California just legalized public banks. That’s amazing for communities
The Standing Rock movement in 2016 brought together Indigenous activists from across the nation to fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. One of the demands of this movement included divestment from Wells Fargo, a bank that was funding the development of the pipeline. This brought into the Read More...
How cryptocurrencies are helping people in distressed countries
For some, cryptocurrencies are just an investment opportunity filled with speculation. For others, it’s a means of surviving. The latter is the case in Venezuela where hyperinflation has completely decimated the value of the national currency, the Bolivar. Trust in the Bolivar is plummeting, Read More...
This new prosthesis that will help amputees feel again
This week a team of researchers from Switzerland announced it has designed a lower leg prosthesis that incorporates advanced neural stimulation, allowing patients to recreate the sensation of touch after an amputation. The prosthesis allows for the patient to feel movement and pressure on their Read More...
Coca-Cola reveals first bottle made from low-grade ocean plastic
Using breakthrough technology in plastic recycling methods, Coca Cola has revealed a new bottle made from previously low-quality marine waste plastic. The new bottle prototype is the first-ever plastic bottle made using marine plastic that has been successfully recycled from food and drink Read More...
New court ruling means net neutrality is still alive and well in the US
Net neutrality is the principle that all content on the Internet should be treated equally by Internet service providers (ISP). In other words, an ISP should be allowed to charge additional fees for the type of content you watch or access. Until 2017, net neutrality was the norm in America, Read More...
Can hospitals function without using so much plastic?
At the Optimist Daily, we have highlighted time and time again how plastic is harmful to the environment. We’ve also reported on the bans being brought across the world on single-use plastics and how companies are mobilizing their supply chain to reduce the use and production of plastic. One Read More...
The Ocean Cleanup is successfully capturing plastic for the first time
A huge floating device designed by Boyan Slat and a team of Dutch scientists to clean up an island of rubbish in the Pacific Ocean that is three times the size of France has successfully picked up plastic from the high seas for the first time. Slat, who first unveiled his idea for the Ocean Read More...
This dive bar in Florida peeled nearly $14,000 off its walls for Hurricane Dorian Relief
There’s an old dive bar in Florida where it’s long been a custom for bar-goers to staple a dollar bill onto the walls. Employees tell customers that it’s an old fisherman’s tradition — explaining that the seamen would staple a dollar to the wall to make sure they had money for a drink Read More...
California firefighters to receive mental health support thanks to new laws
For too long, the mental health issues of our first-response workers have been overlooked. A dark fact from 2017 is a testament to that, in which more firefighters and police officers nationwide died by suicide than in the line of duty. In an effort to provide better mental health support to Read More...
Britain’s push to take the plastic out of period products
Sanitary products are the fifth most common item found on Europe’s beaches, more widespread than single-use coffee cups, cutlery or straws. In fact, it’s estimated that 700,000 panty liners, 2.5m tampons, and 1.4m sanitary towels are flushed down the toilet every day in the UK alone. To stop Read More...