Today’s Solutions: January 19, 2025

Climate Action

What is Climate Action? Climate Action is humanity's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance our planet's resilience against climate change. From adaptation to mitigation, at The Optimist Daily you will learn about the most recent positive news stories and solutions targeting climate change and other environmental issues.

close up of woman hand adding spinach leaves to bowl

Research shows that foods that are good for us are also good for the planet

It comes as no surprise that since the dawn of the pandemic, people all over the world began typing “immunity boosting foods” into search engines. In fact, these searches rose by 350 percent. The results? It turns out that some of the food items that were popping up over and over again are also Read More...

Breathtaking sunset over Grote Market in Haarlem

Dutch city is the first in the world to ban meat ads in public spaces

The undeniable environmental cost of keeping livestock and producing meat (along with the many health benefits of a plant-based diet) are compelling reasons for many to cut out or at least reduce their meat consumption.  However, the average meat-lover's resolve to go veggie is probably Read More...

Aerial photo above solar panels

This crop actually benefits from being shaded by solar panels

Solar panels often take up a lot of real estate that is also optimal for growing crops (flat land with access to lots of sunlight). Instead of having panels compete with plants, there is a growing field called agrivoltaics that studies how solar power and agriculture can exist together and even Read More...

Abstract Battery Charging Icon form lines and triangles, point connecting network on blue background.

MIT researchers develop cost-effective battery made of common materials

The environmental benefits of using electricity rather than fossil fuels to power our world goes without saying— however, the process of electrifying everything has its obstacles. One of the greatest obstacles is the limited resources of lithium, nickel, and cobalt which are all used to create Read More...

Woman holding wicker basket with natural eco-friendly zero waste plastic free cleaning items: brushes, rugs, soap, essential oils, spray and sponges at the kitchen. Plastic free home.

8 clever cleaning hacks that are zero waste and toxin-free

When the average person reaches for their cleaning supplies, they are likely opening a cabinet full of plastic spray bottles, solutions, and solvents that employ harsh chemicals to make everything sparkle and shine. However, there are many alternative ways to clean the house without chemicals and Read More...

11 May 2019: Girls from Chad pour clean drinking water into a water bottle.

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim confronts climate crisis with Indigenous wisdom

According to Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, “if you’re born as an Indigenous person, you’re born an activist, because you’re born with the problems surrounding your community.” Ibrahim is a native Mbororo woman from Chad, a country that the UN describes as “one of the world’s most Read More...

Young woman in yellow raincoat having fun riding a bicycle in Amsterdam city

Study shows: if we biked like the Dutch, global emissions would drop dramatically

A new study from researchers at the University of Southern Denmark has determined what we already knew— cycling is much better for the environment than driving conventional internal combustion vehicles. The study took a look at the bike-loving Dutch, and quantified just how much global carbon Read More...

What is degrowth and how can i

What is degrowth and how can it help tackle climate change in an inclusive way?

We are indeed finding ourselves in a geological epoch – aka the Anthropocene – when human activity has become so earth-shaking it is throwing entire ecosystems and the planet’s climate out of balance. As the science behind global warming is becoming ever harder to dismiss, humanity is facing Read More...

 The man throws leftover vegetables from the bowl into backyard compost bin.

Queens is soon to rule in the world of composting!

Starting in early October of this year, Queens, New York will proudly be running the nation’s grandest composting program.  The 2.2 million New Yorkers living in Queens will have a weekly pickup service for organic waste. This means that yard debris and food scraps, and food-soiled paper Read More...

Man holds a fuel dispenser with hydrogen logo on gas station. h2 combustion engine for emission free eco friendly transport.

Are hydrogen fuel cell cars a better choice than plug-in EVs?

There is no doubt that The Optimist Daily is excited about the increasing number of electric vehicles on the roads. In the US, infrastructure for plug-in EVs has been fleshed out in many regions, easing drivers’ range anxiety.  With new tax credits in the Inflation Reduction Act, we can expect Read More...