The expanding renewable energy industry provides opportunities for gainful employment as well as a clean, stable, energy supply. As part of its Solar for All program, Washington, DC established Solar Works DC in 2016, and the program launched soon after in summer 2017. The program expands the District’s solar capacity, places solar systems on low-income households to reduce electricity bills, and provides hands-on training to underserved and underemployed District residents in solar education and installation to provide them with a pathway to employment in this growing field. Solar Works...

Frontline workers are often in the best position to identify and resolve problems and inefficiencies but frequently lack the authority or support to drive solutions. Especially in large, cross-functional, and decentralized organizations such as the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), it can sometimes be difficult to translate localized improvements into widespread change. Colorado's Lean Everyday Ideas (LEI) program remedies this issue by engaging CDOT employees in taking innovations from the initial suggestion stage through to implementation, then on to replication. LEI acts as...

Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted 27 years ago, many small businesses still struggle to make their storefronts ADA-compliant. The necessary upgrades are often cost-prohibitive. Moreover, some business owners avoid making any renovations for fear of triggering ADA compliance requirements. In 2014, the Massachusetts city of Cambridge reconfigured its Storefront Improvement Program’s benefits to target the ADA hurdle and improve public access to businesses in the city.

The program has been in place since 1996, offering technical assistance and funding for...