Most Viable

View the ideas that our members have deemed “most viable.” These are ideas that we think might actually work — they’re a scalable, cost-effective solution to solving our climate and energy problems. (Note: ideas that have been nominated for our PBS special do not display their viability rating.)

Let’s Talk About Geoengineering

John Eaton

A very thought-provoking article…we wring our hands and (sometimes) open our wallets to make small changes that ... more ...

Efficiency
William Paterson University: An Array of Sustainable Initiatives

William Paterson University

William Paterson University's 3.5 MWh solar array saves around $4 million in energy costs, and employ eight true "zero ... more ...

Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Colleges and Universities, Education, Efficiency, Electric Cars, Green Building, Hybrid Vehicles, Solar
Allegheny College: Deep Infrastructure Sustainability

kelly boulton

Sustainability at Allegheny College is a community endeavor that is as much about responsibility as it is about fun.
more

Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Efficiency, Green Building, Green Communities, Green Living
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Reducing Energy Usage by 19% in Four Years

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Illinois' students approved a student green fee, which enabled them to achieve $12 million in energy savings, decrease ... more ...

Biking, Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Colleges and Universities, Education, Green Building, Green Living, Public Transportation, Solar, Solar Decathlon, Transportation, Water
University of South Florida: Innovating Generation ‘S’

Christian Wells

With a new School of Global Sustainability and a million-dollar Student Green Energy Fund, University of South Florida ... more ...

Agriculture, Biofuels, Business, Campus Sustainability, Clean Tech, Climate Change, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Efficiency, Engineering, Green Building, Green Communities, Policy, Science, Water
Florida Gulf Coast University: Embedded Sustainability

Kathleen Crawford

Florida Gulf Coast University has a 2MW 15-acre solar photovoltaic array, geothermal energy to heat and cool their ... more ...

Campus Sustainability, Climate Change, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Green Building, Green Communities, Green Living, Transportation
Luther College: Working to Reduce Their Carbon Footprint by 50%

Dan Bellrichard

From a student project, to a house run completely on solar, to the largest solar field in Iowa, Luther students, ... more ...

Biofuels, Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Efficiency, Green Communities, Green Living, Renewable Energy, Solar, Wind
Carleton College: A Turbine-led Transformation

Christopher Remley

Carleton has installed two wind turbines on campus and has launched a pilot program for the energy auditing of local ... more ...

Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Colleges and Universities, Education, Efficiency, Green Building, Renewable Energy, Wind
SUNY Upstate Medical University: Sustainable Medical Care

Upstate Medical University

Upstate Medical University set out to cut 75% of their campus' footprint. They were able to save $1 million over 20 ... more ...

Business, Campus Sustainability, Climate Change, Climate Leadership Awards, Economics, Education, Health
Spelman College: Changing the World

Terri Simmons

Spelman College's vision is to build a college that will thrive for the next 100 years, and the way to do that is ... more ...

Activism, Campus Sustainability, Climate Change, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Green Building, Green Communities, Green Living, Policy
Arizona State University: Innovation and Education in the Valley of the Sun

Steven Harper

Arizona State University is harnessing the power of the sun to turn its campuses into a solar laboratory, with the ... more ...

Biofuels, Campus Sustainability, Clean Tech, Climate Leadership Awards, Efficiency, Engineering, Green Building, Renewable Energy, Solar
The University of California: A Living Laboratory for Climate Action and Sustainability Solutions

Matt St.Clair

The University of California system has already earned 87 LEED certifications and is saving $32 million annually on its ... more ...

Climate Change, Climate Leadership Awards, Efficiency, Green Building, Green Communities, Green Living, Renewable Energy, Solar
Glendale Community College: A Culture of Sustainability

Glendale Community College, AZ

Glendale Community College has been invested in sustainability since 2004, and now features over 30 on-campus "Green ... more ...

Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Efficiency, Green Communities, Policy, Public Transportation
Implementing Sustainable Sanitation and Water Management in Ghana

EWB-USA Columbia University

Our program within the Columbia University Chapter of Engineers without Borders (CU-EWB) works with the village of ... more ...

Agriculture, Biofuels, Efficiency, Engineering, EPA P3, Green Building, Green Living, Natural Gas, Science
Austin Community College: Go Green! One Dollar at a time

Andy Kim

Austin Community College is a commuter college that focuses helping their students reduce the impact of their ... more ...

Campus Sustainability, Climate Change, Climate Leadership Awards, Electric Cars, Green Communities, Policy, Public Transportation, Transportation
Haywood Community College: Leading The Change in Haywood County

Preston jacobsen, Sustainability Analyst at HCC

Haywood Community College has demonstrated green building techniques to their local community, is building a LEED ... more ...

Biofuels, Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Electric Cars, Renewable Energy, Solar, Water
University of Central Missouri: Choose Red (and Go Green)

Manny Abarca and Taylor Hermann

Students at the University of Central Missouri partnered with the school and local community to launch an initiative ... more ...

Architecture, Business, Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Efficiency, Green Building, Green Communities, Green Living
Chandler-Gilbert Community College: SEE Your World

Chandler-Gilbert Community College

Chandler-Gilbert Community College's SEE Your World initiative focuses on social, environmental, and economic issues and ... more ...

Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Efficiency, Green Building, Renewable Energy, Science, Solar, Water
KGRA Converts “Waste Heat” into CO2-Free Electricity

Robin

KGRA Energy, a two-year-old venture-funded company employs organic Rankin cycle (ORC) technology to harness waste heat ... more ...

Adaptation, Business, Climate Change, Science
Increase Power Plant Efficiency Using Existing Technology

The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin has increased its total annual energy production efficiency by almost 30% over the ... more ...

Efficiency, Engineering, Natural Gas, Policy, Science
New York University: The “Silver Buckshot” Approach

Jeremy Friedman

New York University's high-efficiency cogeneration power plant and free bike-sharing program are both part of their ... more ...

Activism, Biking, Campus Sustainability, Climate Leadership Awards, Education, Efficiency, Green Communities, Solar, Transportation
Invest in Algae and Butanol Energy Research

Jamie A. Hestekin

Biofuels have been considered as one of the great alternatives to solving the energy problem for transportation fuels. ... more ...

Algae, Biofuels, Business, Efficiency, Transportation
Tennessee Students Engineer Eco-Vehicle That Drives for Pennies

Paul Frymier

Most commuters in urban areas drive to work a distance of less than 15 miles, one-way. Most of these are single ... more ...

Clean Tech, Colleges and Universities, Economics, Education, Efficiency, Electric Cars, Engineering, EPA P3
Rather than blast their last mountain apart to get a few years of polluting coal, a West Virginia community proposes a wind farm which can produce clean energy forever.

"The Last Mountain"

In the valleys of Appalachia, a battle is being fought over a mountain. It is a battle with severe consequences that ... more ...

Activism, Business, Education, Policy, Wind