HUMBO, Ethiopia -- For decades, farmer and beekeeper Adila Agebo's hives in this small agricultural community were nearly dry. Years of stripping the hills of their vegetation to make charcoal, collecting firewood and construction material from what remained of the forests, and letting animals graze on the green remnants had devastated the landscape. But World Vision Australia forester Tony Rinaudo saw potential in the hundreds of thousands of tree stumps left on the landscape from years of deforestation. Using a technique called coppicing, in which a grower encourages a tree stump to grow offshoots, Rinaudo initiated the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration program, engaging local cooperatives of farmers to split up the mountain in seven parcels for coppicing and pruning trees. Six years later, the barren, brown view has sprung back to life.

INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. -- Brent Allen is one of many to have been captured by Lake Tahoe's charm. For him, it turned a six-month research project into a 25-year career dedicated to preserving the clarity of the lake. On a scuba dive one night in winter, Allen remembers, "I could look up through the water, and it was calm enough on the surface that I could see the stars." But today, warming waters threaten to undermine efforts to keep Lake Tahoe blue.