Create. You can submit your idea or solution (preferably a video) around our questions about climate and energy challenges.
Vote. Help us choose the best ideas by rating their viability or discuss the ideas submitted by others. Get the FAQs.
Make it. Your ratings and comment help us decide which ideas are featured on our PBS TV Special. Learn how to make a video.
ActivismAdaptationAgricultureAlgaeArchitectureArtBikingBiofuelsBiomimicryBusinessCampus SustainabilityClean Tech
Climate ChangeEconomicsEducationEfficiencyElectric CarsEnergy StorageEngineeringEPA P3GeothermalGreen BuildingGreen CitiesGreen CommunitiesGreen Living
Topic Page: Adaptation
The planet is changing. The cockroaches will be fine, but what about us? See what these PF Members are doing to adapt to the impacts of climate change. Have an idea in Adaptation? Tell us
Related Categories : | Biomimicry | Climate Change | Green Communities | Green Living | Health |
Featured Ideas
Webisodes Related to Adaptation
Beer as a Model for Sustainable Business
THIS WEEK: Holy cow! This week Planet Forward got up close and personal with some Virginia livestock. DC Brau, the first local brewery in D.C. feeds their organic waste to livestock in the Virginia area. Take a look!
Learning How to Adapt from our Ancestors
THIS WEEK: This week Planet Forward is taking a look at the work PISA, a GW-based group, is doing in Nam Dinh, Vietnam. The women in Nam Dinh are adapting to a changing planet and they say they learned their tricks from none other than their ancestors!
Building Green for the Future
This week, we take you into the classroom and look at how some organizations are hoping that kids will be “sustainability natives.”
An Innovative Approach to Water Conservation
THIS WEEK: Our rapidly increasing consumption of water is creating concerns about what the world would be like without any! One team, however, created an innovative solution to the planet’s quickly disappearing water. Check it out in this week’s webisode!
Living Sustainably on a College Campus
We profile three schools that are working toward more sustainable college campuses.
A Solar Conversation with Secretary Chu
THIS WEEK: In this week’s webisode, Planet Forward’s Frank Sesno interviews Secretary of Energy, Dr. Steven Chu at the 2011 Solar Decathlon! Chu talks about the coolest innovations, and even wonks out a bit on r-values and building materials.
SD2011 Trend: Green Roofs
Check out this week’s webisode where Planet Forward’s host Frank Sesno speaks with Don Ferrier of the National Association of Home Builders at the Solar Decathlon about the costs and benefits of green roofs.
Solar and the City – Team New York’s Solar Decathlon House
THIS WEEK’s WEBISODE: The Solar Decathlon teams are in Washington DC! Check out Team New York’s Roof Pod — it sits atop a sky rise building and helps generate power PLUS: Brendan Owens, Planet Forward’s newest Expert weighs in the use of new building materials.
WATCH!
Solar Decathlon – Tennessee’s on Top
Viewers voted and TENNESSEE is on top in the race for the Solar Decathlon! Check out the Tennessee team’s use of solar energy, insulated windows and a remote control iPad. Ask expert Bill Worthen what HIS thoughts are on the Tennessee team’s Living Light House.
WATCH!
DOE's Solar Decathlon Brings #SunnyIdeas to Planet Forward
This week, we begin Planet Forward’s coverage of the Solar Decathlon! 20 collegiate teams from around the world are designing and building sustainable solar homes. In this week’s WEBISODE, we take a look at the unique use of water in The University of Maryland‘s home.
WATCH!
‘The Big Uneasy,’ The PF Interview with Harry Shearer
In this week’s WEBISODE Planet Forward host Frank Sesno sits down with Harry Shearer, the multi-talented comedian who is the voice of more than 21 Simpsons characters about his documentary on Hurricane Katrina The Big Uneasy
WATCH!
Bangkok Underground
In this week’s WEBISODE we travel to Bangkok to see what they are doing to cope with floods. PF Producer Victoria Riess talks with Porntep Techapaibul, the Deputy Governor of Bangkok.
Wind Beneath Their Strings
Here is a new way to deliver energy to those who need it. The women in one small community in Guatemala have wind, they just need a way to harness it. Enter enthusiastic students from the University of Michigan College of Engineering.
Rising Seas Bring Salty Risks
A rising tide may lift all boats, but what does it do to marshlands? In this week’s WEBISODE we showcase NSF funded scientist’s work on how marshes are affected by sea level rise. We also take you on a trip halfway around!
