Today’s Solutions: December 07, 2025

Design

This compostable food packagin

This compostable food packaging was made using wasted shellfish shells

Wrapping food in plastic does serve a purpose. A plastic-wrapped cucumber at a supermarket may seem egregious, but the vegetable lasts longer and is less likely to end up as food waste; throwing out food can have an even bigger impact on the environment than the plastic itself. But the system’s Read More...

Make your home a greener place

Make your home a greener place with this terrarium table

If you want to add more greenery to your home but don’t necessarily have space, we have the perfect solution for you: BloomingTables, which has a new design that serves as both a table and planter. It’s somewhat difficult to explain this new design, but basically, it’s a terrarium that you Read More...

How a bra-maker wound up desig

How a bra-maker wound up designing the Apollo spacesuits

If there’s anything to take away from Space Week, it’s an appreciation for the dizzying complexity that comes with sending humans into outer space. Exact precision must be taken every step of the way, from the endless calculations that are needed to design flight trajectory to the spacesuits Read More...

These beautiful wooden shutter

These beautiful wooden shutters move with the sun to keep homes cool

There was a time where the shutters on American homes were actually used to keep houses cool. These days, however, shutters tend to be decorations without a function. But as we look for ways to keep homes cool without blasting the air conditioning, it seems home designers are returning to more Read More...

This smart vase has a screen t

This smart vase has a screen that shows you how your plant is feeling

Plants are like pets; they can’t talk to you, per se, but they communicate nonetheless. They droop, sprout, and grow in a nonverbal language that almost seems to communicate emotions. For anyone who’s ever wondered, “How does my plant really feel?” finding the answer could get a whole lot Read More...

Holy cow! Rotterdam is now hom

Holy cow! Rotterdam is now home to the world’s first floating dairy farm

In 2018, we wrote about a Dutch firm that was planning to create a floating dairy farm that sits on the Maas river in Rotterdam. Well, now it’s actually here: a floating dairy farm where sustainably-sourced milk and dairy products are produced for locals. While the ethics of hosting a bunch of Read More...

The climate crisis has ushered

The climate crisis has ushered in a new wave of environmentally-conscious design

The environmentally conscious design has existed for years, but this year it’s different. It’s no longer a fringe conversation. It’s no longer an “oh that’s nice” detail. It’s not just about designing the same things, but making them “eco-friendly.” Designers are responding to the Read More...

An Israeli startup created a

An Israeli startup created a ‘toy gun’ that treats wounds with nanofiber ‘skin’

What if treating burn wounds and surgical injuries was as simple as operating a water gun? Well, that might soon be the reality after an Israeli startup company invented a mechanical contraption shaped like a children’s toy that squirts a polymer material that mimics skin onto the burn or wound Read More...

Optimist View Header (home)

Satisfying the Ache for Home

Whole Community Approaches to Accommodation by Amelia Buckley Homelessness has been on the rise in many major cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco, where homelessness rose in the last year by 12 and 17 percent respectively.  But even for those who have a home, it’s often not that Read More...

Grow algae in a beautiful way

Grow algae in a beautiful way within your home with this micro-farm

There are a bunch of reasons why algae is amazing. First of all, algae is one of the most efficient carbon dioxide scrubbers in the air, “with 10 times greater CO2 fixation than terrestrial plants.” On top of that, adding algae to your diet can contribute to a rich, well-balanced nutritional Read More...