ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Carbon offset pact will put solar on dozens of Habitat for Humanity homes

The District of Columbia-based American Institute of Architects is offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from a major renovation with a $500,000 donation that will cover the cost of solar panels on an estimated 72 homes.

INVENTION & RENEWAL

Made-in-Ohio solar panels benefit from federal incentives, supply chain politics

About two decades after cadmium telluride solar panels were commercialized in Ohio, the maturing technology is finding momentum thanks in part to its domestic manufacturing and supply chain.

LOCAL INSTITUTIONS

How a Community Center Helps a Town Rise Again

Residents of Fort Lawn, South Carolina used a community development model to identify 51 actionable goals to improve their town. Today, they’re checking off the list, one by one.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Inside Our Towns: Erin Sanborn

Erin Sanborn discusses service and sustainability and the role the University of Redlands plays in the community and beyond with Evan Sanford in this episode of the Inside Our Towns podcast.

CIVIC LIFE

Meadville Leaders Turn a Community's Plan into Action

Community leaders in Meadville, Pennsylvania listened to, and included, residents in planning and policymaking to drive informed change.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

How Pittsburgh found a secret climate weapon in ‘the thrilling world of municipal budgeting’

Even cash-strapped cities have money for climate action. They just need to spend it better.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Finding ‘Higher Ground’: Locally-led Movement Works Toward a Just Housing Recovery in Eastern Kentucky

The urgent need for housing assistance in flood stricken Appalachian communities reveals the severe limitations of the nation’s response and support systems. Community groups are stepping up to help.

ECONOMIC & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

What Midwest Industrial Communities Can Teach About Managing Economic Change

With a great convergence on both sides of the Atlantic around the urgent need to diminish geographic economic disparities and opportunity gaps — particularly those between thriving global city regions and struggling communities in industrial heartlands – there are growing efforts to learn from each other.

BIG LITTLE IDEAS

'Uniting Americans through Service: How California is Leading'

California's Chief Service Officer discusses the California Volunteers' initiatives -- the impact CalVols is having in the state, and how it serves as a model nationwide at Jefferson Educational Society Global Summit event at the University of Redlands.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

3 reasons local climate activism is more powerful than people realize

Research and history suggest that local action is more powerful than many people believe.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Cleveland Pilot Project Provides Rooftop Solar for Low-Income Residents

Data from the project will document savings and could help get more funding for solar energy in neighborhoods that have historically been left behind.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Trees Bring Hope, Healing, and a Look to the Future for Western Kentucky Tornado Victims

A tree grower joins forces with a local organization to replant some of the trees lost in Kentucky during tornadoes of late 2021.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

That empty space next to highways? Put solar panels on it.

Roadside solar fields across the country could power up to 12 million electric vehicles.

PODCAST

Inside Our Towns: Josh Fryday, California's Chief Service Officer

National division might grab headlines, but the story of uniting citizens through service in California is growing.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Push for Electric Ag Equipment in Oregon Is Led by Independent Groups

With volatility being an integral part of farming, electric ag equipment could bring some predictability to farmers’ energy use and consumption, say experts.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Unlocking Potential

At-risk youth in North Carolina hold the keys to flipping a decommissioned prison into a sustainable farm and community asset.