Bringing Experts to the Innovators
Innovators need feedback to make their great ideas even better. So, we try to connect experts with our PF innovators every chance we get. In our WEBISODE this week, a top architect gives feedback to 3 ideas — green urban rooftops, hemp-based building materials and large-scale passive solar. Bill Worthen, the National Director and Resource …Read More…
Is Your City HOT? The Benefits of Storm Water Management
This week, our WEBISODE focuses on “GreenStreets,” a project from Drexel University Professor and NSF funded scientist, Franco Montalto. Got storm water? He’s working on a solution!
ICLEI’s Martin Chavez On Sustainable Growth & Smart Cities
This week, Planet Forward host Frank Sesno sits down with Martin Chavez, Executive Director of ICLEI. The focus? Smart cities! Learn what your city can do to grow and adapt to a changing planet. More>>
LEEDing after Disaster: AIA Architect on Why You Should
Can your community turn tragedy into opportunity? Bill Worthen, American Institute of Architects’ National Director and Resource Architect for Sustainability, sits down with us to talk about LEED certification and how disaster can provide opportunity to build back better.
Raise the Roof!
In this week’s webisode, we bring you an idea from the National Science Foundation about the benefits of green roofs. Also hear from a Planet Forward member who shows us her small business of painting roofs white for an environmental benefit.
Introducing: Smart Communities
Do you know of a community that is preparing for climate change? Planet Forward host Frank Sesno introduces our new topic and asks you to share your story!
TV Segments Related to Adaptation
Amphibious House (Your Loss, Hurricane Irene)
As the east coast picks up after Hurricane Irene, ask yourself this: would you invest in a house that can float only when it needs to? Planet Forward host Frank Sesno, brings you the story for this month’s Nightly Business Report segment.
Solar Decathlon: The Race to Build the Most Efficient Solar Home
Peek into the solar powered house designs from Middlebury College in Vermont and University of Maryland. It’s all for the Solar Decathlon competition sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Articles From the Blog Related to Adaptation
Saving Madagascar’s Forests
Madagascar’s forests are home to rare plant and animal speces found nowhere else in the world. But those forests are disappearing quickly… and National Geographic’s Luke Dollar is working hard to save them.
The Urban Umwelt and You: Conservation Across Scales
Although you can fish for salmon in the Great Lakes, us Midwesterners consider them a delicacy. Restaurants fly them in daily from the Eastern Seaboard and Norway. Rarely ever do we eat a Lake Michigan salmon—especially at a fair price. I grew up hearing the legends of my grandfather catching salmon in the northern reaches …Read More…
A Few Smart Ideas to Clean Up and Re-energize Cities
More people live in cities now than in any other time in human history–nearly half the world’s population. They are the economic engines of our society, but they are also the source of 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions. We all have a choice in where we live, and a lot of us are moving …Read More…
DC’s National Mall Gets a New Defender
By Morgan Weil and Haley Milon Watch the video>> As someone who lives a block away from the National Mall, I cannot imagine looking out my window and seeing a lake. Or a river. Or a bay? Well, that’s a possibility. Yep. Those 309.2 acres of federal property known as the National Mall, home to …Read More…
After COP17: Time for Local Climate Action
Two things are clear in the wake of the COP17 international climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa. First, time is not on our side in the fight against climate change. And second, the world needs to look beyond national governments for meaningful ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions today. The leadership of local governments—on display in Durban—takes on a new level of importance.
Read This
Hotter, Drier, Meaner: Trends Show Planet More Hostile to Agriculture
A host of data point to one conclusion: Our increasingly hotter, drier planet is going to be a tough place to farm.
An International Look at 5 Sustainable Communities
Take a green tour of 5 sustainable communities around the world. From South Africa to Japan, local communities are going green. Has your community made any steps towards a cleaner future? Let us know, here!
“Cooking Shouldn’t Kill”
Every year, two million people die from a killer in the kitchen: their cookstoves. A new report from the UN Foundation says the toxic smoke from these crude devices cookstoves can lead to child pneumonia, lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and heart disease, as well as burns and disfigurement. The report lays out a …Read More…
Ask an Expert: Linda Yarr
Linda Yarr has been working with communities in Southeast Asia to build resiliency to climate change. How can we help the developing world adapt to climate change and gain access to energy when oil and coal are becoming more restricted? What is the best way to help these communities grow sustainably?
