These Leaders Can Be America’s New Protagonists, If We’ll Let Them

by Michael Zakaras

When I write about the social innovators working in almost every American state on public problems — I tend to emphasize their solutions. And why wouldn’t I? In a world full of problems, they are the fixers: ending chronic homelessness, vastly improving our criminal justice system, reducing the costs of life-saving medicines.

As we scroll through increasingly alarming headlines (like E.P.A. Set to Cancel Grants Aimed at Protecting Children From Toxic Chemicals), it’s good to be reminded that the fixers are out there.

One solution I find myself describing often these days is the brainchild of Byron Kominek, a young farmer in Colorado who is trying to transform how we install solar panels across millions of acres of arable land. What Byron has demonstrated on his family farm is that if you raise panels just a bit higher off the ground, you can farm under them. This creates so many benefits, including shade for both crops and farmers themselves, who out west are contending with higher heat and longer droughts. Many crops actually need a break from the sun, not to mention it keeps more moisture in the soil. And it’s an additional source of passive income for next-gen farmers wondering if they can persist.