Today’s Solutions: April 28, 2024

Evergreen

New recycled plastics can upgrade roads and held curb plastic waste

This highway was made from recycled diapers

Recycling plastic to create a new purpose for it is nothing new. Here at The Optimist Daily, we’ve previously shared how innovators have reused this material to create blocks for building, a sleek chair, and LEGO bricks. A diaper highway For the first time, the plastic in diapers is being Read More...

illustration of man going into the light in human silhouette

First study of dying human brain gives a glimpse into our final moments

For the first time ever, scientists have recorded the activity of a dying brain, and their discoveries have given some legitimacy to the common idea that our whole lives “flash before our eyes” before death. The remarkable thing is that the scientists weren’t planning on measuring the Read More...

Solar power clean water

This solar-powered desalination system is a gamechanger

Desalination offers a lot of promise to communities that may face water scarcity in the future. For some, the problem is compounded by the potential scarcity of reliable electricity. As such, it has been the aim of many researchers to develop solar-powered desalination devices, which is a difficult Read More...

young healthy vegan couple prepares meal in kitchen

Plant-based pleasure—why vegans have better sex

It’s common knowledge in the emoji world that fruits and veggies (peaches and eggplants) have a sexy rep—but could the sexiness of plant-based foods translate to real life? The answer is yes. We’ve shared many stories about how eating more plants is better for the planet and our bodies, Read More...

Montreal Convention Center Solar Material

This sustainable solar panel can go on buildings or your clothes

When you see the new sunlight-absorbing material developed by Carvey Ehren Maigue, an engineering student from the Philippines, the colors might remind you of the Aurora Borealis.  In fact, Auroras were what inspired Maigue when he named his new game-changing material, AuREUS. This is a new Read More...

diverse team of professionals put hands together

A seat at the table for underrepresented communities

Climate change is already affecting all of us—however, those that bear the brunt of these consequences are predominantly from low-income, marginalized, BIPOC communities. So why is it that out of the organizations that are trying to confront climate change and find solutions, about 95 percent of Read More...

Full background of roasted colorful autumn vegetables, above view.

How to cook your veggies to boost their anti-inflammatory powers

Every year the cold winter weather doesn’t only put frost on the grass, it also brings an increased chance of getting sick. And that’s even before our new friend coronavirus came along! In recent years, people have been putting in the effort to ensure their immune system is as healthy as Read More...

five different people happily pose next to car on roadside

5 brain types and what make them happy, according to a neuroscientist

Over the past couple of years, there have been perceptible shifts in our collective vision of what our lives should look like. The Pandemic has exposed the weak points in our current systems and the inequities they perpetuate, causing us to seriously reconsider the track that we’re on.  There Read More...

variety of broken glass items with a mountain of cullet in the background

UK man has a plan to reduce glass waste

Lately, and for obvious reasons, there’s been a lot of attention on figuring out what to do with all the plastic clogging up our oceans and waterways. While solving this problem is obviously important, the plastic issue also highlights an overarching problem, not necessarily with hard-to-recycle Read More...

two man and three women holding hands on a table implying a polyamory relationship or love triangle.

Is a non-monogamous relationship right for you?

Our society is set up in a way which encourages monogamy. This arrangement makes a lot of sense for some people, but definitely doesn’t always work for everyone. What is a non-monogamous relationship? A non-monogamous relationship is one in which anyone involved has multiple consensual Read More...