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Total number of posts: 23874
How this city in Illinois plans to stop homelessness by the end of the year
Less than a decade ago, more than 700 people were homeless in the small, 150,000 person city of Rockford, Illinois, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago. By the end of the year, the city expects that number will have shrunk to essentially zero—making it the first community in the U.S. to end Read More...
Scientists are using albatrosses to track illegal fishing
Albatrosses are infamous birds in literature, but today they are finding another practical role in the Indian Ocean: rooting out illegal fishing. These majestic birds naturally fly long distances, making them the perfect candidates for surveying the seas. Researchers from the Ocean Sentinel Read More...
Germany is turning 62 Cold War military bases into sanctuaries for wildlife
Wildlife in Germany will get a quarter more land to roam over, as the country’s government has decided to turn 62 unused military bases into sanctuaries for rare birds and other animals. Serving once as military bases at the center of the Cold War, the green areas just west of the Iron Curtain Read More...
Google is combining the largest solar deal ever with battery storage in Nevada
Running the cloud-based computing services that companies like Google offers is extremely energy-intensive. Fortunately for us, the energy-hungry companies that run these services seem more than willing to operate their data centers without using fossil fuels. In 2017 Google switched from just Read More...
A new study finds the scientific importance of actively cultivating positivity at work
The old saying goes “fake it 'til you make it,” but when it comes to positivity at work, research shows that cultivating the real deal is better than putting on a brave face. The research, from the University of Arizona, found that workers who actively try and cultivate a more positive work Read More...
New research shows the neurological importance of living near green spaces
As the Optimist Daily has often reported, natural spaces improve air quality, mental health, and boost community building. Adding to their list of superpowers, a new study from the University of British Columbia has found that living near green spaces can reduce your risk of developing neurological Read More...
UK to get air-filtering buses on the roads of some of its major cities
For some time now, major cities in the UK have been experiencing high levels of air pollution, pushing local authorities to up their game on solving the problem. In an effort to help alleviate the issue, the country’s biggest bus and rail operator - the Go-Ahead Group - has come up with an Read More...
You can adopt the dogs featured on these Motorworks Brewing beer cans
About 3.3 million dogs enter US animal shelters every year. And while some are adopted, many others are left behind. In an effort to change that, a Florida brewery is working to help dogs find their forever homes - by putting their faces on beer cans. Motorworks Brewing has released a special Read More...
Could the buildings of tomorrow be made of fungus? These researchers say yes.
If you read yesterday’s Optimist View, you know that the options for building in a changing climate are diverse and versatile. They might even include building homes out of fungus. Yes, fungus. A provocative new paper by academics from the University of the West of England and the Royal Danish Read More...
Use these 3 simple ocular stretches to help keep your eyes in good shape
Whether from a big workout, a long day at work, or a new activity, we've all experienced muscle fatigue. And like all muscles in the body, the small muscles of the eyes get tired from overuse. Eyes can become especially exhausted and stressed out from having to sit in an office and look at a screen Read More...