Solutions-oriented journalism is necessary to help us see beyond the problems we face. We need to hear about, learn from, and be inspired by people fighting back, providing alternatives to the status quo, and showing us the fixes at our fingertips. The good news is there’s a lot to choose from in media coverage of water, climate, and environmental issues.
Help us celebrate solutions by reading and watching 10 of our favorite solutions stories from 2024!
Climate and water solutions on the land
Roots So Deep – Peter Byck
We recommend this Good Food with Evan Kleiman episode about the documentary series.
Farmers Are Using Wool To Save Water in the Drought-Ridden West – Lindsey King in Time
‘The dead zone is real’: why US farmers are embracing wildflowers – Rachel Cramer in The Guardian
Our Best Community Food Solutions Stories of 2024 – Civil Eats 2024 round up
Coverage of Duwamish Valley clean up efforts
Full cleanup begins at Lower Duwamish Superfund site – Isabella Breda in Seattle Times
Community Development Counters Eco-Gentrification from Duwamish Valley Cleanup – Ashli Blow in The Urbanist
Environmental justice
Can land repair the nation’s racist past? – Adam Mahoney in High Country News
Additional shout out to Adam for his round up of environmental wins in 2024 for Black communities.
Progress and possibilities in the Colorado River Basin
What progress is being made in the Colorado River Basin to help? – Amy Joi O’Donoghue in Deseret News
Arizona farmers turn to solar panels to shade crops, save water and generate power – Amaia J. Gavica for Cronkite News
Salmon swim again
‘A beautiful thing’: Klamath River salmon are spotted far upstream in Oregon after dam removal – Ian James in the LA Times
Featured photo by Werner Slocum / National Renewable Energy Laboratory. A farmer harvests crops at Jack’s Solar Garden, a 1.2 megawatt community solar garden and agrivoltaics research site in Colorado.