Browse over 100 EcoTipping Point Success Stories

Marine Sanctuary - Philippines

Marine
Sanctuary
Philippines *

Community Mangroves - Thailand

Eradicating
Dengue Mosquitoes
Vietnam

Community Agro-Forestry - Thailand

Community
Agro-Forestry
Thailand **

Escaping the Pesticide Trap - India

Escaping the
Pesticide Trap
India

Rainwater Harvesting - India

Rainwater
Harvesting
India ***

Saving the Nation’s Forests - Japan

Saving the
Nation’s Forests
Japan

Constructed Wetlands - USA

Constructed
Wetlands
Arcata - USA

Edible Schoolyard - USA

Edible
Schoolyard
Berkeley - USA

Community Gardens - USA

Community
Gardens
New York City ****

Portland: A Livable City - USA

Portland:
A Livable City
USA

Saving Mangroves Thailand

Saving
Mangroves
Thailand

Community Reforestation Mexico

Community
Reforestation
Mexico

Freiburg: A Green City Germany

Freiburg:
A Green City
Germany

Biogas Energy China

Biogas
Energy
China

Organic Farming Empowering Youth USA

Organic Farming
Empowering Youth
USA

* 7-minute video | ** 14-minute video | *** 11-minute video | **** 12-minute video

Browse Our In-Depth Story Titles

  1. Canada - British Columbia (Whistler) - Community Engagement in Planning for a Sustainable Future - A community comes together to manage uncontrolled growth and creates a groundbreaking plan for sustainable resort development.
  2. China - Biogas - Millions of rural households in China have switched to homemade biogas for cooking, with far-reaching environmental and social benefits.
  3. Germany - Freiburg - Improving sustainability with transportation, energy, waste management, land conservation, and a green economy.
  4. Honduras - The Monte Verde Story: Community Eradication of Aedes aegypti (the mosquito responsible for Zika, dengue, and chikungunya) - A humble community uses biological control to free itself from the mosquito and the diseases.
  5. India - New Delhi - Urban Rainwater Harvesting - Rainwater harvesting at Shri Ram School makes it a key player in a widespread movement to address Delhi’s water shortages.
  6. India - Andhra Pradesh - "Non-Pesticide Management" for Agricultural Pests: Escaping the Pesticide Trap - Controlling pests without chemical pesticides catapults farmers from chronic poisoning and debt to health and hope.
  7. India - Rajasthan - Water Warriors: Restoring Traditional Earthen Dams for Rainwater Harvesting and Groundwater Replenishment - Revival of traditional rainwater harvesting dams recharges the aquifer, transforming a drought-ridden landscape. *** 11-minute video
  8. India – East Calcutta - Making the Most of It: Wastewater, Fishponds, and Agriculture - Municipal wastewater feeds an integrated system of fish ponds and farms.
  9. India - Bangalore - Upscale Eco-Friendly Housing - A small, upscale neighborhood shows how eco-friendly living is a viable alternative to housing india’s high-tech affluent in unsustainable subdivisions.
  10. India - Karnataka - A Growing Network of Seed Banks and Organic Farms - A network of seed banks and organic farming projects helps farmers reverse the trend toward extinction of local crop varieties.
  11. Israel/Palestine/JordanEcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East and the Good Water Neighbors Project - EcoPeace/Friends of the Earth Middle East restores the environment and improves international relations at the same time.
  12. Japan - How Japan Saved its Forests: The Birth of Silviculture and Community Forest Management - Villagers devise silviculture and community forest management to save the nation’s forests.
  13. KenyaThe Green Belt Movement - Tree planting and other projects improve Kenya's ecosystem and quality of life.
  14. Mexico - Oaxaca - Community Reforestation in the Mixteca Region - The Center for Integrated Farmer Development recently won the Goldman prize for reforesting highly eroded lands and rescuing the traditional sustainable agriculture of the region.
  15. Mexico - Quintana Roo - The Vigía Chico Fishing Cooperative - A remote fishing village devises community management to protect its lobster fishery and ensure a high quality of life for everyone
  16. Mexico - Quintana Roo - Sustainable Agro-forestry in the Zona Maya - Mayan communities augmented their ecological security with a cooperative
