May 15, 2014 — Earlier this week in an op-ed for this magazine, Cara Pike, founder and director of the Social Capital Project, welcomed the shift in the climate conversation from debate about science to emphasis on impacts, but said that a further step is needed: More focus on solutions to show that change is possible. “This is not about putting on rose-colored glasses and minimizing the very real threat we face — it’s about shifting attention to what we have to be hopeful for when we move to low-carbon innovations,” Pike wrote in “There’s Hope at the End of the World as We Know It.”

Now, two projects doing just that have come to our attention. The first, Momentum for Change, is an annual initiative from the United Nations Climate Change secretariat. Through an application process, the UN secretariat selects entries that show concrete examples of people, industries, cities and countries already applying successful responses to climate change. This year Momentum for Change is looking for applications that show climate action positively affecting the urban poor and the important role women play in responding to climate change, among other areas. Check out the video below for more information, and apply here.

The second project is from Nuin-Tara Key and Tom Miller. Key, a research and policy consultant in climate change and urban development, and Miller, a filmmaker, are setting out on a project that will take them from the Caribbean to Finland in the late summer and fall of 2014. Dubbed Our Place on Earth, the duo’s project will be made up of three components: 1) a documentary about community-based responses to climate change already having an impact, 2) a tool kit with ways to replicate local solutions in other places around the world, and 3) video workshops for communities to help them learn how to share their stories about successfully responding to climate change. Photo from Momentum for Change video.

Momentum for Change – Change for Good from Momentum for Change on Vimeo.