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Total number of posts: 23994
June 29, 2020
The Optimist Daily Update with Summers McKay & Kristy Jansen - Your weekday update from The Optimist Daily featuring discussions of our top positive news solutions from independent, reader-funded, journalists. Today's pod has avocado memes, a company creating fossil fuel free fertilizer, and the Read More...
How to create a “quaranteam” to beat loneliness and stay healthy
If the loneliness and isolation of quarantine are getting to you, it may be time to embrace another solution: quarantine bubbles. These “quaranteams” involve strategically merging your quarantine circle with another for increased social interaction and mental wellbeing. While this probably Read More...
Fertilizer relies on fossil fuels. This company could change that
Fertilizer has had a major impact in avoiding the oft-trotted out — and Thanos-like — trope that population will outstrip food supplies, a dire prediction that has not come to be. According to Our World In Data, nitrogen-based fertilizer may be supporting up to half of the world’s current Read More...
Growing colorful cotton may be a game-changer for the textile industry
Throughout the years, growing concerns over environmental and water resources have pushed textile manufacturers to seek out alternative and sustainable dyeing practices. Now, scientists in Canberra may have come up with the ultimate solution by developing a new kind of colored cotton that Read More...
California introduces historic law requiring all trucks to go green by 2045
Despite only making up 7 percent of vehicles on the road in California, diesel trucks account for 70 percent of the state’s smog-causing pollution and 80 percent of diesel soot emitted. In a move that’s expected to shake the auto industry, the Golden State recently enacted one of the Read More...
Scientists could soon use hydrogel to replace busted knee cartilage
Scientists have created a new experimental gel that can match the strength and durability of knee cartilage. The material may look like a distant cousin of Jell-O—which it is—but it’s incredibly strong. It’s 60% water, but a single quarter-sized disc can bear the weight of a 100-pound Read More...
Great virtual summer camps for parents who need a very real break
After months of virtual school, the cancellation of summer camps has left many parents with no break from 24/7 childcare. Fortunately, online summer camps are here to offer some relief for parents looking for new and educational outlets for their kids. For creative kids, Camp DIY is a great Read More...
You can disinfect your N95 mask with tools you have at home
Months after mask manufacturers ramped up production of N95 masks in response to the coronavirus crisis, hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes taking care of COVID-19 patients are still facing shortages of the respirators. And while some hospitals have been provided with fairly expensive Read More...
How a small furniture company pivoted to medical supplies to stay afloat
When Matthew Moore’s company, Urban Plough Furniture, lost 80 percent of its business during the pandemic, he turned to an innovative new production strategy to stay afloat. Instead of making furniture, he began making intubation boxes for local medical facilities. Intubation boxes protect Read More...
This Danish artist creates giant troll sculptures using local trash
Since 2014, a Danish artist by the name of Thomas Dambo has erected dozens of wooden, folklore-inspired trolls in greens-aces and parks around the world: a seated, bearded dude in Copenhagen’s hippie enclave of Christiana; sister and brother trolls “lost” in Florida’s Pinecrest Gardens; a Read More...