  17. Philippines - Apo Island - Marine Sanctuary: Restoring a Coral-Reef Fishery - A marine sanctuary rescues a fishery and coral-reef ecosystem headed for collapse. * 7-minute Video
  18. Thailand - Trang Province - Taking Back the Mangroves with Community Management - Standing up to powerful interests to protect a commonly managed resource triggers a regeneration of society, economy and fishery.
  19. Thailand - Nakhon Sawan Province - Watershed Restoration with Agroforestry and Community Forest Management - Agroforestry farming and community-managed forests empower impoverished villagers to optimize their resources, both natural and human, while showing how to reduce greenhouse gases by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. **14-minute Video
  20. Thailand – Nonthaburi Province - Temple Reuses and Recycles, Refurbishes and Resells with Great Benefits for the Poor - A temple combines creative reuse and recycling, sustainable agriculture, and social programs.
  21. USA - Green Business in America - U.S. businesses strive to become more eco-friendly.
  22. USA - California (Arcata) - Constructed Wetland: A Cost-Effective Alternative for Wastewater Treatment - Shunning a costly regional sewage treatment plant, a town converts derelict industrial land into a marsh that purifies its municipal wastewater.
  23. USA - California/Oregon - Decline and Restoration in the Klamath River Basin: The Klamath Settlement Agreements
  24. USA - California (Berkeley) - Edible Schoolyards: Connecting Kids to the Earth and Encouraging Healthy Eating Habits - Replacing a parking lot with a school garden and kitchen, Martin Luther King Jr. Middle school creates tools for education and social change.
  25. USA - California (Oakland) - The People’s Grocery: Bringing Healthy Food to Low-Income Neighborhoods - A mobile grocery brings fresh food to a low-income "food desert."
  26. USA - California/Oregon - Decline and Restoration in the Klamath River Basin: The Klamath Settlement Agreements
  27. USA - Hawaii (Oahu) - Waiahole Ditch Water Restoration - Twenty years after their land struggle, the Waiahole-Waikane community achieves stream restoration as well.
  28. USA - Hawaii (Oahu) - He‘eia Fishpond and Watershed - Ecosystem restoration at He‘eia, Hawai‘i spans the watershed from the coastal fishpond to the upper valley.
  29. USA - Hawaii - Restoring the Life of the Land: Taro Patches in Hawai'i - Ancient irrigation systems are being restored to cultivate Hawai'i's staple crop.
  30. USA - Hawaii (Oahu) - MA‘O Organic Farm: Growing Food and Empowering Youth - Agriculture and education improves food security and the social situation in a marginalized community.
  31. USA - Hawaii (Oahu) - EcoTipping Points at Hanauma Bay - An idyllic bay goes through two cycles of overuse and preservation.
  32. USA - Hawaii (Big Island) - The West Hawai‘i Fisheries Council: A Forum for Coral Reef Stakeholders - Stakeholder dialog reduces conflict and improves management of a coral reef.
  33. USA - New York (New York City) - Green Guerillas: Community Gardens Revitalize Urban Neigborhoods - Community gardens transform decaying urban neighborhoods. **** 12-minute Video
  34. USA - Oregon (Portland) - Sustainable City - Participatory regional planning curtails sprawl and creates strategies for a sustainable future.
  35. USA - Oregon (Portland) - Flexcar: A Model of For-Profit Carsharing - Portland-based Flexcar cashes in on alternatives to car ownership.
  36. USA - Utah (Salt Lake City) - Regional Planning through Community Participation: Learning from Envision Utah - The community turned urban growth in a healthier direction with structured, map-based workshops for thousands of citizens.
  37. USA/Canada - The Organic Farming Movement in North America: Moving towards Sustainable Agriculture - How the current mainstreaming of organics is just one stage in a larger EcoTipping Point towards sustainable agriculture in North America and beyond.
  38. Vietnam - Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever, Copepods, and Biological Control of Mosquitoes - Community participation enlists a tiny predator of mosquito larvae to eradicate the dengue-fever mosquito, liberating a million people from the disease.

