Circularity
Understanding the value of a circular economy and identifying circular solutions are essential to changing our world for good. Circularity, or the zero-waste principle of keeping materials in a closed loop and away from landfills and incinerators, is the future. Find out about the latest innovations and solutions accelerating the transition towards a circular economy in the articles here from The Optimist Daily.
Planners reimagine former coal power plant into a 15-minute neighborhood
As countries around the world make net-zero pledges in a bid to tackle climate change, many are phasing out coal as part of their green energy transition. This means that there’s an increasing need to find new uses for former or soon-to-retire coal plants. With that said, there are already a few Read More...
This initiative will help recycle e-bike batteries at the end of their life
The recent surge in e-bike adoption is good news for the environment. In fact, it is estimated that Americans will buy over 12 million electric bikes this decade. However, there is still a sustainability concern when it comes to this green method of transportation: What do we do with all those Read More...
So your compost has mold? What it means and what to do about it
So you’ve set up a functioning compost system in your backyard. First things first, congratulations! But how do you know if your compost is healthy and thriving? Mold and fungi are actually a sign of a functioning compost pile, but not all kinds of mold are good. Check out the list below to Read More...
4 simple ways to reduce your everyday waste
We all want to reduce our personal footprints, and a big part of this is reducing the amount of waste we produce at home. Today we bring you four strategies for reducing waste in commonly-wasteful areas of your life: Electronics, food, bedding, and the garden. Is it repairable? A high Read More...
Easy-to-repair Fairphone raises the bar for sustainable smartphone design
Current smartphone manufacturing methods have a hefty carbon footprint. These poor environmental credentials are only worsened by yearly device releases and hard-to-repair phones, contributing to an already overwhelming amount of e-waste. Some of the carbon-intensive components inside the device, Read More...
Say goodbye to cracked screens and hello to nanocrystals
We’ve all been there; Watching in slow motion as our phones come crashing down to the floor. Bending down filled with dread to see the possible damage to our screens and another potential hole in our wallets. Thanks to new breakthrough research out of the University of Queensland, this experience Read More...
Kenyan inventors craft biorobotic limb from recycled trash
David Gathu and Moses Kiuna are two young innovators from Nairobi, Kenya. Despite not being able to afford expensive university fees, their passion for science and desire to help their community has driven them to create an incredible bio robotic arm. Using any recycled materials they could get Read More...
How to best reuse and recycle your old laptop
Disposing of electronics can be a tricky thing, as they normally have to be processed through specially designed e-waste recycling programs. Today, we’re going to give you some ideas on how to reuse your old laptop so that you can make the most of it before discarding it, and then how to properly Read More...
The future of eco-friendly laundry detergent is in dissolvable sheets
While laundry pods are supposed to be biodegradable, wastewater treatment plants often don’t have the capacity to create the necessary conditions to dissolve them. As a result, the material in question (polyvinyl alcohol) typically ends up in the environment. There’s also an environmental Read More...
This sustainable pigment is made from sewage sludge
While it may be comforting to think that everything we send down the drain somehow magically disappears without leaving an ecological footprint behind, that is far from what actually happens. In reality, the process involves cleaning the waste at a treatment plant, where water is cleaned and Read More...