Citrus in the Snow: Geothermal Greenhouses Grow Local Produce in Winter
Some visionaries think greenhouses could help meet demand for year-round local produce. But there's a problem with greenhouses: They can be energy guzzlers, typically lit and heated by burning fossil fuels. However, creative growers have been tackling that problem by tapping into the Earth's own internal heat to warm and cool greenhouses.  One of them, called Greenhouse in the Snow, grows citrus fruits, figs, and grapes, with only the help of geothermal heat.
 
The Office Buildings That Welcome Bees
Best Bees is an urban-beekeeping venture on a mission to save the honeybee—the company installs and manages honeybee hives on buildings. So far, Best Bees has installed about 800 hives on rooftops in nine cities throughout the US. More than 130 crops, including apples, almonds and oranges, rely on bees for pollination, worth about $15 billion to the economy.
 
Sharing the Land: Using Mapping Technology to Resolve Disputes
Sharing the Land is a new initiative that helps local communities improve the way they manage land ownership with GPS data. They also use household surveys to gather information on conflict, a family’s assets, or demographics. Once they’ve plotted this information on interactive maps using Geographic Information Systems, anyone with internet access can better understand land ownership and address land-based disputes.
 
Cover Crops, a Farming Revolution with Deep Roots in the Past
Until recently, the planting cover crops—fields of noncash crops used to rejuvenate soil—became an antiquated practice with the introduction of fertilizers. However, more and more family farms are beginning to use them again: the practice of seeding fields between harvests not only keeps topsoil in place, it also adds carbon to the soil and helps the beneficial microbes, fungus, bacteria and worms in it thrive.