Today’s Solutions: May 15, 2024

Climate Action

What is Climate Action? Climate Action is humanity's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance our planet's resilience against climate change. From adaptation to mitigation, at The Optimist Daily you will learn about the most recent positive news stories and solutions targeting climate change and other environmental issues.

Viv for your V

Viv for your V: championing sustainable periods for menstruators everywhere

Here at The Optimist Daily, we are always excited to feature solutions that elegantly address multiple problems at once. That’s why we were so pleased to interview Katie Diasti, the founder of earth-friendly period care company Viv for your V on our podcast, The Optimist Daily Update. The Read More...

Shipping container lifted by crane at port

This startup proves that electric cargo ships actually make sense

Designing solutions targeting the shipping industry’s humongous carbon footprint is key to ensuring a sustainable future for sea transport. While we’ve seen such solutions in ships that replaced fossil fuels with hydrogen, most experts argue that it’s not feasible to design electric cargo Read More...

Scottish Forests

Scottish forests are the biggest they’ve been in 900 years

Scotland is a proud and iconic country, with a unique culture and landscape. Travelers from all over the world come to visit Scotland’s highlands, lowlands, and lochs. Another invaluable part of the Scottish wilderness, largely and unfortunately overlooked by visitors, is its Read More...

Manatees

Florida volunteers feed manatees with lettuce

In Florida’s Indian River Lagoon, a bold initiative began where volunteers gather to pour pallets of leafy greens into the water to feed the manatees gathered there. Initially, after some hesitation, a bold and curious pair of cows approached and started eating lettuce.  More would soon join, Read More...

Elders Climate Action

Elders Climate Action: climate activism for seniors

This last week’s Optimist’s View on aging got us thinking about our seniors and how lucky we are to have a substantial older population. Longer life expectancies and a growing senior population mean holding onto our loved ones and benefiting from their perspective and experience. With an active Read More...

someone opens Pinterest on their phone against a desk backdrop of coffee, a notebook, pen, and pair of glasses

Pinterest tightens policy on fake news with climate misinformation ban

The popular image-focused social networking platform Pinterest is promising to do its part in the fight against fake news by blocking all content that denies, twists, or in any way spreads misinformation about the climate crisis. As reported by The Guardian, Pinterest’s new policy defines Read More...

Old apartment building in Germany retrofitted with Ecoworks

These prefab facades could make old buildings carbon negative

Retrofitting buildings so that they consume less energy is key to meeting current climate targets. A company in Germany is working to accelerate that process by building tailored facades with built-in insulation that can fit like a glove onto old buildings to reduce their energy use. Prefab Read More...

People with banners protest as part of a climate change march.

Globally, demonstrators gathered for the biggest scientist-led protest ever

Occasionally, drastic measures are essential to mobilize a population toward necessary progress. Civil disobedience is a proven method of affecting change, and when those disobeying are all experts in a field, we can bet that what they're saying is worth listening to. On Wednesday, April 6th, Read More...

sales man shows young client how to plug in electric car

Last month, the UK saw more EV sales than ever before

It’s no secret that if we are to prevent the most devastating effects of climate change, we have to make big changes to our consumption-driven lives. One change that will help drive down CO2 emissions is the large-scale abandonment of conventionally fueled vehicles in favor of electric Read More...

Solar panel at night

Nocturnal solar panels: not an oxymoron

While trying to do the impossible might seem like magical thinking, in many cases, it is simply science that hasn’t broken through yet. In the case of solar panels, it might seem counterintuitive to try to use them at night. This too, though, has been proven possible.  An engineering team Read More...