From super-efficient homes in the United States to an ingenious plan for extracting fuel from living forests in Indonesia, promising projects are expanding the reach of clean, affordable energy.

UN-led  climate talks beginning November 30 in Paris may determine the course of high-level action to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Plenty of smaller projects across the globe, however, are showing what can be done right now—in one village, one town, one city block.

Check out six short and sweet stories about innovators—each recipients of funding from National Geographic's Great Energy Challenge—who are making a difference.

With 48 million Americans living below the poverty line, many are faced with difficult decisions between, for example, heating the house or buying groceries. A passive house—super-insulated and