Browse Our Capsule Story Titles (shorter pieces)

  1. Australia - A Sustainable House in the City - A small urban family remodels its 100-year-old house to achieve water and energy self-sufficiency.
  2. Austria - Vienna - Biowaste Collection - Curbside collection of compost takes pressure off the stressed landfill and provides fertilizer for local farms.
  3. Austria - Wienerburg - Greenbelt Project - A dumping ground becomes a pleasant green space.
  4. Belgium - Hasselt - The "Sensible Transportation" City - A Belgian city develops integrated alternatives to building more roads.
  5. Brazil - Curitiba - Planned "Eco-City" - A participatory master plan makes fast-growing Curitiba a model city.
  6. Brazil - Icapui - 'Microcredit' Schemes - "Microcredit schemes" serve as alternatives to lobster overharvesting by struggling fishers.
  7. Burkina Faso - Zabre - Women's Agroecological Project - An integrated agricultural project improves the local economy and the status of rural women.
  8. Canada - British Columbia - Tsleil-Waututh Nation - A native tribe helps to restore a degraded watershed, with far-reaching ecological and economic benefits.
  9. Canada - British Columbia - Sustainable Oyster Farming - Oyster farming diversifies the economy and provides incentives for ecological protection.
  10. Canada - Northwest Territories - Inuvik Community Greenhouse - An innovative greenhouse increases food security and self-sufficiency in the Arctic.
  11. Canada - Nova Scotia - Zero-Waste 2005 Composting Project - Recycling organic waste saves landfill space and feeds the land.
  12. China - Leadership Training and Cooperation for Sustainable Community Development - The Harmony Foundation of Canada educates Chinese mayors and community residents for sustainable development.
  13. China - Sichuan Province - Reforestation - Reforestation with local access restores a degraded watershed.
  14. China - Gansu - Rainwater Harvesting - Rainwater harvesting in a dry region has multiple benefits for a drought-prone region.
  15. China - Southern Taklimakan Desert - Tamarix Trees - Drought-resistant trees stop sand dunes encroaching on agricultural land.
  16. China - Fuzhou - Ocean Arks Wastewater Restorers - An innovative wastewater treatment system restores the quality of polluted urban waterways.
  17. Costa Rica - Talamanca - The Talamanca Initiative - A multi-faceted community initiative simultaneously promotes the local economy and ecosystem conservation.
  18. Cuba - Rural Solar Power - Solar power brings numerous benefits to off-the-grid rural areas.
  19. Cuba - Organic and Urban Agriculture - Economic crisis leads to rapid development of food self-sufficiency.
  20. Dominican Republic - Solar Based Rural Electrification - Small-scale enterprises for rural electrification with solar panels begin in the Dominican Republic and spread through Latin America and other parts of the world.
  21. Ecuador - The Battle Against Chevron Texaco - An unprecedented community-driven legal battle fights for justice after what has been called one of the most catastrophic environmental disasters in history.
  22. England - Mud Between Your Toes - The Eden Project offers programs to reconnect kids with nature.
  23. Fiji & Cook Islands - Coastal Fishery Restoration - Traditional no-take reserves and seasonal taboos restore troubled coastal fisheries.
  24. Guam - The Humåtak Project - A community-based project works to restore Guam's watersheds, coral reefs, and fisheries.
  25. Germany - Bavaria - Neumarkter Lammsbrau - A brewery employs a holistic, farmer-to-consumer approach, enabling it to thrive in a climate of small-brewery closures.
  26. Germany - Feldheim - Energy independent community. A community becomes completely energy independent with wind, biogas, and solar.
  27. Germany - Freiburg-Vauban - Eco-Neighborhood - Participatory urban planning creates an eco-friendly neighborhood.
  28. India - Auroville - Planned "Eco-City" - Reforestation and other projects create an eco-friendly community, transforming a barren landscape to health and productivity.
  29. India - Chipko Anti-Logging Resistance - Grassroots action limits logging and its destructive consequences.
  30. India - Haryana Province - Forest Management - Communal forest management improves erosion control and productivity.
  31. India - West Bengal - Makaibari Tea Estate - Makaibari Tea Estate simulates a natural ecosystem to enhance sustainability of production.
