Today’s Solutions: November 20, 2024

Lifestyle

Alongside taking care of other people and the planet, make sure you take good care of yourself. The Lifestyle section at the Optimist Daily has solutions for everyday wellbeing on topics like food, beauty, fashion, and the latest trends. Curious about caring for houseplants, eating plant-based, or parenting tips? It’s all in there.

Every city and town should hav

Every city and town should have a tool library

The tool library: it’s a brilliant concept that embodies the true meaning of the shared economy. At its core, a tool library is a place where civilians can rent or borrow community-owned tools such as hammers and drills instead of having to buy separate tools themselves. Having a tool library in Read More...

How to be happy, even when lif

How to be happy, even when life changes suddenly

When a professional athlete reaches the age where they no longer can compete at the highest level, retirement is inevitable. Sure, retiring will suddenly shake up their life a bit, but at least they can accept the change that will come with retiring because they have been able to compete for as Read More...

These calculators help you est

These calculators help you estimate how much plastic you’re using every year

It’s getting easier to avoid plastic. Zero-waste grocery stores, from Brooklyn to Hong Kong to Berlin, sell food without plastic packaging. It’s possible to buy plastic-free toothbrushes, cardboard poop scoopers for your dog, and biodegradable vibrators (made from plastic, but Read More...

How do we help people avoid ho

How do we help people avoid homelessness? This experiment may hold the key

Without a stable place to call home, addressing the problems that homeless people often face such as mental illness or drug addiction becomes incredibly challenging. That’s why a nonprofit in Detroit has created a radical experiment that gives the most disadvantaged populations an opportunity to Read More...

These off-the-grid “Earthshi

These off-the-grid “Earthships” are the most eco-friendly rentals on Airbnb

Sustainability is a hip buzzword in travel these days, which means, of course, that the term is overused and nobody knows what it really means anymore. Reusing hotel towels and ditching plastic straws are small steps in the right direction, but there’s strong evidence that travelers are eager to Read More...

This Saturday, all of America

This Saturday, all of America’s national parks will be free to visit

If you are looking for something to do this Easter weekend, why not visit your nearest national park? As a part of this year’s National Park Week, all sites run by the National Park Service will be free Saturday, April 20. National Park Week is a presidentially-mandated celebration of the Read More...

This California city is hostin

This California city is hosting America’s first universal basic income trial

While we have seen trials of universal basic income take place in various places around the world such as Finland and Canada, we have yet to see anything of the sort in the US—until now. In the city of Stockton, California, an experimental basic income program is underway in which 130 residents Read More...

Forget bug spray! Make this na

Forget bug spray! Make this natural spray and keep ants out of the kitchen

Whenever you see little critters such as ants crawl into your kitchen, your first instinct is probably to buy a bug spray and douse them with the poisonous solution. Sure, this may be an effective way to rid your home of insects, but it’s terrible for two reasons. First off, bug sprays are made Read More...

Five stress-reducing tips for

Five stress-reducing tips for the overwhelmed millennial

Millennials are known to be the most stressed generation we’ve ever seen, and the evidence is there to prove it. Research points out that depression is on the rise among younger millennials. Men in this generation are also said to be losing their hair at an earlier age. And the fact that student Read More...

Here’s a simple way to culti

Here’s a simple way to cultivate more curiosity within you

In the 21st century, we need skills to solve complex problems and address challenges that do not have one answer and cannot be distilled into mathematical equations or contained by traditional borders. And with the rise of automation, skills that machines and robots simply can’t do—skills that Read More...