Today’s Solutions: January 16, 2025

Environment

Need some good news about the environment? The Optimist Daily is your go-to herald of positive environmental news, highlighting eco-friendly solutions and scientific progress around climate action, circularity, conservation, and more. Learn about everything eco in our Environment section.

sun shines on office windows

Windows giant Anderson gives solar window integration a $30M boost

Here at The Optimist Daily, we love sharing stories about the exciting advancements that we are making in terms of discovering and fashioning creative ways that we can harvest clean, green, and renewable energy. One of the threads of renewable energy we’ve been following closely is solar Read More...

gloved hands throw food waste into compost bin

Everything you need to know about California’s new composting law

Food waste is a huge problem to tackle, which is why we’ve shared numerous stories with tips on how you can help reduce your own personal food waste. To that end, we’ve suggested that people re-organize their pantry and refrigerator, download apps that connect consumers with grocery items that Read More...

Artist's rendering of the wildlife crossing planned to be built in California

California pledges to build the world’s largest wildlife crossing

California has a rich array of wildlife; from seals to cougars and bears there are a number of beautiful creatures to spot. Although, for centuries wolves have not been seen around the state they used to wander freely. In January 2022, 87 million dollars were secured to create a wildlife Read More...

Two dishes with grilled vegetables on a wooden table

Switching one item in your diet could cut your carbon footprint by 48%

If you’re looking to slash your carbon footprint, changing just one item in your diet could help you make the grade. According to a recent study, Americans who eat beef could reduce their carbon emissions by as much as 48 percent by substituting just one serving per day with a more eco-friendly Read More...

Woman using her smartphone out in the city

Graphene could replace rare metal needed for our touchscreens

What do touchscreen, LED lighting, and solar cells have in common? A rare metal called indium, which is a key ingredient in their manufacturing process. Indium is regarded as a technology critical element and is used in the production of thin films of indium tin oxide (ITO). Because of their high Read More...

Animation of a strange metal which holds superconducting properties.

‘Strange metal’ may be the future for a more energy efficient world

Strange metal behavior was first noticed around 30 years ago. These materials are composed of copper-oxides and carry the properties of being high-temperature superconductors. This means they can transfer electricity very efficiently, withstanding much higher temperatures with less energy loss than Read More...

happy and smiling Black mom and daughter outside on the beach

Science Moms are on a mission to spread science-based climate optimism

When we feel overwhelmed and hopeless, many of us turn to our mothers or the mother figures we have in our lives for comfort and encouragement. As adults the challenges we face are much bigger than a scraped knee, with wider problems like climate change possibly luring us into despair. Luckily, Read More...

Cute kitten looking out of a cat litter box into the camera

Key ingredient in cat litter could help reduce methane emissions

In recent years, carbon capture technologies have started playing an increasingly important role in our global quest to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the atmosphere. Now, researchers at MIT have started working on solving another problem — removing methane, a greenhouse gas that’s 80 Read More...

Empowered activism is cultivat

Empowered activism is cultivating a marketable skill - A dispatch from Colombia

“Part of doing something is listening. We are listening. To the sun. To the stars. To the wind.”  – Madeleine L’Engle By Jackie Gilbert We all catch ourselves making remarks like “I’m starving” or “we’re dying of hunger”, but fortunately for most of us in my middle-class Read More...

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China’s “artificial sun” fusion reactor breaks yet another record

The Chinese Academy of Sciences has exciting news about its fusion reactor that it recently shared in a release. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) fusion reactor successfully sustained a plasma temperature of 120 million degrees Celsius for 1,056 seconds, effectively Read More...