Green Building in Schools could save $20 billion in 10 years
Here’s a puzzler. Right at the time of day when some kids are most likely to get into trouble, most schools close the door and turn off the lights. Seems silly, doesn’t it? That disconnect, along with a slew of other good reasons, has helped give birth to the community schools movement. It aims to …Read More…
Center for Green Schools and UTC Announce New Findings on Green Schools
At the annual Greenbuild Conference Expo in Toronto, the Center for Green Schools and United Technologies Corp. held a press conference to announce findings from a new independent study conducted on green schools, as well as initiatives the Center will be taking in 2012. The results of the survey brought light to the fact that Americans are concerned about …Read More…
Using Sustainable Water to Plan for the Next Billion
By Frank Sesno
Last week, Danica May Camacho of the Philippines became the world’s symbolic seven billionth person. The occasion drew mixed feelings in the policy world — what does a booming global population mean for climate risks? To cite one issue, leaders are worried about the declining supply of water in regions vital to economic growth.
Nepal: Front Lines of Climate Change
By Isabella Woods
In Nepal, some communities are already experiencing dramatic effects from climate change. Practical Action Nepal is working to support communities to work together to counter these problems.
The Raft House
Coastal communities are facing increased threats from sea level rise, but this idea will help homeowners rise above it. Check out our photo gallery!
The Next 500 Years of Sea Level Rise
We’ve all heard the predictions of sea level rise for 2100, but what about 2500? Planet Forward friend, Climate Central, reports on a new study that examines what the future will look like. Check it out>>
Ask an Expert: Campus Sustainability Day
What is your campus doing to be sustainable? What should colleges be doing to promote sustainability? In partnership with Second Nature, we’re hosting a very special edition of Ask an Expert for Campus Sustainability Day.
Talk to Meghan!
The Dragonfly: An Urban Farm for NYC
The Dragonfly is an urban farm that hopes to help New York City adapt to the nearly one million more residents that are estimated to occupy they city by 2030. The designers say the greenhouse could supply food to Manhattan and Queens. What would you think about this new skyline?
Check out our photo album and Weigh in!
Bugging Out: Could Climate Change Make the Insect Instinct Go Haywire?
Gardening in a suburban area is more difficult than most people imagine. There are problems with soil quality and plot space, water and weather. But nothing is more menacing than the docile deer. Decades of development left the deer virtually unthreatened by natural predators, and the arrival of humans and their gardens provided a boom …Read More…
Bangkok Underground: How to Prepare for a Flood
Once called the “Venice of the East” because of its extensive canal system, Bangkok is a city that has been dealing with flooding for hundreds of years. It’s built on water. In fact, the primary housing option in the city in the 18th century was floating rafts. As the city has modernized, and its people …Read More…
5 Ideas for When You Turn Out the Lights
The clock ran out in Congress last week on a bill to repeal energy-efficient light bulb standards. Cue the giant, energy-devouring, glass ball above Time Square. It’s time to celebrate! We’re counting down five of Planet Forward’s best ideas about efficiency. Discover which innovations will brighten our energy future, then tell us about the radiant …Read More…
Rural Women in Vietnam Face Scarcity of Jobs and Climate Disruption
It’s 5:00 am and I wake up to the sounds of rural Vietnam – the neighborhood roosters are having a crow-off, dogs and birds in the area are eagerly trying to participate, and my roommate the gecko calls out letting me know he was successful in protecting me from mosquitoes overnight. There is a gentle …Read More…
What the Ancient Redwoods Tell Us about Climate Change
Around the time of the Golden Age of Greece, when Socrates was laying the groundwork for all western philosophy, some of the oldest trees living today began their lives as part of a massive grove that dates back to the ice age. The forest once spanned from California to Minnesota, but is now confined to …Read More…
Climate Crisis Fueling Mississippi River’s Historic Floods
Flooding in downtown Memphis, May 2011 (via Flickr’s Chris Wieland) This post was originally published on NWF’s Blog Wildlife Promise The Mississippi River is experiencing its second “500-year flood” since 1993. That’s no freak occurrence – it’s a result of man-made carbon pollution changing our climate. “All extreme weather events are now subject to …Read More…
facebook
twitter