Today’s Solutions: July 26, 2024

Reading on the train

San Francisco BART wants to get riders back with short stories

Many of us have whiled away the minutes on a bus or a train with a book. Now the Bay Area Rapid Transit District, the public transportation authority of San Francisco, is looking to attract riders back to public transportation by distributing short stories at select stations.  The BART will Read More...

Homelessness

New program seeks to break the cycle between jail and homelessness

Several factors can lead to homelessness: a lack of affordable housing, high costs of living, and even, sadly, mental illness. Another factor that contributes to homelessness, which is often overlooked, is incarceration.  Many individuals serve their jail or prison sentences and cannot find Read More...

San Francisco Tenderloin

A victory against rent-hikes for Tenderloin residents

At The Optimist Daily, we're happy to see solutions to the housing crisis. While we enjoy innovative solutions, we also love to see communities coming together to help their members hold onto their homes in the face of increasing rent prices. In 2016, when a new owner took over 285 Turk Street, Read More...

Empty strip commercial spaces with parking lots in front

This is how strip malls could provide a solution to the housing crisis

From San Jose, California, until San Francisco along El Camino Real you can find stretches a six-lane road outfitted with an endless stretch of strip malls and enormous parking lots. In its current state, the street doesn’t necessarily welcome pedestrians to walk alongside it, as it has been Read More...

New Navy ship named after gay

New Navy ship named after gay rights leader Harvey Milk

Harvey Milk was one of the first openly gay candidates elected to public office, but before he served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1978, he was forced out of the Navy for his sexual orientation. Milk served in the Navy for four years, but was forced to resign because he was gay. Read More...

Researchers successfully use d

Researchers successfully use deep brain stimulation to treat depression

Deep brain stimulation, or DBS, is a technique used to manage Parkinson’s disease and certain types of seizures, but now, researchers have successfully used it to treat depression for the first time. Scientists from the University of California, San Francisco, published a study detailing how they Read More...

San Francisco schools successf

San Francisco schools successfully reopen for all students

The continued latest Covid-19 surge has made for a rocky and uncertain back-to-school season, but the San Francisco Department of Public Health is celebrating the first weeks of school with no Covid-19 outbreaks since students returned to classrooms on August 16. An outbreak is defined by the Read More...

SF Bay will launch US’ first

SF Bay will launch US’ first hydrogen-powered commercial ferry this year

The US’ first hydrogen-powered commercial ferry is slated to begin operating in the San Francisco Bay by the end of the year. The Sea Change is a 70-foot, 75-passenger vessel built by All American Marine, and holds enough compressed hydrogen to travel 300 nautical miles at a cruising speed of Read More...

San Francisco to offer free mu

San Francisco to offer free museum admissions for low-income residents

As museums start to open back up this summer, San Francisco is making it easier for all residents to enjoy the beauty of art with their new Museums for All program. The new program provides free or discounted access for low-income residents to 21 museums across the city.  The program was Read More...

Vertical farming is bringing l

Vertical farming is bringing local produce to California’s densest cities

We’ve written extensively about vertical farming as a solution to make fresh food more sustainable, efficient, and localized. Now, sustainable agriculture company Plenty is hoping to expand the reach of vertical farming in California with two new sites in San Francisco and Compton.  At their Read More...