February 15, 2021
We're talking love and play on the Update today with stories about sustainable LEGOs for adults and dolphin conservation in Pakistan. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...
How Safe Families keeps kids out of the foster care system
Oftentimes kids wind up in foster care systems because their parents lack a basic support system that would allow them to meet their children’s basic needs. To prevent children from ever having to go through the trauma of being separated from their biological parents, an organization called Safe Read More...
The Fair Housing Act now includes protections for LGBTQ+ individuals
The Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968 to protect from housing discrimination on the basis of “race, color, religion, sex, familial status, or national origin,” but did not explicitly include sexual orientation or gender identity. Now, motivated by a recent Supreme Court ruling, the Department Read More...
Dirty Labs is removing water-polluting chemicals from laundry detergents
Considering that almost everyone has to do laundry, it’s pretty shocking that we use laundry detergents that contain chemicals that harm the environment and can’t even be removed by standard water treatment plants. Fortunately, a biotech startup by the name of Dirty Labs has come up with a Read More...
LEGO launches Botanical Collection complete with plant-based building blocks
Many people have fond memories of playing with building blocks as children, but now that most people are confined to their houses, games, and toys like LEGO and coloring books are making a comeback. LEGO presents kids and adults alike with an opportunity to turn to their imagination and creative Read More...
Alex Trebek’s wardrobe donated to professional development nonprofit
Late “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek collected quite the extensive wardrobe in his more than 35 years hosting the game show. After his passing last year, his family has decided to donate a significant portion of his wardrobe to The Doe Fund to help those in need get back on their feet. The Read More...
Coca-Cola to test fully recyclable paper bottle in Hungary
Coca-Cola has partnered with Danish startup Paboco (“Paper Bottle Company”) as one of many strategies to reduce the three million metric tons of plastic packaging it goes through per year. The company is already developing ways to use more recycled material, increase recycling rates, and test Read More...
How communities in Pakistan are protecting the rare Indus dolphin
The Indus River in Pakistan is home to the Indus dolphin, one of the rarest dolphin species in the world. These dolphins were facing near extinction in 2001 when their numbers had dropped to 1,200, but relatively recent conservation campaigns involving local and global partners have managed to Read More...
The ozone hole is on track to close within 50 years
The Montreal Protocol banned the use of trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) in 1987 after CFCs were linked to ozone depletion. New atmospheric data shows that the protocol has been effective and the hole in the ozone is on schedule to close within the next 50 years. Researchers were concerned Read More...
Could mushroom bricks replace cement bricks?
A tenth of global carbon emissions is made up of building materials and construction. That’s why engineers are in search of better alternatives to polluting materials such as cement bricks, which require a whole lot of energy to produce and winds up in the landfill at the end of their lifecycle. Read More...