Today’s Solutions: August 15, 2026

The world has a massive plastic pollution problem fueled by consumers’ habit of purchasing bottled water, so what if we replaced conventional plastic bottles with biodegradable ones? In Iceland, a product design student has created an algae-based water bottle that starts to decompose immediately after you drink it and can even be eaten if you don’t want to throw it away. The bottle also stays naturally cool, even in hot weather. The idea may be far-fetched, but it offers some sort of alternative to the barrage of plastic bottles flowing into the ocean and landfills each day. In any case, it’s time the world gets serious about replacing the bottles that require millions of barrels of oil to make.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

How this city in Illinois plans to stop homelessness by the end of the year

Less than a decade ago, more than 700 people were homeless in the small, 150,000 person city of Rockford, Illinois, about 90 miles northwest ...

Read More

This map shows what Indigenous land you live on

If you’ve attended a virtual lecture or presentation lately you may have noticed that the speakers initiated the event with an acknowledgment of which ...

Read More

More on beavers and rewilding

We decided to dust off and update this innovative solution to restoring habitats with the most industrious aquatic mammal: beavers.  At The Optimist Daily, ...

Read More

9 driving changes you can make to save more and burn less

Gas prices keep going up. While many of us can’t yet afford an electric vehicle, and we still need to get places, there are ...

Read More