Solar energy is clean, but it usually takes up huge tracts of land. In India, an alternative is turning the country’s canals into glittering trails of solar panels. BBC FUTURE PLANET

The South Side neighborhood of Englewood puts a healthy food market at the center of a community-led “urban Marshall Plan” built to combat poverty. BLOOMBERG CITYLAB

Classical economics would prescribe decades of austerity to pay off the levels of government spending seen in the COVID-19 pandemic. But there’s another way, say modern monetary theorists. Dr Steven Hail, Research Scholar at the Global Institute for Sustainable Prosperity and Economics Lecturer at Australia’s University of Adelaide, explains. STRUGGLES FROM BELOW

A belief system born of indigenous communities in the Philippines could help protect the country’s endangered species, from leopard cats to cloud rats. BBC FUTURE

African-Americans are 75 percent more likely than others to live near facilities that produce hazardous waste. Can a grass-roots environmental-justice movement make a difference? THE NEW YORK TIMES

The US government spends more on higher education than many countries where students graduate with far less debt. Is there a better way? REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

Baltimore’s violence interrupters confront shootings, the coronavirus, and corrupt cops. THE INTERCEPT

In the city’s Mission District, renters are collectively buying their buildings before they get priced out. REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL

From new laws to poems on buses, the Cities Can B movement is bringing together government, businesses and citizens to make the UN Sustainable Development Goals meaningful. POSITIVE NEWS

Clandestine food distribution, direct financial assistance, and postings on WhatsApp are part of an emergent underground network designed to help immigrants in need. THE COUNTER

The UK has lost its lead in windpower and batteries, but there is one eco fuel that could transform its post-Covid fortunes. THE GUARDIAN

The Philippines’ traditional three-hulled boat is being redesigned, to draw its power not from fossil fuels, but from the energy of the waves. BBC FUTURE PLANET

How did residents cope and what happens next for rough sleepers? BBC III

Using renewable energy to water crops, poor rice farmers are growing vegetables to feed their families and earn an income. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

A new nature network plans to rewild 300,000 acres of land in the UK, in a bid to boost biodiversity and tackle climate change. POSITIVE NEWS

40 Acres & A Mule is the brainchild of chef and restaurant owner Adrian Lipscombe. HUFFPOST

A grassroots organisation founded by two childhood friends is cleaning up Kibera — and fighting the Covid-19 pandemic at the same time. ENSIA

The studies each aim to enrol 30,000 people and determine whether the vaccines are safe and effective. THE NEW YORK TIMES

A cutting-edge satellite, due to be launched in a month, will generate more accurate data to help monitor forests and the carbon they store. THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

A bicycle boom has seen Indians swapping cars – the ultimate status symbol – for a more humble mode of transport. THE GUARDIAN