Today’s Solutions: December 11, 2024

Oregon’s nurse-home visi

Oregon's nurse-home visit program is a lifesaver for new parents

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In the picturesque yet secluded landscape of Jefferson County, Oregon, new parents Matt and Amber Luman are navigating the early days of motherhood with the unexpected assistance of a trained nurse. Barb Ibrahim, an experienced nurse with over 30 years of Read More...

In response to high demand Ore

In response to high demand Oregon boosts legal psilocybin access 

Epic Healing Eugene is now the epicenter of Oregon's blossoming psilocybin movement, thanks to its captivating environment and dedicated facilitators. Epic Healing Eugene, which opened this June, is America’s first licensed psilocybin service center. It is open to individuals over the age of 21 Read More...

Electric tractor

Oregon project lets farmers test drive electric tractors

American drivers have plenty of options when it comes to electric cars, but what about farmers? The electrification of the agricultural industry is a lucrative and relatively untapped market. However, first, the technology needs to be sold to farmers, many of whom are hesitant about the Read More...

Fan

Passive cooling techniques reduce AC strain by up to 80 percent

In the summer months, many of us are of two minds: we’re dying to keep it cool, but we’re also dying not to spend too much on electricity. Not only that, many of us don’t want to overload our town’s power grid during the summer, so we’re turned to AC alternatives.  As it turns out, Read More...

Wastewater energy

Oregon wastewater facility makes its own power with human waste

Two weeks ago, we wrote a piece on upcycling your “business,” going into the green uses some companies found for human waste. Innovation and recycling mean looking everywhere possible for solutions, and The Optimist Daily loves writing about the ones that are found… even if they come out of Read More...

weather app displaying hot temperatures for the week

Oregon Senate is getting ahead of the next heat wave

Last summer, in June, western North America experienced an unprecedented heatwave that killed more than 500 people across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Canada. To prevent this tragedy from repeating itself this year, lawmakers in Oregon are preparing themselves for another scorching summer Read More...

A firefighter patrols the line along a prescribed burn on the Bootleg Fire during night operations.

Bootleg fire demonstrates efficacy of Indigenous forest management

Last September, we shared an article about the benefits of controlled burns and other Indigenous practices for wildfire management and mitigation. Now, the Bootleg fire in Oregon is offering up some more evidence to support that Indigenous practices could be lifesaving in a climate change-fueled Read More...

This company takes drone-assis

This company takes drone-assisted reforestation to the next level

We’ve written about the use of drones for medical access, ecosystem restoration, and pollution-spotting, but Seattle-based DroneSeed has their own specific drone mission: reforesting after wildfires. The concept of using drones for reforestation isn’t new, but DroneSeed has perfected the Read More...

Public libraries are climate j

Public libraries are climate justice tools

We’ve written about how libraries should double as food banks, but did you know that public libraries are also essential to climate justice? As more regions face extreme temperatures due to climate change, libraries are increasingly serving as refuges for heat-vulnerable residents. For Read More...

Labor Day: A brief history of

Labor Day: A brief history of the holiday

Today, the US celebrates Labor Day on the first Monday of September to commemorate the social and economic achievements of American workers, but did you know it had been a federal holiday since 1894? That’s just 24 years after Independence Day and Christmas became federal holidays. Back before Read More...