Cool Solutions: Stories of climate action from the bottom up
Stories about climate action from the bottom up.
- Update frequency
- every 27 days
- Average duration
- 27 minutes
- Episodes
- 62
- Years Active
- 2018 - 2023
Cool Pavings
Future hot streets will fry more than eggs and solutions won't come on their own. Los Angeles is using its streets as laboratories to test out new cool pavements.
School Bus Plus
1500 electric school buses in Virginia will power the grid when parked, in the first US commercial application of vehicle to grid technology.
Depaving Portland
In the face of rising temperatures and heavier rain, citizens wielding pry bars and thermometers turn parking lots into rain gardens and change city building standards to favor green space over aspha…
Cities Declare Climate Emergency
Two men treat their fear of climate change by sharing it with their entire cities. They got their towns of Hoboken and Gainesville to declare a climate emergency. We hear the stories of their journe…
Minnesota, the Solar Garden State
For the 3 out of 4 Americans who can't put solar panels on their roofs, community solar gardens are a way to save money now and be part of building our clean energy future. When Minnesota enacted po…
Sprouting from the Rooftops: Coops help neighbors go solar together
The solar cooperative movement began with two teenagers going door to door in their neighborhood in Washington DC. Their work grew into a national organization helping neighbors around the country go…
Free Lyfts: Rural transit thrives without fares
Vermont's ultra rural Northeast Kingdom and small towns in Sonoma County California find that fare free is the way to go. It's filling bus seats; connecting residents to jobs, healthcare, education, …
Waste Not, Warm Not: App feeds people instead of landfills
You don't have to be an extrovert to do something big for the planet. Food Rescue US is a smartphone app developed by a pastor and a programmer that harnesses our collective good intentions to solve…
The Healing Power of Trees
Health researchers are planting 8000 trees in Louisville, one of the fastest warming cities in the US, in an effort to discover why trees appear to prevent heart disease. We talk with members of th…
So Good to Not Feel Alone: Solidarity stops oil by rail in its tracks
Our own preconceptions of who is "on our side" and the mistaken idea that we are alone may be one of the biggest obstacles to climate action. That's the big takeaway from this story about how neighbo…
Small Town Whups Big Oil : "You Don't Threaten Mainers"
Story of how residents of South Portland Maine, a town of 25,000, stopped the export of tar sands from their port. We follow the story from a few people in a living room to overflow attendance at cit…
Street Lights, Unplugged
Solar streetlights are hyperlocal clean energy that can help US cities survive extreme weather events and break free of utility monopolies. We visit 3 cities where solar street lights do a fine job l…
A Quiet Clean Energy Revolution
How many people does it take to change what runs a city's light bulbs? In Norman Oklahoma and Hanover New Hampshire, they started with 12 and ended up with everyone. Adrienne Gautier, Janna Horn an…
People Over Parking Lots
We already have too much parking. Getting rid of requirements to build more is something any town can do. It cuts carbon, boosts business, and helps affordable housing. Here's the story of 2 cities t…
Stopping the Gentrification Train
Transit expansion leads to gentrification so often that some folks have started calling new light rail, the "Gentrification Train". A community land trust in Denver takes land near new stations perma…
Riding into the Future: Macon's DIY Bike Lanes Lead to Change
People in Macon, GA got tired of waiting and made their own bike lanes. Progress ensued. Josh Rogers of New Town Macon and Rachel Hollar of Bike Walk Macon tell their story. Tactical urbanist Mike Ly…
Taming Energy Vampires: Find and subdue your zombie electronic devices
The average household has more than 40 electronic appliances that suck energy when they're off. We help you find and tame yours. Along the way: the dining habits of vampire bats and spiders, a home e…
Rising Green from the Ashes: Zero Carbon Homes
Two California counties help wildfire victims rebuild zero carbon homes. Its more affordable than you think. Hear one family's story, meet super efficient appliances, and learn something about your …
The Animals' Day Off: Meatless Mondays Go To School
Meet Food Service Directors from 2 public school districts serving vegetarian lunches once a week and producing long lasting benefit in students' diets and health. Topics along the way include Farm …
From Scraps to Riches: Community composters start with a few empty buckets and turn your garbage into gold
Small entrepreneurs across the country are creating jobs and local food by composting food waste locally. We get down to the nitty gritty with eco-entrepreneurs in Boston, Chicago, and San Diego, ta…