June 22, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday commute update from The Optimist Daily featuring discussions of our top positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. This Monday, we celebrate the start of summer by breaking down stereotypes and Read More...
The many benefits of establishing a national energy grid
Energy is becoming more and more prominent in the way we fuel our lives. Not only does it offer reduced emissions, but it also can be generated by renewables. We have talked a lot about microgrids, which offer localized and reliable power, but another important component of an efficient energy Read More...
Father creates tech that gives any wheelchair smart driving capabilities
Although power wheelchairs are intended to help the disabled get around quickly and safely, users of power wheelchairs often sustain injuries from collisions or tipping over. Of the roughly half of wheelchair users who reported an injury over a three-year period, 87% said it was a tip or fall. Read More...
Lockdown helps create first global map of spring dawn chorus
The drop in noise from human activity during lockdown has presented scientists with the amazing opportunity to create the first global public sound map of the spring dawn chorus. With a quieter world, scientists and artists from the Biotopia Museum in Munich, Germany, have launched a citizen Read More...
Why a clover lawn is so much better than a grass lawn
Americans use more than 7 billion gallons of water a day on their lawns. Over half of that doesn't even help lawns. People overwater, which is bad for the grass. Some water just evaporates or runs into sewers, carrying pesticides with it. That's a pretty heavy environmental cost. "But people like Read More...
West Coast states are gearing up to build an electric highway
Imagine driving on a highway where semi-trucks don’t belch dirty diesel fumes because they can rely solely on electric power. Well, that could be the case on the West Coast relatively soon. Recently, utilities and state agencies in California, Oregon, and Washington announced a plan to transform Read More...
Care home creates ‘hug tunnel’ so residents can hug their loved ones
Hugging is one of the most universally comforting forms of endearment, and its absence in recent months as a result of pandemic-induced physical distancing has taken a toll on many people’s wellbeing. In an effort to make human affection somewhat more tangible, a care home in the south of Read More...
New agreement significantly lowers the cost of pneumonia vaccine
Pneumonia is the single biggest killer of children under five worldwide, but a new agreement hopes to change this by making the vaccine for the disease much more affordable. A new agreement between UNICEF and the Serum Institute of India will drop the price of the lifesaving drug from $3.50 to Read More...
Affordable housing in South Bronx ranks high on sustainability
The Melrose neighborhood of the South Bronx has recently added a residential building to its urban setting that stands out in more ways than one. Designed by NYC-based Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, the 15-stories-tall dwelling is an energy powerhouse and a new affordable housing community with Read More...
New technology enables power plants to “reuse” emissions
Power plants give off vast amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, but a new technology could help curb these devastating effects by harnessing exhaust to generate even more power. According to research published this month in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemical Engineering, the technology is not Read More...