Ep 19. Fixing the Future

NOW on PBS season 6 episode 19, titled "Fixing the Future," takes a look at what some individuals and organizations are doing to create a more sustainable future for America. The episode features a wide range of initiatives, from sustainable urban agriculture to community banks that invest in local businesses.

Host David Brancaccio interviews a number of experts and entrepreneurs who are working on innovative solutions to social and environmental challenges. First up is Majora Carter, a Bronx-based activist and urban planner who has been working to transform the South Bronx and its waterfront. Carter shows Brancaccio some of the green rooftops and urban farms that have sprung up in recent years, and talks about how they help address the area's problems with pollution and poverty.

Brancaccio also visits the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, where he speaks with co-founder David Morris about the importance of community-owned businesses. Morris argues that such enterprises help create more durable and resilient communities, as they are less likely to relocate and more invested in the local economy. He also shows Brancaccio some examples of successful community-owned ventures, such as a grocery store in Minneapolis that has become a hub for local food and culture.

The episode also features a segment on a new kind of social movement that is gathering momentum across the country: "slow money." Inspired by the slow food movement, this movement seeks to invest in small-scale, sustainable agriculture and local food production. Brancaccio talks to Gary Paul Nabhan, a writer and food activist who is one of the leaders of the slow money movement, about why it's important to support local food systems and how slow money can help make that happen.

Another inspiring story in "Fixing the Future" is about a group of small business owners in Cleveland who came together to form the Evergreen Cooperatives. These cooperatives, which include a laundry, a solar-panel installation company, and a hydroponic greenhouse, are owned by their employees and part of a larger plan to build a sustainable, locally-driven economy in Cleveland. Brancaccio visits the cooperatives and speaks with the workers and leaders about how they are building a new kind of economy in their city.

Overall, "Fixing the Future" is an inspiring look at what grassroots movements and creative solutions can do to build a more sustainable, equitable future for all. It offers hope and practical examples of how we can all be part of the solution, and make a real difference in our communities and our world.