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What are the benefits of leisure? Depends on your beliefs about it
What do you like to do in your leisure time? Watch TV? Read a book? Go for a long hike? Whatever you enjoy doing in your free time, a new study from Rutgers University finds that you are more likely to reap the benefits of leisure time if you believe that it is a valuable use of your time. In Read More...
The Gorilla Guardian Club converts poachers into protectors
Eight years ago, the Ebo Forest Research Project was launched by scientists from Cameroon and the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Its overarching goal is to protect the Ebo forest, a 1,500 square kilometer (580 square miles) area in the Congo Basin, and its inhabitants, which include rare primates Read More...
This new irrigation system talks to plants to find out when they’re thirsty
As water shortages affect more parts of the globe, strategic irrigation practices are becoming key to achieving optimal water efficiency on farms, especially those located in drought-stricken areas. A technology called GrowStream is designed to provide exactly this type of solution — by enabling Read More...
A tree gets planted in Uganda every time a baby is born 9,000 km away
In 2008, a tree-planting charity called the Size of Wales set off to plant a new tree in Wales for every baby born or adopted in order to offset carbon emissions. After reaching its national targets, the scheme extended its efforts to Mbale, a hilly, heavily deforested area of Eastern Uganda that Read More...
This MINI concept takes sustainable car manufacturing to a whole new level
As circularity slowly expands across industries, car companies are beginning to explore sustainable design as the new standard. Emblematic of that is the MINI Strip — a one-off car that resulted from a collaboration between two British brands, fashion designer Paul Smith and automotive marque Read More...
US Open to offer mental health services to participating athletes
Following Naomi Osaka’s withdrawal from the French Open due to mental health priorities, the US Open has announced that it will make licensed mental health providers and quiet rooms available to all participating athletes. Announced by the U.S. Tennis Association, the mental health resources Read More...
New law makes it easier for veterans to adopt service dogs
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has launched a new program that aims to make service dogs more available to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The newly-signed Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers (PAWS) for Veterans Therapy Act is the result of years of work from Read More...
14 Practical ways you can fight climate change
The latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clear that human activity has created a “code red for humanity,” and we must act now if we are to prevent the global temperature from rising to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels and ensure that Read More...
Lost your ball over the fence? Belgian law gives you the right to retrieve it
Have you ever lost a ball because you’ve accidentally kicked it over the fence and into your unfriendly neighbor’s yard? Well, from the first of September, if this happens to anyone in Belgium, they’ll have the legal right to retrieve it (though this probably won’t temper the reaction of Read More...
August 27, 2021
We've got especially inspiring stories today on the Update with news that the all-female Afghan robotics team has landed safely in Mexico and Hawaii's impressive renewables progress. Listen to The Optimist Daily Update with Summers & Kristy - Making Solutions the Read More...