The Weekly Theme
Each week, we feature a new theme of solutions for those passionate about learning in-depth on how we are building a better world!
Riverbottoms and Rainforests: Emissaries making an Impact
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead BY AMELIA BUCKLEY Before the pandemic hit, Karin Muller had planned to roadtrip the United States to feature unsung heroes working in their Read More...
How to turn your yard into a certified wildlife habitat
One third of insects are classified as endangered and this is in large part due to habitat loss. Fortunately, there are ways you can help support all types of wild animals using your very own front yard. Transforming your garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat is a great goal for families looking Read More...
Spanish towns are responding to population decline by welcoming migrants
In November 2019, Ángel Márquez and his family abandoned their home in Venezuela’s Barinas province and joined the more than 4 million Venezuelans that have left their homelands due to the economic and humanitarian crises that plague the country. In search of a new home, the Márquez family Read More...
Community fridges are thriving in the age of Covid
In June, we published a story about the emergence of community fridges around New York City. The premise is simple: community members store food in a publicly-accessible fridge, and anyone can come and take what they want and leave what they don’t. The people who came up with this grassroots Read More...
The Optimist View: Climate Anxiety Webinar, background and resources
“You can’t really get to the solution, the focus, until you acknowledge people’s anxieties and their ambivalence.” -Dr. Renée Lertzman In January of this year, The Optimist Daily, along with our publishing partner The World Business Academy, got the chance to apply for a grant from Read More...
Vertical farms can grow fresh veggies using 90% less water
Out of the fraction of habitable land that exists in our world about 50 percent of it is used for farming. Not only is this stretch of land massive, but agriculture also uses 70 percent of our freshwater supply. Considering how resource intensive classic agriculture is to our society, one might ask Read More...
Meet Caesar, the therapy llama calming tensions at protests
Portland has been in the headlines a lot lately after waves of protests led to clashes between police and activists. But even amongst the intensity of the unrest, there were pockets of calm around “Caesar the No Drama Llama." Caesar is a retired 6-year-old Argentine grand champion show llama Read More...
The shame-free guide to encouraging mask wearing
As we shared in an article recently, if just 50 percent of people engaged in handwashing, social distancing, and mask wearing, we would stop the spread of the pandemic. But how do we effectively convince people to do so? Hint: shaming is not the answer. Although it can be tempting to call Read More...
How divers recovered a man’s lost prosthetic leg from the ocean floor
DeWalt Mix was paddle-boarding off the coast of Long Beach, training for the 2021 Paralympic Games in Tokyo when he lost his specialized prosthetic leg. The Fire Department dove right in to try to retrieve it for him, but to no avail. When rescue divers couldn’t find it on Sunday, Mix all but Read More...
Future of food: The world’s biggest rooftop urban farm is now bearing fruit
In the summer of 2019, we published a story about a rooftop urban farm being constructed in Paris that was set to be the biggest in the world. Now, nearly a year later, the world’s largest urban rooftop farm has started to bear fruit. Strawberries, to be precise: small, intensely flavored and Read More...