Nonprofit hires homeless people to make coats that double as sleeping bags
According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, there are more than 500,000 people in the US experiencing homelessness on a given night. This means that about 17 people out of every 10,000 people in the country don’t have a stable roof over their heads. A nonprofit seeks to overturn that Read More...
Affordable housing and vertical farms: A match made in heaven?
We’ve written about vertical farms and affordable housing extensively at The Optimist Daily, but never have we seen these two concepts combined. Until now, that is. This is the exact combination we’re going to witness in Westbrook, Maine, where a multistory greenhouse is being constructed Read More...
These colorful windows capture energy from indoor and outdoor light
What if we could build solar panels that aren’t an addition on top of buildings, but an actual part of the structural construction of homes and offices? This is the idea behind luminescent solar concentrators developed by researchers from Rice University. The technology transforms Read More...
Meet the Spanish designer who created a cosmetic line out of food waste
A third of the European Union’s horticultural production is estimated to be rejected by supermarkets based on sub-par cosmetic quality, meaning that plenty of perfectly good food is needlessly going to waste. But Spanish designer Júlia Roca Vera has created a sustainable cosmetic line made of Read More...
This company uses coffee and plastic waste to build affordable homes
Coffee husks — the coffee bean skins that come off during the roasting process — are one of the main types of coffee production waste, which often becomes a source of potent greenhouse gas emissions when they enter the landfill. In a bid to divert them from becoming waste, a company in 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...
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...
Nursing student invents wearable light to improve nighttime patient care
When a nurse steps into a patient’s room, they usually have to choose between turning on the light and waking the patient, or fumbling through the dark. This may seem like a small issue, but for patients who need rest to recover, frequent interruptions can be detrimental to their healing. Read More...
These emergency shelters can later be converted into permanent homes
When a natural disaster occurs, aid organizations typically send emergency relief tents to those who have lost their home as a result. While extremely helpful, these tents usually last a year at max, after which they become no longer functional and end up in the landfill. In a bid to extend the Read More...
Dog owner 3D-prints halo to help his blind dog avoid head trauma
When an 18-year-old dog named Sienna lost her eyesight, she started colliding into door frames and walls. Her owner, Chad Lalande, feared she might suffer from head trauma as a result, which is why he harnessed the power of his brand-new 3D printer to create prototypes of a device known as a Read More...