, 2024

Community Development

No Kid Hungry Serves Up Summer Meals With Help from CEOs

No Kid Hungry is bringing the CEOs of major companies together to raise money to support the newly expanded U.S. summer meal program. Its goal: raise the number of children reached by the program from 2.8 million to 30 million over the next three years.

Riya Anne Polcastro

September 5, 2024

Community Development

The Solutions Effect

Wind Maps and Rice Terraces: How Cities Adapt to Climate Change

Climate change is reducing urban livability, pushing cities around the world to become incubators for innovative solutions. Each one takes a different approach to adaptation.

Taylor Haelterman

August 29, 2024

Community Development

This Nonprofit is Closing the Reading Gap in Elementary Schools with One-On-One Support

Every year in Canada, 100,000 children finish third grade unable to read well enough to keep up during the next school year. Chapter One Canada is closing that gap with an education model known as "high-impact tutoring."

Abha Malpani Naismith

June 24, 2024

Community Development

An Answer Under Our Feet: 'Cool Pavements' Fight Urban Heat Islands

Cool pavement coatings reflect the sun's rays and can be applied to things like roads and playground surfaces to reduce heat in cities. A project in one of the hottest neighborhoods of Los Angeles shows it can work.

Riya Anne Polcastro

May 7, 2024

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

How Big Tech Can Deploy Solar on Schools for Community Benefit

A recent policy shift in West Virginia illustrates how tech firms can help school districts take advantage of new power purchase agreement opportunities, which de-risk renewable energy projects for developers while giving customers access to low-cost energy.

Tina Casey

April 24, 2024

Community Development

Zero-Emissions Road Freight in India is a Blueprint for Public-Private Collaboration in Emerging Markets

When it comes to road freight, India is leading the way among emerging markets in accelerating the number of zero-emissions vehicles on the road. And it’s offering a blueprint for others to follow.

Diane Holdorf

April 12, 2024

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

How the Circular Economy Can Transform Buildings Into 'Material Banks'

Demolishing a building with a carefully planned implosion is a spectacular sight, but the debris typically goes to waste in landfills. A new approach takes all that careful planning and puts it to work in a circular economy model that cuts carbon emissions and conserves resources.

Tina Casey

January 17, 2024

Community Development

Mobile Home Owners Form Co-Ops for Housing Security and Climate Resilience

As mobile home owners fight rising housing costs, some of them have hit upon a solution that also helps in the fight against climate change: banding together and buying the land underneath their homes.

Siri Chilukuri

January 12, 2024

Community Development

Air Pollution is a Global Problem That Calls for Local Solutions

A recent report from the American Thoracic Society shows the local impacts of air pollution so cities, counties and regions can see the direct benefits of making air quality improvements.

Mary Riddle

December 27, 2023

Community Development

Brands Taking Stands

Community Solar Projects Help Low- and Middle-Income Households: How Business Can Lend a Hand

In recent years, nonprofit organizations and government programs have pushed community solar from a fringe concept into a mainstream movement, and businesses can participate as well.

Tina Casey

December 20, 2023