COVID-19 pushes 300,000 to quit smoking across UK
We’re all being a bit more conscious about our lung health during the COVID-19 outbreak. One positive outcome from the pandemic is that it offered the necessary push for 300,000 people in the UK to give up smoking. A joint study between YouGov and the campaign group Action on Smoking and Read More...
This court case shows people can force governments to achieve climate goals
While it might seem like a strange time for a government to start making new climate commitments, the Netherlands had little choice. A court case brought by environmental groups in 2014 and upheld by the supreme court last year has forced the government to act to reduce emissions to 25% below Read More...
Forested hills may soon replace seawalls in coastal communities
Seawalls have become a popular man-made defense against high tides and tsunamis, but a new study shows that carefully designed forested hills could provide similar protection while also protecting environmental health and beautifying our coastal cities. The design involves a hill covered in Read More...
Coronavirus has brought “local” back into the spotlight
You might imagine the post-pandemic world as being one where humanity is left picking up the shattered pieces just to glue them back to the state they were before, but that won’t necessarily be the case. While the crisis has turned many aspects of our society upside down, it has also greased some Read More...
How one school in California is mastering online learning
Last week, The Optimist Daily took an in-depth look at how our education systems will be transformed post-coronavirus. Today, we are checking out The Anacapa School, a school in Southern California that is achieving high success rates with their approach to online learning. At a time where Read More...
Belgium welcomes new wolves as it becomes the “wolf crossroads of Europe”
Belgium is becoming “the wolf crossroads of Europe”, a conservation charity has said as it reported new sightings from France and Germany, while Flemish authorities separately announced the imminent arrival of wolf puppies. Over the weekend the charity Welkom Wolf announced that four wolves Read More...
7 ways to keep your nervous system relaxed in times of stress
From 1982 to 1992, psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser and immunologist Ronald Glaser studied the role of stress on medical students. They discovered that students’ immunity was compromised during testing and examination times. They had fewer natural killer cells that are responsible for fighting Read More...
Stop and Smell the Roses! An Ode to the Most Beguiling Sense
Memories, imagination, old sentiments, and associations are more readily reached through the sense of smell than through any other channel. – Oliver Wendell Holmes By Amelia Buckley It’s a real estate cliché to bake cookies in a home before an open house. It’s not that we can’t resist Read More...
How renewables took over the grid during the pandemic
If there has been a winner to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, it would be the solar industry. The reduction in driving, flying, and industrial activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic has led to smog-free skies, which is proving a boon for solar energy generation. Pollution blocks solar Read More...
May 5, 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...