The Weekly Theme
Each week, we feature a new theme of solutions for those passionate about learning in-depth on how we are building a better world!
Meet the astronaut voting from space this November
This year’s election comes at a pivotal time in US history. In fact, it’s so important, one citizen is casting her ballot all the way from space. On election day, astronaut Kate Rubins will cast her ballot from the International Space Station 200 miles above the Earth. "We consider it an Read More...
Connecting rentership and registration can empower marginalized voters
The 2020 election is fast approaching and we’ve been sharing stories on vote-in mailing, companies giving paid leave for employees to work the polls, and even NBA arenas turning into voting locations. Today we’re sharing another incredibly simple strategy to register more Americans to vote: Read More...
How mail-in ballots are protected from voter fraud
Record numbers of voters will likely cast their ballot by mail this November, but despite what some may say about the process, voter fraud, including mail-in voting fraud, is very rare. Need more convincing? Here are six ways in which mail-in ballots are protected from fraud. Only valid Read More...
Bee populations are on the rise in these US states
Maine has some of the healthiest bee colonies in the US. Believe it or not, bee populations in the state have actually increased 72 percent since 2018. While bees are still a threatened species, this research by the United States Department of Agriculture is good news for the efficacy of bee-saving Read More...
Abandoned old dogs live out their golden years at this sanctuary
Often enough, senior dogs who can no longer be taken care of by the owners wind up in shelters where no one adopts them. After all, most potential pet owners want a young dog they can spend many years with. The sad truth, however, is that when a dog doesn’t get adopted, it often gets euthanized Read More...
What do policing alternatives look like? Denver is the perfect example
As calls for police reform spread across the country this summer, many cities stepped up to reallocate police funding to social programs to address systemic police violence and racism. One of these cities is Denver, Colorado. The city’s Support Team Assistance Response (STAR) program sends a Read More...
Optimist View: A how-to guide on surviving mental firestorms and thriving in the midst of chaos
BOOK REVIEW of Emotional Inflammation: Discover Your Triggers and Reclaim Your Equilibrium during Anxious Times by Lise Van Susteren, MD and Stacey Colino By Kristy Jansen Inflammation (n): a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, Read More...
Giant robot in Arizona hunts for crops that thrive in hot climates
On the farmlands of Arizona, the world’s largest farming robot is being rolled out to help secure the future of food. The robot, which is called the Field Scanalyzer, looks a bit like a bridge at first glance, spanning from one side of the crop field to the other. With this vantage point over Read More...
Lebanese designers repair damaged goods in Beirut explosion for free
A pair of designers in Lebanon have transformed their showroom into a community center where people can bring in home furnishings damaged in last month’s Beirut explosion to be repaired. The designers, Hoda Baroudi and Maria Hibri, are the founders of the Lebanese brand Bokja, a design studio Read More...
This startup is turning desert lands into nutrient-rich soil
Desertification is human-caused degradation of land in dry climates and it has been on the rise. This is one of the contributing factors to the challenge of feeding a growing global population in a changing climate. Norwegian startup, Desert Control, is attempting to get ahead of this problem by Read More...