Today’s Solutions: December 16, 2025

Environment

Need some good news about the environment? The Optimist Daily is your go-to herald of positive environmental news, highlighting eco-friendly solutions and scientific progress around climate action, circularity, conservation, and more. Learn about everything eco in our Environment section.

Local shop with open sign

This app rewards local shoppers and encourages community building

The city of Akron, Ohio, launched a program designed to help support the local businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic and encourage a more circular economy. The program rewards shoppers for shopping locally through a city-sponsored app called Akronite, from which shoppers receive Read More...

group of men and women walk on a nature trail hike

Why hiking is good for your brain

Hiking has gained popularity during the pandemic as a safe way to get outside and stay active. Hiking lets you take in the beauty of nature in your community and it has many health benefits, especially for your brain. Today we share a few of them to encourage you to get outside and get Read More...

Turning of the year 2021 to 2022

8 Trends from 2021 We’ll Carry to the New Year

“Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” - Hal Borland  It’s the time of year for reflections and projections as we take stock of all that has happened over the last twelve months and peer with hopeful curiosity Read More...

Wind turbines in a green grassy field with trees

A guide to common climate jargon

A big hurdle in the effort to slow climate change is climate jargon. Many people don’t fully understand the complex language surrounding climate action, making it more difficult for them to relate to and take action on climate issues. Fortunately, science communication organizations like the Read More...

Train traveling through the Austrian countryside

Austria’s Klimaticket lets you to travel anywhere in the country for just €3 a day

Fifteen years after it was first proposed, Austria has finally officially introduced its Klimaticket, or ‘climate ticket,’ an annual ticket with unlimited access to all public transportation for the price of just €3 ($3.50) per day. The implementation of the Klimaticket comes just after Read More...

Woman recycling a plastic bottle

Maine is restructuring the modern recycling system

As much as we like to think that the material we recycle makes its way back into the market as revitalized packaging, the reality is that US recycling systems are frustratingly inefficient. According to the Columbia Climate School, only 66 percent of discarded paper and cardboard, 27 percent of Read More...

Greenland

Greenland permanently bans all oil and gas exploration

In exciting news for the planet and environmentalists, Greenland has announced it is permanently halting all new oil and gas exploration in the country. Despite the recent discovery of potentially significant oil reserves off the island's east coast, the country's government says the costs for Read More...

Man repairing electronics

E-waste: Crucial “right to repair” laws have come into force in the EU

In an effort to cut the environmental impact of electronic goods, the European Union passed a law in 2019 that would force companies that sell products such as TVs, hairdryers, and refrigerators to ensure that those appliances can be repaired for up to 10 years. This week, the law finally came into Read More...

The Apollonia

One ambitious crew is bringing carbon-neutral shipping to the Hudson River

Many conscious consumers choose to limit their online shopping to reduce their personal footprint, but entrepreneur Sam Merrett is taking sustainable commerce to a new level. After purchasing a 64-foot steel-hulled sailboat on Craigslist in 2015, he launched a “clean shipping” venture which Read More...

Soccer field

This soccer club to become the first in the US with a zero-landfill stadium

Soccer games at the Subaru Park stadium in Philadelphia are about to get a lot greener thanks to a new initiative that aims to divert 100 percent of the waste generated during matches away from landfills. Home to the Philadelphia Union soccer team, the stadium produced more than 570,000 pounds of Read More...