Today’s Solutions: April 20, 2024

Evergreen

Closeup of bees on honeycomb.

These microbes could help honey bees thrive

As we like to remind our readers a lot at The Optimist Daily, honeybees are essential for our planet's ecosystem. Humans rely on these little pollinators for food security as they basically pollinate everything! Not to mention the countless other species that rely on plants to feed and for Read More...

Rattlesnake

How to keep your garden snake-free

We decided to dust off this older story which offers some great solutions.  In many parts of the world, the summer is also snake season, and now is the time to be wary. There are plenty of different kinds of snakes. Some are harmless and actually help out their hosts by providing free pest Read More...

Pineapple leaves

3 amazing environmentally friendly leather alternatives

The global demand for leather takes a lot of cattle which are cruelly treated and contribute a great deal of greenhouse gasses. Not only that but the processes of tanning and crusting leather actually produce carcinogenic chemical runoff of dangerous heavy metals like chromium. These get into the Read More...

4 things that keep Canadian tr

4 things that keep Canadian traffic fatalities lower than the US

While traffic-related fatalities increased in the United States by 19 percent between 2010 and 2020, Canadian rates declined by about the same amount in that time. Many consider Canada culturally very similar to the US, but when it comes to traffic safety, they have more European attitudes. Here Read More...

Prison

This program seeks to end homelessness and incarceration

We decided to dust off this important solution from not long ago.  Several factors can lead to homelessness: a lack of affordable housing, high costs of living, and even, sadly, mental illness. Another factor that contributes to homelessness, which is often overlooked, is Read More...

Doctor examined the patient's ear with otoscope.

Diagnosing hearing loss with a simple speech test

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.5 billion people live with some degree of hearing loss. Currently, to test the severity of an individual's hearing defect, lengthy examinations are carried out or sometimes not at all. Research conducted by the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Read More...

Drone show

Lake Tahoe town opts for environmentally friendly drone show this 4th

While it is a stunning tradition to launch fireworks every 4th of July for America’s Independence Day, we can’t deny it’s a bit of a risk these days. Climate-change-fueled drought in regions like the American west incurs the risk of wildfires with this tradition.  One town in the Read More...

Houseplants next to large window

5 more reasons to have houseplants under your roof

From making your home more aesthetically pleasing to generally improving your wellbeing, the benefits of houseplants have been documented all too well. Here are five of the most important reasons for living together with these green companions: They give an assist in breathing While we breathe Read More...

An octupus in an aquarium.

Octopus and human brains have incredible similarities

Octopuses’ are some of the intelligent animals inhabiting our diverse planet. Their extensive neurological system is made up of 500 million neurons, similar to that of a dog. But unlike a dog where most of these neurons are located in their brain, over two-thirds of octopuses' can be found in Read More...

Clothes washing in the washing machine

Here’s why you should wash your clothes with cold water

Washing your clothes with hot water may be an effective way to remove stains, but doing so with every laundry batch takes its toll on the environment. About 90 percent of a laundry machine's energy use goes towards heating up the water. As a result, home laundries in the US are responsible for Read More...