Design
Starbucks is piloting compostable cups in five major cities
If you live in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, London or Vancouver, your next Starbucks cup may be completely compostable. The coffee giant, which pledged to increase their sustainability efforts earlier this year, has replaced the plastic lining in their cups to create an entirely compostable Read More...
The 1970s invention revolutionized that women’s athletics: the sports bra
In honor of this past weekend’s International Women’s Day, we are sharing a lesser-known story of innovation that revolutionized female athletics. If you wander into the women’s clothing aisle of an athletic store today, you will likely find dozens of varieties of sports bras, in Read More...
Want to live off the grid? ZeroCabin offers just that in kit form
As nice as it would be to live off-the-grid in an eco-friendly home, not everyone has the financial or technical means of creating their own off-the-grid home. Enter ZeroCabin, a small off-grid cabin made by a team in Chile with no formal architecture training. The cabin, which is built without Read More...
This village for the formerly homeless is adding 3D printed homes
In Austin, Texas, two innovative organizations are coming together to build a series of 3D printed homes for the homeless. Mobile Loaves & Fishes believes that housing alone isn't the solution to homelessness, but instead, building a safe and loving community around the homeless will have a Read More...
Nike’s Team USA Olympic uniforms are stylish and more sustainable than ever
The 2020 Olympics are coming up in Tokyo this summer and Nike has released its highly anticipated Team USA uniforms. This year, the uniforms are making not only a fashion statement but a sustainability statement as well. The athletic clothing features sustainable recycled materials such as Read More...
Scientists make earthquake-proof concrete without energy-intensive cement
Concrete is the world’s most widely-used building material thanks to its incredible strength – but it doesn’t stand up well against bending. Now, researchers at Swinburne University have developed a new type of concrete that can not only bend better, but doesn’t require cement to make, Read More...
McDonald’s and Starbucks are getting on the reusable cups wagon
Starbuck’s and McDonald’s blow through billions of disposable cups a year, feeding them into a never-ending stream of plastic waste. But in the future, when you order a coffee from them, it could be served in the same cup you used a few months ago. That’s the vision behind the NextGen Cup Read More...
These bricks are made almost entirely from construction waste
Producing the materials that construction companies typically use is often energy-intensive and generates lots of emissions. That’s why there’s a whole slew of companies looking to create a sustainable version of standard building materials. In Scotland, a new startup has launched called Read More...
This restaurant’s SPCA pizza boxes feature local adoptable dogs
If you live near Amherst, New York and are looking for a new pet to adopt, you may not have to look any further than your pizza delivery box. The Just Pizza & Wing Co. franchise is decorating their delivery boxes with images and descriptions of eligible pets for adoption from the nearby Niagara Read More...
Finnish design brand to make its dresses from compostable wood-pulp fabric
Incorporating sustainability into fashion design is something we preach here at The Optimist Daily. That’s why we’re happy to see an increasing number of startups and more popular retailers get on the wagon to make the fashion industry greener. The latest case comes from a partnership between Read More...