In the English town of Gateshead, coal mining dates back to the 1300s. Dormant since the 1980s, the mines have been granted a new lease on life: Now, they’re producing enough geothermal energy to heat 350 homes and several businesses. It’s a fitting and poetic legacy — and one that residents are proud of.
How a Former Coal Town Became a Geothermal Success Story
By: Oliver Gordon
In Gateshead, where the mining history runs deep, a different kind of energy is now coming from the same earth.
The Spanish Town Doing Capitalism Better
By: Peter Yeung
Centered in the Basque Country, the world’s largest industrial cooperative network has social good and humanism at its heart.
Could Shellfish Farming Fix Florida’s Algal Bloom Problem?
By: Stephanie Castellano
As the state faces harmful red tides and other water quality issues, it’s working to get more hardworking clams and oysters into its waterways.
Horizontal Levees Are Spreading Across the Bay Area
By: Charlotte Burks
Gradually sloped and lush with native plants, this new type of green infrastructure could protect coastal cities and wildlife from rising seas.
A Wheelchair Rugged Enough for National Park Trails
See what stories caught our attention this week, including a way to make hikes more accessible and Canada’s big investment in renewables.
In Case You Missed It
The ‘Sisterhood’ Protecting Indonesia’s Coral Reefs
By: Geetanjali Krishna
On the tiny island of Gili Air, a unique marine conservation course opens up career pathways for women while revitalizing reefs.Read More
Traveling Doctors Are Filling the Gaps in Rural France
By: Peter Yeung
By sending doctors to small-town clinics for just one week at a time, Médecins Solidaires is helping to remedy the country’s “medical deserts.”Read More
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