  32. India - Rajasthan (and other states) - Ranbathore Craft Center - A vibrant artisan community revives local traditions and creates alternative employment for women in depressed rural regions.
  33. India - Rajasthan - "Barefoot College" - A village-based program revives traditional wisdom, self-sufficiency and holistic rural development.
  34. India - Mumbai - Industrial Greenbelt - Reforestation in an industrial area restores soil, water, wildlife and aesthetics.
  35. India - West Bengal - Joint Forest Management - Cooperation between government and villages prevents overexploitation of their shared resources.
  36. Indonesia - Bunaken National Park - Coastal Resource Management - Mangrove restoration and bamboo cultivation provide alternative livelihoods and wastewater treatment.
  37. Indonesia - Borneo - Restoring a Rainforest - An orangutan rescue project provides valuable lessons for re-creating a rainforest.
  38. IraqMesopotamian Marshlands - Formerly desiccated marshlands are brought back to life.
  39. Ireland - Green Tax on Plastic Bags - A small charge for plastic bags has a big impact on consumption and improves the appearance of the countryside.
  40. Mexico - Sonora - Seri’s Sustainable Fisheries - The Seri Indians made full use of their traditional territorial rights in the Gulf of California to develop sustainable fisheries and scallop harvesting.
  41. Mexico - Jalisco - Ayuquila River Restoration - Communities in the Ayuquila River Basin confronted deforestation and river pollution to set the watershed on a course of ecological health.
  42. Mexico - Michoacán - The Patsari Stove - The Interdisciplinary Group for Appropriate Rural Technologies designed and distributed a low-pollution wood stove.
  43. Mexico - Veracruz and Tabasco - Chinampa System - An ancient cultivation system is revived to provide sustainable wetland agriculture for landless farmers.
  44. Mexico - Michoacán - Forest Reserve - A forest reserve famed for Monarch butterflies enlists active participation from local residents formerly skeptical of conservation projects.
  45. Mozambique - Ecological Sanitation - Using music to promote low cost, environmentally sustainable “ecological sanitation,” a process to transform human waste into nutrient-rich agricultural fertilizer.
  46. Netherlands - Groningen - The "Cycle City" - A bicycle-friendly city revives the economy and improves quality of life for its residents.
  47. NigerFarmer Managed Natural Regeneration - Farmers use a simple, natural way to regrow trees and stop desertification.
  48. Peru - Micro-Hydro Power - Isolated communities on the eastern slopes of the Andes achieve electrification with small hydroelectric generators in rivers and streams.
  49. Peru - Amazon - Forest Product Farming - Raising poison dart frogs provides an economic incentive to preserve threatened rainforests.
  50. Philippines - Marikina City - Urban Revival - A new mayor's master plan restores the livability and pride of an impoverished industrial city.
  51. Russia - Lake Baikal - Staving off Uranium Pollution - Protecting the world’s oldest and deepest lake from a planned petroleum pipeline and uranium enrichment facility.
  52. South Africa - Working for Water - Removing exotic trees from watersheds brings streams back to life, increases the nation’s water supply, and creates jobs for the unemployed.
  53. South Africa - Thlolengo EcoVillage - An African "eco-village" is a model of rural sustainability in a time of rural decline.
  54. South Africa - Walkerstroom Wetlands - Ecotourism - Nature tourism to protect grasslands and wetlands stimulates the local economy.
  55. SudanHydrocarbon Removal from Oilfield Produced Water - Reed beds decontaminate wastewater from oilfields.
  56. Sweden - Ecological Tax Reform - A tax shift creates broad-based, sweeping incentives for sustainability.
  57. Thailand - Pak Mun Dam - Experimental Dam Opening - Experimental reopening of the Pak Mun Dam gates reveals the social and ecological costs of megadams, and the benefits of rivers to the multiple communities who depend on them.
  58. UgandaRyan’s Well – A six-year-old Canadian boy starts a movement for safe drinking water in Africa.
  59. Uganda - AIDS control - A holistic approach makes Ugandan AIDS control efforts exemplary.
  60. USA - Community-Supported Fisheries - Modeled after community-supported agriculture, community-supported fisheries benefit fishermen, consumers, and the environment.
