“Beanless coffee” companies around the world are taking inspiration from coffee substitutes of the past to create a drink that mimics coffee’s flavor and caffeine content that is more climate-resilient with less of an environmental impact.

Utility companies across the United States are using virtual power plants to meet electricity demand, access backup power, and lower the electric bills of participants. To make these power plants work, the utilities use energy from the battery storage systems of customers who have home solar arrays.

Following the passage of the Climate Change Act, the United Kingdom created a Climate Change Committee to oversee the country’s efforts to reach net-zero emissions. The committee acts as a watchdog by analyzing ways to decarbonize the economy and publishing information that can be leveraged by policymakers, non-governmental organizations, and private sector industries. Its model has since been replicated around the world.

State governments in the United States are implementing Extended Producer Responsibility laws to fund recycling programs. The laws impose a fee on the manufacturers of products that become recyclable waste. The money earned is designated for projects that increase recycling rates.

Biochar is an organic material that can be mixed with soil to improve soil health, increase crop production, and sequester carbon. To make it, wood or other biomass is heated at high temperatures in an oxygen-deprived environment, like a kiln.

The city of Denver, Colorado, is encouraging its residents to reduce their transportation emissions with an incredibly popular e-bike rebate program. Several times a year, the city offers a set amount of income-based vouchers on a first-come, first-served basis that cover up to $1,400 of an e-bike purchase.

After extreme flooding damaged homes, the energy efficiency utility Efficiency Vermont offered emergency flood rebates to those impacted. Recovery teams helped people plan and find funding to repair and replace energy systems and appliances with more efficient models that will help them reach their decarbonization goals. In this circumstance, exceptions were made to include rebates for high-efficiency fossil fuel systems, too.

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.

Medellín, Colombia, is combating the urban heat island effect by creating green corridors across the city. Over 2.5 million plants and trees were carefully selected to maximize impact and planted on buildings and along roads and waterways.

The SecureCycle initiative collects jeans that would otherwise be discarded and turns them into backpacks for low-income students in rural communities in Nigeria. Having access to a sturdy bag to carry their school supplies encourages students to attend school and keeps them from losing their books so they stay engaged in class.

The United States National Park Service is planting giant sequoia tree seedlings in groves that were decimated by extreme wildfires in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. The effort aims to preserve the endangered species as the organization doesn’t believe the trees in these areas will regenerate on their own.

The 15-minute city is an urban planning concept that encourages planners to develop neighborhoods that are easily accessible within a 15-minute walk, bike or public transit ride. The 15-minute city idea promotes health and wellness by encouraging residents to walk and bike more, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and fosters a sense of community among locals.

The Quinault Indian Nation is building new housing for its community about a mile from its current village on the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The goal is to relocate the whole village to a place further above sea level to avoid flooding and sea-level rise.

Agric Connect is raising climate change awareness in Ghana with a video game called “The Planet Saver.” The game is structured like a quiz and incorporates a leaderboard, social sharing and a forum to ask experts questions.

The renewable energy company EnerWealth Solutions is helping Black farmers in the Carolinas install solar panels among their crops so they can benefit financially from the solar boom with a consistent stream of income.

The Amsterdam-based startup Human Material Loop, collects human hair from salons and spins it into yarn to make clothing and furniture. It aims to keep hair out of landfills and incinerators while reducing the demand for synthetic fibers and wool, all of which produce greenhouse gases.

The Philadelphia-based company Solar States offers a paid training opportunity for city residents to learn to install solar panels and earn the necessary credentials to help them start careers in the industry. The company’s newest program, Find Your Ladder, is a training opportunity for people who have been through the criminal justice system.

The Climate Candy brand makes fruit chews out of misshapen fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be wasted because they don’t meet the criteria to be sold in grocery stores.

Organizations around the world are using an integrated approach to empowering women by addressing climate justice and health issues in their communities. PATH Foundation Philippines, for example, helped implement sustainable marine management practices to increase the fish stocks in fishing communities so families were less inclined to send their daughters away for financial support.

An architect in Chennai, India, is retrofitting private residences and public buildings to be more sustainable. They make changes like installing energy-efficient upgrades, solar panels, improved ventilation, and low-flow plumbing fixtures to reduce water and energy consumption.

After adding electric school buses to its fleet with the help of grant funding, Morris Area Schools saw its fuel costs drop from about $3 per gallon to the equivalent of about $1 a gallon. Each bus is estimated to help cut roughly 140 tons of carbon emissions over its lifetime.

Researchers and conservationists around the world are finding ways to help coral reefs grow quicker and survive the warming ocean temperatures caused by climate change. The Australian company Coral Maker is using artificial intelligence and robots to mass produce concrete skeletons for coral to grow on, and the Coral Restoration Foundation is growing coral on floating "trees."

Organizations in cities across the United States, including Philadelphia and Tucson, are simultaneously combatting urban heat and hunger by planting fruit trees and edible plants that provide shade and food that community members can harvest.

A floodplain restoration project in California’s Central Valley is preventing flooding, replenishing groundwater, and providing habitat for wildlife. Most of the restoration work involved rewilding the land after removing the berms that protected the area from flooding when it was an agricultural field.

Memphis Gas Light and Water’s weatherization program is helping city residents prepare their homes for increasingly intense storms in ways that also reduce their energy use from fossil-fuel-derived sources and their utility bills. Contractors may install a new air conditioner or repair walls, but the resident is never charged for the services because ratepayers round up their bills to cover the cost.