The Optimist Today
The UK just announced a climate change emergency. Here’s why that matters
Before any concrete action can be taken on climate change by governments, the threat of climate change should at least be recognized officially. Last week, the UK became the first country in the world to declare a climate change emergency, taking their recognition of the threat that climate change Read More...
Boost your memory and focus with these 5 foods
What you eat and drink can have a huge effect on your ability to remember things. For instance, consuming too much alcohol can lead to short-term memory loss, which you may know if you’ve ever had one too many drinks. In addition, consuming too many processed foods that are void of nutrients and Read More...
Getting a law passed is complicated. This accelerator is helping activists do it
The idea of creating a law to address a specific issue, let alone trying to get it passed in Congress, seems awfully overwhelming—especially if you don’t know where to begin. Yet if you want to make real change as an activist, the best thing you can do is get a law passed in order to change Read More...
Maine becomes first state in the US to ban environmentally-harmful Styrofoam
Like all plastics, Styrofoam, or polystyrene, stays around in the environment for hundreds of years. But it's particularly noxious because its light weight makes it liable to be carried by wind and water into the ocean, where it breaks down into micro-plastics that eventually make their way into Read More...
Customers are loving plant-based meat at fast food chains. That’s a big deal
Many of us have long seen the great potential that plant-based meat could have for the health of people and the planet, but the question was whether or not restaurants saw the same thing and would be willing to bet on fake meat. In the past month, two major fast food chains finally have, with Del Read More...
Marc Benioff just donated $30 million to research solutions for homelessness
Homelessness is a major problem across America, but hardly anywhere is it as shocking as in San Francisco. Despite having the most millionaires per square mile, the city also has thousands of homeless residents, most of which coming from San Francisco originally and having a job before winding up Read More...
How to finally beat procrastination once and for all
There is no doubt that procrastination is a shallow grave in which life-changing opportunities are buried. Procrastination is the lack of taking action. We often prefer to do something else rather than the tasks that lead to a productive outcome. In simple terms, procrastination is a pause in the Read More...
In the future, air conditioners could capture carbon rather than creating it
The air-conditioner has become somewhat of a poster child for climate change, cooling your home while eating lots of energy and spewing heat and emissions into the atmosphere. But what if we could weaponize air conditioning units to help pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere instead? According Read More...
This startup creates new affordable housing—without constructing new buildings
Affordable housing is expensive to build–and that means construction is happening far too slowly to meet demand. In Atlanta, a startup called PadSplit is adding new affordable units more quickly by reusing rooms in single-family homes instead. Rather than building new buildings, PadSplit works Read More...
A new algorithm is helping California scrub thousands of cannabis convictions
In the US, having a criminal record has dramatic consequences on your ability to live a normal life. From not being able to buy a home to being rejected from a job, one conviction can make it almost impossible for a person to assimilate back into society. This reality is especially sour for people Read More...