This app allows urban tree lovers to connect with their natural surroundings
As the lockdown in London has freed its neighborhoods of traffic, pollution, and noise, many people have started paying more attention to the greenery that embellishes their streets. This has been especially reflected in the fiftyfold increase in visitors to an online mapping tool featuring the Read More...
Autonomous underwater vehicles have changed ocean exploration forever
In just the last couple of years, we’ve been discovering more about the deep seas than ever before—and much of this is thanks to the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). An AUV is essentially an underwater drone. Able to perform its tasks without being tethered to the surface or needing a Read More...
How a 10-year-old girl sent thousands of art kits to kids in foster care
A young girl with a big heart has found just the way to cheer up other kids stuck at home during the pandemic. Chelsea Phaire, a 10-year-old from Danbury, Connecticut, has sent more than 1,500 children in homeless shelters and foster care homes art kits to give them something uplifting to do when Read More...
You can help Black Lives Matter by watching these videos on YouTube
For those who want to support the ongoing movement against racial injustice but are unable to donate money, YouTubers are creating monetized videos that allow you to support Black Lives Matter just by streaming with your adblocker off. Zoe Amira, a beauty YouTuber currently with about 69,000 Read More...
Community lenders are putting their bodies on the line for local businesses
If you were looking for the employees of Justine Petersen, a community organization and financial lender in Ferguson, MO, you might find them forming a human chain around local establishments. This is what they have been doing to protect businesses they support from theft and Read More...
New Jersey now mandates climate change education in schools
With powerful storms impacting its coastline and algal blooms affecting its lakes, New Jersey is already quite familiar with the damaging effects of climate change. Now, K-12 students will familiarize themselves further with the urgent need to curb climate change as the state becomes the first in Read More...
COVID-19: Study finds lockdowns saved millions of lives in Europe
The coronavirus has taken hundreds of thousands of lives, but we can now see in hindsight that the death toll could have been a whole lot worse. According to a team of researchers at Imperial College London, lockdowns have saved more than three million lives from coronavirus. With that being Read More...
Minneapolis to disband its police force and adopt community safety model
These days, we find ourselves writing stories that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago. Yesterday we published a groundbreaking story out of Los Angeles where Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced that he was defunding the police department. By defunding the police, what is really meant is Read More...
Solar panel-like device can generate power even when shadowed
While shadows reduce a solar panel's ability to generate electricity, a new innovative device is using shadows to its advantage. Developed by scientists at the National University of Singapore, the strange new device is capable of generating electricity from the darkness. The gadget dubbed a Read More...
June 8, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday commute update from The Optimist Daily featuring our top 5 positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Listen in to start your day with a positive solutions mindset and share with someone else who Read More...