Today’s Solutions: April 21, 2026

Business

Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.

Vegetable oil byproduct can fi

Vegetable oil byproduct can filter heavy metals from water

It’s unfortunate, but creating many of our products these days can also create harmful waste. We love finding stories about businesses and scientists repurposing waste to improve life.  Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and ETH Zurich, Switzerland have discovered a Read More...

Lego logo on a store building.

Lego to set up a factory in Virginia... and it comes with its own solar park

Danish company the Lego Group has established itself as one of The Optimist Daily’s favorite toymakers for its many efforts and initiatives that make this world a more inclusive, accessible, greener, and all-around better place. Now, we’re happy to report that Lego is up to more Read More...

LA may ban the construction of

LA may ban the construction of new gas stations

In the face of the climate emergency, officials in Los Angeles are working on policies to stop the construction of new gas stations. Being the second-largest city in America, LA could become the largest city in the world to prohibit new fossil fuel infrastructure.  “We are ending oil drilling Read More...

Fog nets

Fog nets from Chile to Morocco. And soon California?

Fog nets are screens of overlapping horizontal and vertical mesh that catch moisture from fog and collect it once gravity brings the droplets down. In remote villages in drought-stricken Morocco, these devices not only bring drinking water to hundreds of thousands of people but also let them Read More...

Seismic activity earthquake Afghanistan map Richter scale

Responding to the earthquake in Afghanistan: how can we help?

On June 22, 2022, a devastating earthquake hit eastern Afghanistan, killing more than 1,000 people and more than 1,500 injured, according to the country’s state-run media. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the 5.9-magnitude earthquake took place at around 1:30 am, local time, and was Read More...

Robot fish repairs itself with

Robot fish repairs itself with microplastics it collects

Microplastics are one of the most pervasive environmental and health issues of our time. And environmental engineers and researchers are working nonstop to address this, with enzymes, superworms, okra, and more.  Now, scientists from Sichuan University have developed and programmed a tiny robot Read More...

Green spaces

Get healthy, go to a green space

We decided to revamp a couple of stories on the benefits of green spaces, for which there is an ever-growing body of evidence.  NPR’s Aaron Scott recently spoke with environmental psychologist Ming Kuo on green spaces and why we all seem to feel better walking down a city street lined with Read More...

Beavers

More on beavers and rewilding

We decided to dust off and update this innovative solution to restoring habitats with the most industrious aquatic mammal: beavers.  At The Optimist Daily, we’ve written a great deal about the benefits beavers bring to their environment and the importance of restoring their populations in Read More...

Barcelona Cruise Ship

Barcelona plans to limit docking of cruise ships

You’d think thousands of travelers disembarking from cruise ships in Barcelona would be a good thing for the city. However, these tourists coming in from the many yearly cruise liners don’t book accommodation, don’t spend as much as you’d think, and contribute to city congestion. The huge Read More...

Seattle

Seattle installs EV chargers on utility poles for residents

Electric vehicles are the transportation of the future. In the meantime, cities are struggling to install the infrastructure that we will all need to charge our cars. This is an important issue for EV owners away from a home or office charging port, or if they live in an apartment complex. If Read More...