Kenyan woman recycles plastic waste into bricks stronger than concrete
Kenya uses 600,000 tons of plastic bottles annually, of which only 9 percent is recycled while the rest ends up in landfills and polluting the environment. A Nairobi-based, impact-driven entrepreneur is putting that plastic waste to much better use. Meet Nzambi Matee, a 29-year-old entrepreneur Read More...
Zipline is using drones to deliver frozen vaccines to remote clinics
One of the most challenging aspects of transporting and maintaining Covid-19 vaccines is that they need to be stored in frozen temperatures. The Pfizer vaccine, for instance, must be stored at a bone-chilling minus 70 degrees Celsius. This makes transporting the vaccines to remote locations a Read More...
Oakland mandates hazard pay for grocery store workers
Essential workers have kept our medical facilities, grocery stores, sanitation services, and emergency response systems functioning throughout the pandemic at great risk to their personal health. While other countries have passed hazard pay mandates for these workers, the US has been slow to boost Read More...
Startup gives ex-cons a second chance while upcycling construction waste
One year ago, industrial commercial designer Sasha Plotitsa launched Formr, a startup that repurposes waste while transforming the lives of formerly incarcerated people, so that both have a second chance. Plotitsa’s father was a contractor, so he spent a lot of time on job sites while he was Read More...
Conservationist wants to bring the dawn chorus back to life with tree frogs
Following widespread bird declines in recent years, the dawn chorus has gotten a lot quieter in UK’s woodlands. Now, one of the country’s most famous ‘rewilders’ wants to bring it back to life in a rather unusual way — breeding and releasing noisy tree frogs. Though common in other Read More...
Find everything you need to support pollinators in your yard right here
We all want to support pollinators, but the best way to do this varies based on where you live. If you live in the US, Xerces Society is a great resource for finding the most impactful pollinator protection tools at your disposal. The organization's Pollinator Conservation Resource Center is Read More...
70-year-old grandfather becomes oldest person to row across the Atlantic
A grandfather has become the oldest person to single-handedly row 3,000 miles over the Atlantic Ocean, raising more than £640,000 for Alzheimer’s research. Seventy-year-old Frank Rothwell set off from Canary Island La Gomera on December 12th and crossed the finish line in Antigua in the Read More...
This program in Austin aims to undo racism in the music industry
The Covid-19 pandemic has deeply affected many industries, but perhaps none has the weight of it so great as the music industry. Live music events and venues were some of the first to be shut down with the first wave of lockdowns and will be the last to open and function regularly once things Read More...
February 8, 2021
Today we're talking about the UK's new tiny forests replenishing woodlands in urban areas and how an unlikely vegetable is actually communicating with scientists about soil health. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...
February 8, 2021
Today we're talking about the UK's new tiny forests replenishing woodlands in urban areas and how an unlikely vegetable is actually communicating with scientists about soil health. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...