  61. USA - Power to the People - Thanks to a new online platform, small investors can join together to fund solar energy projects.
  62. USA - Alabama (Hale County) - The Rural Studio - Architecture students combine their studies with the design and creation of ecological housing for low-income clients.
  63. USA – Alaska – Denali BioTechnologies - Valuable wild blueberries are harvested on deforested land, providing good nutrition and an economic boost to remote villages.
  64. USA - California - Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District - Napa County works with the "living rivers" principle for its flood management plan.
  65. USA - California (San Francisco) - The Garden Project - Organic farming by prison inmates restores their connection to the land and addresses recidivism.
  66. USA - California (Morgan Hill) - Women's Action to Gain Economic Security - Women's cooperatives create much-needed living-wage and eco-friendly jobs.
  67. USA - California (Los Angeles) - Natural Urban Park - The Augustus F. Hawkins Natural Park turns an urban brownfield into a natural ecosystem that connects local residents to nature and revitalizes their community.
  68. USA - Colorado (Boulder) - Namaste Solar Electric - A photovoltaics company offers renewable energy and a socially conscious business model.
  69. USA - Hawaii (Big Island) - Sustainable Forest Management - The Forest Service, Nature Conservancy, and private companies cooperate in a sustainable forestry venture.
  70. USA - Hawaii (Oahu) - Sustainable Saunders Initiative - College students lead the effort to make the University of Hawai’i more sustainable.
  71. USA - Hawaii (Oahu) - Kokua Kalihi Valley: A Holistic Approach to Health - Kokua Kalihi Valley community health center integrates the health of the people and the health of the land.
  72. USA - Kansas - Land Institute - Restoring shrinking prairie habitats with sustainable agriculture.
  73. USA - Louisiana - Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program - A cooperative regional management program turns the tide of environmental degradation in the nation's largest estuary.
  74. USA – Maine – Alewife Restoration - Extraordinary measures are taken to restore Maine's river herring population, a keystone species in the ecosystem.
  75. USA - Maine - Maine Lobsters - Co-management in the Maine lobster fishery helps promote sustainability.
  76. USA – Massachusetts (Boston) - Nira Rock - An old quarry is transformed into a sanctuary for wildlife and people alike.
  77. USA - Minnesota - Red Lake Restoration - Native Americans restore wild rice and walleye fish on their reservation.
  78. USA - New York (New York City) - Melrose Commons - Local residents resist eviction and gentrification with alternative urban development.
  79. USA - New York (New York City) - Watershed Protection - Watershed protection is a cost-effective alternative to a costly treatment plant to improve the region’s deteriorating water quality.
  80. USA - Oregon (Portland) - The Rebuilding Center - A building materials recycling business thrives in a formerly economically depressed neighbourhood.
  81. USA - Texas (Austin) - People Organized in the Defense of Earth and Her Resources (PODER) - A low-income neighborhood starts a successful environmental/economic justice movement.
  82. USA - Texas (Austin) - Green Building and Green Choice Programs - Housing projects opt for sustainability in building materials and energy supply.
  83. USA - Texas (Austin) - Balcones Canyonlands Conservation Program - Austin incorporates natural habitats in city planning to protect it from sprawl.
  84. USA - Washington State - Lummi Nation Marine Aquaculture - Native Americans save their reservation with eco-development.
  85. USA - Various locations - Phytoremediation - Plants and microbes use natural processes to purify contaminated wastewater.
  86. Vanuatu - Coconut Oil as an Alternative Fuel - In a time of decreasing copra prices and increasing petroleum prices, coconut oil holds promise as a "biodiesel” fuel.
  87. Zambia - Transforming Communities through Sustainable Development - A wildlife conservation and community development program protects biodiversity while simultaneously improving village life in the region.
  88. Zimbabwe - Microhydropower - Microhydropower brings low-impact energy to rural villages.
  89. ZimbabweWater Farming – Through “water farming” Phiri Maseko’s farm is a paradise that resists droughts for several years.

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