The Optimist Today
Solar street lights present cities with a path to strong, sustainable growth
On the surface, the rapid urbanization of cities can be seen as a good thing for the economy. For the cities themselves, however, it can cause money for basic public services to be stretched thin. Such is the case for the cities of Kampala and Jinja in Uganda where everything from road maintenance Read More...
Chicago just elected a black woman as mayor for the very first time
The people of Chicago have spoken! Lori Lightfoot, a former lawyer and president of the Chicago Police Board, has been elected mayor of Chicago, marking the first time an openly lesbian, black woman has been elected to the position of mayor in a major US city. This is a big deal, especially Read More...
African nations are building wall of their own, and it’s made out of trees
While the president is busy trying to build a wall at the southern US border, locals, environmentalists, and scientists from more than 20 African nations are building a wall of trees at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert to fight the effects of climate change. The tree-planting project, which Read More...
Your old mattress isn’t trash. Here’s how to donate or recycle it
Some items are easy to recycle, like a plastic bottle or newspaper. Other things are a lot more difficult, simply because they probably won’t fit in your average recycling bin—like a king-size mattress, for instance. Believe it or not, recycling your used mattress is easier than you think, Read More...
Patagonia is showing the beer industry how to brew a sustainable beer
Patagonia is not your typical outdoor gear retailer. This privately-owned company does not shy away from opportunities to take a political stance, to mount counterintuitive advertising campaigns, and to seek more sustainable ways of doing business. So, really, we shouldn't be all that surprised Read More...
Suffering from migraines? Following this diet will help you keep the pain away
If you suffer from migraines frequently, you don’t need to rely on pain medicine to get the relief you desire. Instead, all you need to do to stave off migraines is make a few changes to your diet. After twenty-two years of clinical research on migraine management, Rodolfo Low discovered a Read More...
Scientists are finding ways to harness energy and recover metals from wastewater
The average American uses a staggering 60 gallons of water per day for purposes that include flushing toilets, showering and doing laundry. This figure can easily double if outdoor uses, such as watering lawns and filling swimming pools, are also included. Most of that water eventually will become Read More...
A photographer caught a rare glimpse of a “golden” zebra in Tanzania
People who make the journey through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park are already very fortunate if they spot a pack of zebras from nearby. That's’ why photographer Sergio Pitamitz couldn’t believe his luck when he came across one of the rarest creatures in the animal kingdom: a “golden” Read More...
How to travel the world without destroying it
We all love to travel, to visit the various corners of the world that play host to Earth’s greatest wonders. In 2016 alone, over a billion people took a tourist trip abroad—more than double the number of just 20 years ago. And while it only makes sense that people want to leave their hometowns Read More...
This waterproof jacket doubles as a sleeping bag for the homeless
Five years ago, Dutch designer Bas Timmer heard tragic news: A friend’s father, who had become homeless, had died of hypothermia one night while sitting outside a shelter waiting for it to open. Timmer, a recent fashion school graduate, had been working on winter clothing for his new brand and Read More...