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Amidst religious, political and cultural strife in LaDakh, one of the most remote places on earth, is the construction of a new symbol of hope and peace: the Druk White Lotus school. Conceived to equip LaDakhi children to function in a modern world while embracing Buddhist traditions, can the school, designed by ARUP London, implement sustainable building, tap local materials and labor, and preserve the cultural identity for future generations?

Government buildings are not historically associated with sustainability or exquisite design. The U.S. General Service Administration's (GSA) Design Excellence program is changing this perception. Pritzker Prize-winning Architect Thom Mayne's San Francisco Federal Building is transforming the workplace experience through sustainable architecture, while servicing the surrounding community.

Enrique Peñalosa, former mayor of Bogota, Colombia, transformed one of the most chaotic cities in the world into a shining model of urban planning. He reformed public transport, added greenways, built mega-libraries and created the longest stretch of bike-only lanes in the world, but along the way he met tremendous opposition from the very people he was attempting to help.

New York City is known for its diversity, a fact that isn't always reflected in its low-income housing, which often ignores the social and cultural aspects of the community. This episode follows New York developer Jonathan Rose through Irvington, Harlem and the Bronx, in which his sustainably-designed buildings are changing the perception of affordable housing.

Dutch planners tap into their design ingenuity and the natural landscape to build a modern yet sustainable development in Amsterdam's once abandoned dockyards, Borneo Sporenburg. Offering an antidote to the trappings of suburban sprawl, the development maximizes space while maintaining privacy and uses the vast waterways as core landscape design elements.

The building sector is responsible for almost half of all U.S. emissions. How can the government, architects, regulatory agencies and building suppliers avoid a global warming crisis through policy change and education? Architect-turned-activist Ed Mazria may have the answer. His architecture 2030 organization hopes that all new buildings will be carbon neutral by 2030.