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Some time ago, watching the documentary Urban Fruit by Roman Zenz I was fascinated by the story of Rishi Kumar a highly educated engineer by training who gave up a promising career in information technology to choose a different path. Along with his mother they had transformed their once wasteful and nonproductive meticulously landscaped yard into a productive bio diverse urban farm which uses about 1/3 the water it took to keep their lawn green.  They have done so while creating healthy organic food in abundance. In fact more than enough for themselves, their extended family of relatives and friends and untamed wildlife not limited to rare butterflies, hummingbirds, mosquito fish, dragonflies and raccoons that struggle to eke out good diets due to urban sprawl. This project has grown into a mission of education on the how-to's and benefits of urban farming and creating bio diverse mini ecosystems that give back to our environment as opposed to simply taking.  ...

treepeople.org Andy Lipkis began planting smog-tolerant trees with a group of fellow campers in the San Bernadino Forest in 1970 at age 15 and hasn't looked back. At age 17 he raised $10,000 to purchase 8,000 seedlings and he and family members also founded a nonprofit called  California Conservation Project. Over the years this eventually evolved into TreePeople. With a dedicated staff,  Andy still at the helm, and an army of volunteers the organization is on a mission to create what they call   Functioning Community Forest s throughout the greater LA area and anywhere around the country and the world their volunteers can touch including a project delivering over 8,000 fruit bearing trees to Africa. The initiative was not only good for the environment but also provided nutritious food sources to many in need. TreePeople’s Forestry program includes both Urban and Mountain Forestry. The Urban Forestry program empowers underserved communities with the i...

brightest.io According to Earth Uprising scientists predict we have less than 12 years to act to avoid some of the worst impacts of climate change. Through their organization youth activists from all around the world are uniting  to demand a better future for themselves and future generations. Earth Uprising is a nonprofit made up of a team of young people out to save the planet. Based on the legitimate premise that the young will bear the greatest impacts of climate change the organization has harnessed young climate activists across the globe to take action and demand a better future. To learn more, participate and support their efforts visit https://earthuprising.org #naturalworld #climatechange #sustainability

dan.org What and where is the Nemo's Garden project?  It is an experimental alternative farming underwater biosphere off the coast of Italy started by Sergio Gamberini founder of the Ocean Reef Group in Vista California.  In the summer of 2012, Sergio was enjoying a seaside vacation on the Italian Riviera. Resting in between dives, he enjoyed strolling along the edge of the sea chatting with friends. One day, the conversation veered to his other passion: gardening. He wondered if it would be possible to create the perfect environment to grow basil and was struck by an unusual idea- would it be possible to grow basil underwater? The answer is yes. Plants including basil, strawberries and tomatoes are grown in underwater biospheres They are also experimenting with green beans, peas, zucchini, flowers and a variety of herbs. The goal is to provide an underwater farming alternative without pests or pesticides as a benefit to areas where crops are currently difficu...

Discarded electronics create 50 million tons of global waste each year.  Rwandan-based #Wastezon is doing it's part. So far the mobile app has helped send 460 tons to electronics recyclers in Rwanda alone.  The result is a great positive impact on turning recycled plastic into creative new products. To learn more, meet their team and ask them questions visit https://wastezon.com or follow them on Facebook and Twitter #recycledmaterials #recycling #sustainability

It all started when Gil Garcetti spoke at Barbara Goldberg’s Salon Forum in 2008 sharing powerful photos he had taken in Western Africa. He shared the dire need for safe drinking water and the endless struggles of women and girls to get it.     In 2009 Barbara founded Wells Bring Hope and, partnering with World Vision, drilled 10 wells the first year. Inspired by the commitment of Wells Bring Hope Gil Garcetti continues help share the story of this struggle for safe drinking water through speaking opportunities and his photography. In the Fall of 2007, the UCLA Fowler Museum had an exhibition of his photographs, “Women, Water and Wells.” In 2009, many of these photos were on exhibition in the visitors lobby of the United Nations in New York. In February, 2008, these same photographs and his words inspired the founding of “Wells Bring Hope.” Since its start Wells Bring Hope has funded 511 wells helping over 514,567 people in West Africa. Both Gil Garcetti ...

Amigos de los Ríos (AMIGOS) was founded in 2003 with the mission of building parks with a bigger use while fostering environmental sustainability. AMIGOS focuses on developing   and implementing   multi-purpose, state-of-the-art parks in park-deficient neighborhoods. Their projects use green techniques such as on-site water filtration, bioswales, and low-water-use irrigation. In their park projects they also integrate   drought-tolerant and native-plant landscaping to conserve water, protect biodiversity and natural resources. amigosdelosrios.org They are currently working to make their amazing vision of “The Emerald Necklace” -an unbroken network of parks and connecting nature trails and bike paths that stretches from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Sea- a reality. AMIGOS   is committed to engaging the community while reflecting community needs through programs including curriculum creation for K-12,   family-oriented environmental educat...

urbanharvester.org Founded by Linda Hess in 2009 South Pasadena-based Urban Harvester is a nonprofit solving multiple problems to the benefit of grocery stores, restaurants, food pantries providing services for the hungry and those in need of a healthy meal. According to the US Department of Agriculture 1 in 6 Americans go to be hungry every night. Data from The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that 40% of the food produced in the United States is discarded each year. Enter Urban Havester. In 2013 the organization recovered 30,000 fresh meals - that's 20 tons of fresh food rescued rather than wasted. To learn more or to donate to support their good work visit www.urbanharvester.org