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First solar cycle lane opens in the Netherlands
The ‘Solar freaking roadways’ video gets passed around the Internet every so often, but nothing has come from it, until now. A different but similar project, based in the Netherlands, put solar panels underneath a 230-foot cycling path to provide electricity to the power grid. The project cost Read More...
Coloring clothes with algae
The clothing industry is going green, slowly but surely. The use of organic cotton has been growing over the past years. But it’s still a dirty business due to the chemicals needed for the dye. A German-based design agency, Blond & Bieber, has found a way to use algae to color textiles. These Read More...
Companies that do well do better
Need another reason to back climate change initiatives? Here’s one: It makes companies stronger. A recent report tracked S&P 500 companies for three years and found that organizations that had a plan for climate change, like emissions risk management policies, greenhouse gas reduction goals, Read More...
Solar walls: the next dimension in renewable energy
In The Optimist Daily we’ve written before about solar cells that have been integrated in windows. But could they serve as walls? Well, yes. CSEM a Swiss non-profit company, made them. They’re white, but they can come in every color you like. (White keeps the cells cooler, boosting efficiency.) Read More...
This dealer knows how to sell electric cars
Electric cars are becoming more popular for obvious, good reasons. Still their sales figures are marginal. This year 0.25 percent of all cars sold in Canada are electric. But at Bourgeois Chevrolet, an hour North of Montreal electric cars make up 35 percent (!) of total sales. There are no special Read More...
First 3D printed laptop
PiTop is going to be the first 3D printed laptop. The brainchild of two friends, PiTop just finished a wildly successful Indiegogo campaign where they raised $36,000 more than their $80,000 goal. The PiTop is completely open source and is designed to be a type of starter kit to get people Read More...
London fights air pollution with additional tax
Global warming is a threat that may lead to death and disaster in decades to come. Meanwhile air pollution in the megacities of the world kills 7 million of people prematurely every year, according to statistics of the WHO. That’s an immediate threat. London is already the largest city with a Read More...
Apples could prevent obesity
The old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”, couldn’t be truer. Researchers have discovered that apples help restore gut bacteria in obese mice, a key to long-term health and an easy way to prevent chronic inflammation that can lead to type 2 diabetes and obesity. Interestingly, the Read More...
Eco-friendly packaging for oily products
Plastic is everywhere and is a horrid reminder of our throw away lifestyles. One of the big reasons we keep using plastics is because of the versatility of the material. Now scientists have invented a new biodegradable material that can be used for packing both liquid and solid oily products, the Read More...
Mid-term elections and the promise of a non-functioning democracy
America proudly sees herself as the leader of the democratic world. Democracy is on the rise around the globe. Forty years ago, think tank Freedom House published its first annual report ranking the world based on democratic freedoms. A mere 40 countries had free elections. Back then, Spain and Read More...