In Mexico and around the world, when homes lack piped water or tanks women do most of the work to fetch and carry water by hand, spending hours each week in backbreaking labor. A new program in Mexico City is helping families install rainwater harvesting systems that guide rooftop runoff into household cisterns, reducing the time women must spend hauling water. The program offers lessons for reducing the gender gap in other countries facing similar challenges. Read more.

More U.S. CEOs are calling for climate action. But too often the trade associations they fund are blocking such action. WRI President and CEO Ani Dasgupta has urged companies to “re-examine their lobbying, political spending and participation in trade associations to ensure that their actions are fully aligned with their public statements on climate change.” Good place to start: pay a trustworthy third-party to audit the company’s trade association memberships. Read more.

Stientje van Veldhoven, a former minister of environment, member of parliament and diplomat for her home country of the Netherlands, is the new vice president and regional director for WRI Europe. “I am delighted to join the World Resources Institute at this critical time,” she says. “WRI’s mission is to achieve a more equitable and resilient world for all, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of that drive!” Learn more.