Eve Troeh

Oil companies spend millions for the right to drill in the Gulf of Mexico.

As New Orleans and its economy attract more college-educated residents, gentrification comes to once-poor neighborhoods on high ground.

Southern Airways Express flies small planes out of small airports, a no-hassle alternative to driving a few hundred miles.

Flood protection uses construction techniques developed by the oil industry. Coastal protection in Louisiana grows into an export industry.

The levee board for the New Orleans region sued oil companies over their damage to delta wetlands that are a protective buffer against storm surges.

The writers' group PEN is well known for its core mission: Supporting free speech around the world. Its members include Nobel and Pulitzer prize winners. But it needs to expand, as the traditional publishing world shrinks.

More consumers want to buy food from small, local farms. But those types of growers are having a hard time getting start-up money.