In Benin, a long dry season makes it almost impossible for women farmers to grow food. For six months of the year, there is little rainfall and the land is parched. For years, women farmers and their families were trapped in a cycle of poverty and poor health.But thanks to an innovative project developed by the Solar Electric Light Fund, year-round food production is now possible in Benin’s remote villages. The Fund’s Solar Market Garden project combines solar-powered pumps with drip-irrigation systems to provide a cheap and eco-friendly way to get water from nearby rivers and underground aquifers. This means farmers can now water crops year-round and produce reliable, healthy food. To tell us more, we spoke to Bob Freling, the Executive Director of the Solar Electric Light Fund. Learn more...

Did you know that more than 1.2 billion people around the world don’t have access to electricity in their homes? As a result, they are forced to burn expensive and polluting fuels for their basic lighting needs.Azuri PayGo Energy wants to change that. Azuri has combined solar and mobile phone technology to bring clean energy to people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. The pay-as-you-go solar home system provides eight hours of emission-free lighting each day and enough power to charge mobile phones.To learn more, we spoke to Simon Bransfield-Garth, CEO of Azuri Technologies.

Across the United States, transportation is responsible for 27% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions. ChargePoint is addressing climate change by making it easier and more fun for people to drive an electric vehicle. ChargePoint is the world’s largest network of electric vehicle charging stations, with 25,000 charging stations across the United States. With more than 350,000 electric vehicles sold in the United States, drivers need crucial EV infrastructure to make it easy to shift from fuelling with gasoline to fuelling with electricity. ChargePoint is transforming the transportation industry by providing the charging stations, mobile app and the network that allow people to charge their cars everywhere they go. To learn more, we spoke to Pasquale Romano, the President and CEO of ChargePoint.

In Uganda, farmers depend on the right amount of rain coming at the right time. Farmers used to know when to plant and what to plant to expect a good harvest because they knew when rainfall would begin and end. But now rainfall in the country is becoming scarce and unpredictable, and extreme heat is increasing in intensity and frequency. The Enabling Farmers to Adapt to Climate Change project was built with this in mind. Using information and communication technology tools in local languages, the project collects, analyzes and sends out agricultural advisories, crop and livestock market information and weather data to Ugandan farmers. To learn more, we spoke to Berhane Gebru, Director of Programs, FHI 360 TechLab.

Did you know that 90 percent of all households in rural Rwanda and Tanzania still lack access to energy? Polluting and expensive kerosene lamps and diesel generators are the primary source of lighting and electricity. Berlin-based company Mobisol is changing that by bringing solar home systems to Rwanda and Tanzania. The systems are reducing pollution, improving indoor air quality and cutting emissions. Mobisol is also making a real difference in people’s lives. Mobisol enables the lower-income population to own a reliable energy source. This makes them independent from grid-electricity costs, power cuts and expensive, inefficient and unhealthy fuels like kerosene. To learn more, we spoke to Thomas Duveau, Mobisol’s Head of Business Development.

What do you think about when you think about Microsoft? Maybe computers, software and Bill Gates were the first things that came to your mind. But did you know that Microsoft is also a leader when it comes to fighting climate change? In 2012, Microsoft voluntarily introduced an internal carbon fee that holds its business units financially accountable for their carbon emissions. Microsoft’s business units are charged for the emissions associated with their energy consumption and business air travel. Microsoft then collects and spends the funds on its environmental initiatives. These include efficiency projects, green power projects, carbon offset projects, e-waste recycling, research and innovation. To learn more, we’re joined by TJ DiCaprio, the Director of Environmental Sustainability at Microsoft.

For most countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, access to safe and reliable water remains a major challenge. In Kenya alone, 16 million people do not have access to clean water. Increased incidences of drought linked to climate change is worsening water scarcity, particularly in areas that have limited and sporadic rainfall, leading to migration and increased urbanization. Grundfos Lifelink Water Solutions helps build resilience to the effects of climate change by providing access to safe, sustainable and affordable water to people in developing countries. To collect water, people charge a smart card with credit bought onsite or via their mobile phones, insert it into the dispenser and pay for the water they need. To learn more, we spoke to Peter Todbjerg Hansen, the Managing Director of Grundfos Lifelink.

In Kolkata, India, the Trash2Cash initiative has developed an innovative solution to the city’s waste problem. More than 5,000 tonnes of solid waste is generated by the city every day. Dumping this waste is polluting the groundwater and emitting large amounts of methane gas. Trash2Cash is an independent community enterprise, let by people who live in the city’s slums, who are paid to collect and recycle waste. To learn how Trash2Cast creates sustainable jobs for the urban poor and reduces emissions, we spoke with Amrita Chatterjee, the project leader.

Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Bangladesh is a women-centered initiative that helps communities adapt to climate change. In particular, it seeks to address extreme weather conditions such as cyclones and flooding, as well as the consequence of increased salinity conditions in agriculture in Bangladesh. The initiative, which is implemented by ActionAid Bangladesh, brings groups of women together to assess vulnerability to these risks. Then, they identify and implement action plans, such as improved cook stoves that reduce carbon emissions or dams to preserve fresh water from salinization. To learn more, we spoke to Farah Kabir, ActionAid’s Country Director.