Sustainable Urban Development
With cities expected to host about 70 percent of the world's population, sustainable urban development is key to making communities worldwide more resilient against the growing threat of climate change. Find out about the latest urban practices from across the world aiming to make our cities more sustainable and inclusive in these good-news stories from The Optimist Daily.
California joins the right-to-repair revolution
On September 12th, the California state Assembly passed Senate Bill 244 with a unanimous 50-0 vote, marking a historic milestone for the right-to-repair movement. This historic measure, which was also approved with an amazing 38-0 vote in the California Senate in May, now needs a final concurrence Read More...
A bold step towards climate action and job creation: The American Climate Corps
The White House announced the creation of the American Climate Corps, a breakthrough program that will transform the climate action landscape. This ambitious project seeks to employ 20,000 people in its first year, paving the way for environmental sustainability, resilience, and economic Read More...
How swimmable cities could change the face of urban cooling
DECEMBER 21ST, 2023 UPDATE: This solution is a Reader’s Choice selection of 2023! Thank you for nominating the solutions that left you feeling optimistic this year. Swimming in floating pools in the Hudson and East Rivers was formerly a popular way for New Yorkers to escape the oppressive Read More...
Harnessing nature’s cooling power: US announces $1.13 billion investment in urban trees
Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack of the United States presented a game-changing plan to address record-breaking heatwaves and climate change. This effort, which will receive $1.13 billion in competitive funding, aims to plant trees in metropolitan areas across all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Read More...
A massive solar farm rises from a former landfill in the United Kingdom
The Ockendon solar farm, the third largest of its kind in the UK, is harnessing the power of the sun on what was once a bleak trash site in Essex in a revolutionary feat of eco-reinvention. The waste management company Veolia infused new life into this unexpected environment, where more than Read More...
Innovative “self-cooling” walls address rising temperatures
This year, Houstonians witnessed their city reach a searing 109 degrees in late August, tying a historic temperature record. Temperatures rose beyond 100 degrees for the duration of the previous month, underscoring the critical need for creative heat-resistance measures. The problem is keeping Read More...
Water purification revolutionized by a sustainable 3D-printed "living" material
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, made an astounding discovery that could change the way we deal with water contamination. They developed a revolutionary "engineered living material" that promises not just effective pollutant removal but also sustainability and Read More...
Representatives from 185 countries establish the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund
Amid mounting worries about the health of our planet's ecosystems, delegates from 185 countries gathered on Thursday, August 24th in Vancouver, Canada, for the Global Environment Facility's (GEF) Seventh Assembly to declare a critical step forward. They presented the Global Biodiversity Framework Read More...
Boosting urban plant diversity: A strategy for increasing insect species in cities
Plant diversity is being used more and more in urban landscaping because of its revolutionary potential to restore urban ecosystems and increase insect populations. A recent study led by Dr. Luis Mata of the University of Melbourne demonstrates the extraordinary potential of increasing native Read More...
Ecuadorians take a stand and vote to save the heart of the Amazon from oil drilling
Ecuadorians made history by voting to prohibit the development of new oil wells in the Yasuní national park, in a resounding display of environmental consciousness and civic engagement. This amazing verdict not only protects one of the world's most biodiverse places but also establishes a global Read More...