Today’s Solutions: April 12, 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.

ethnic woman reaches into laundry machine

UK households get paid to curb daily energy use

Households in the UK could soon be paid to curb their electricity usage for a certain time of day (during peak usage hours) under a new scheme to help reduce energy bills while pushing for a zero-carbon power supply system. Starting in this past week, the trial for this plan, led by Octopus Read More...

solar panels in dry hot California

California shades irrigation canals with solar panels to boost energy and save water

Solar energy is one of the fastest-growing renewable energy industries in the world, however, that doesn’t mean that we aren’t faced with challenges in the widespread implementation and harvesting of solar power. One of the biggest issues with solar energy is that the land that is usually ideal Read More...

High angle view of metallic vats in brewery for precision fermentation.

Precision fermentation: The food evolution to watch

Providing our readers with planet-saving tips and products is something we're passionate about at The Optimist Daily. With climate change lingering over humanity's head, people want to make changes in their everyday lives to slow this process as much as possible. This was apparent by the boost in Read More...

Thailand’s pristine Maya Bay

Thailand’s pristine Maya Bay reopens with eco-restrictions after tourism ban

If you haven’t been there yourself or seen it in tourism ads, you may recognize the iconic Maya Bay from the 2000 film The Beach, by Danny Boyle starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In the movie, Maya Bay is the setting of a jealously guarded secret beach, whose location cannot be exposed to the public Read More...

Blue Ful carbonated drink made from spirulina blue-green algae

This tasty blue soda has no food coloring and captures CO2

We’ve previously talked about the benefits of spirulina. Considered a superfood, blue-green algae have been touted for its high nutritional value. And although it has become popular as a supplement among wellness-focused people, the algae still hasn’t reached mainstream adoption.  That may Read More...

Chicago Microgrid

The Bronzeville microgrid: One part of a bigger, safer future

Unpredictable and impactful weather events like wildfires, snowstorms, and tornadoes present a particular problem for large areas with large unifying power grids. In one wild day, a whole city’s power and essential services can be shut off. It’s for this reason that researchers and utilities Read More...

Italian countryside scenery with the Dolomites in the background

Italy’s passes new law that makes its constitution greener

Italy’s natural beauty is iconic. Indeed, its rolling green hills, lush forests, and fertile river valleys have made it not only one of the most agriculturally prosperous lands in Europe but also a popular tourist destination. That being the case, environmental groups have long voiced their Read More...

two people in orange raincoats look out at minke whale in Icelandic waters

Demand is dwindling—Iceland decides to end whaling by 2024

For now, Iceland remains one of the only countries in the world that still hunts whales commercially. As demand declines, however, the fisheries minister has said that they plan to end whaling by 2024. “There are few justifications to authorize the whale hunt beyond 2024,” wrote Svandis Read More...

two stacks of the green reusable pallets from the Pallet LOOP system

Reusable pallets make the UK construction industry greener

Wasted wooden pallets are a huge problem in construction. In the UK alone, the construction industry goes through 18 million wooden pallets every year (the production of which requires a total of 6,000 acres of forestry), and most of them are used only once!  At a time when it’s becoming Read More...

two children with baby elephant in the middle of the jungle

Another reason to protect wildlife? Pandemic prevention

It’s safe to say that we are done with the Covid-19 pandemic, and wish that it would disappear. As vaccines are developed and we learn more about the nature of the virus, we have been slowly figuring out how to continue on in a semi-post pandemic world. However, the worst scenario would be that Read More...