In this week's episode of The Optimist Daily's Weekly Roundup, Arielle and Karissa return from a fall break with a fresh wave of uplifting stories, diving right into two standout solutions of the week. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...

A nonprofit called Bounty & Soul offers free, fresh produce and wellness education through weekly drive-thru markets that serve up to 850 families. But the programming goes much deeper than access to food. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/how-...

In San Luis Obispo County, Gwen Watkins transformed a simple idea into a mobile movement for dignity. In her seventies, Gwen launched Shower The People, a volunteer-run mobile hygiene nonprofit that’s now delivered more than 25,000 showers and counting. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/show...

Pop-ups are trendy in cities. So trendy that even an apple orchard pop-up is coming to Manhattan for a great cause, thanks to The Farmlink Project. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/how-...

Montclair Bike Bus is bringing joy and connection to their community and beyond with the help of two wheels. The beloved organization helps kids safely get to school on their bikes by riding as a large group. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/how-...

A portable X-ray machine and an artificial intelligence model designed to spot signs of tuberculosis, the world's deadliest infectious disease. This is game-changing for healthcare in low and middle-income countries. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/ai-b...

Scotland took its next step toward reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, releasing a sweeping draft climate action plan that outlines how the country intends to reduce emissions. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/scot...

In a town where empty homes once outnumbered hope, Amy Howlett Johnson rolled up her sleeves. 🏡 Through her leadership with Kit Carson Rural Development, she’s helped build or renovate 19+ homes, transforming not just lots, but lives. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/meet...

Women make up less than 5% of the trades, but Move Over Bob is on a mission to change that. The media-lifestyle brand is part of a movement working to make trades visible, viable, and vibrant for girls and women. 🛠 www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/move...

Parking lots might not seem like climate solutions, but South Korea is proving they can be. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/new-...

Beyond the memory challenges or difficulty completing daily tasks, dementia can feel especially painful because of something less visible: the gradual erosion of identity. The good news is that everyday interactions can make a profound difference. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/keep...

Public high schools in California are part of a century-old system that needs a shake-up. A new approach to learning at one Fresno school, the Center for Advanced Research and Technology (CART), is leading the way. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/cali...

For years, headlines have warned that Earth is entering a sixth mass extinction. But new research suggests that this dire picture may be more nuanced, and even somewhat hopeful. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/exti...

“I never thought I’d understand my child. Now we can talk every day.” Hands United, founded by Celena Ponce, is making moments like this possible. Across 30 states, Deaf immigrant families are finally being seen, supported, and heard. 🫶 www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/hand...

Through Swim Sista Swim, changemaker Carol Burrell is building a community where fear gives way to flow, and where Black women are supported, seen, and celebrated in the water. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/how-...

Deforestation in Brazil’s Amazon rainforest has fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade, according to new government data. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/defo...

Experience the benefits of chia seeds with these best ways to eat them. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/the-...

Bloomsbury Publishing launched a new collection of dyslexia-friendly editions of 11 bestselling adult titles, joining a growing movement of publishers transforming the reading experience for adults with dyslexia. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/bloo...

A delicious solution for sitting too long? Researchers found that consuming flavanols, a compound found in cocoa, can help protect blood vessels from the effects of prolonged sitting. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/too-...

A French civil court ruled that oil giant TotalEnergies misled consumers in a 2021 advertising campaign that promised it could reach carbon neutrality by 2050. The judgment marks the first time France’s greenwashing law has been applied to an energy company. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/11/fren...

Senior dogs are often overlooked at the shelter, yet have so much love left to offer. In Central Oregon, one Local Changemaker has built a haven for senior dogs in need of a home for their glorious golden years with Silver Linings Rescue Ranch. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/silv...

Some solutions are brewing in the science of saving lives! Hear more about developments in ADA-SCID treatment and peanut allergy prevention, along with more good news from the week, on the latest episode of The Optimist Daily's Weekly Roundup. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

A joy-filled operation is transforming plastic waste into dignity, employment, and beauty over in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. PeaceCYCLE is one of our 2025 Local Changemakers recognitions. See how they are turning litter into livelihood! www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/how-...

An ocean reserve comparable to the size of the Amazon rainforest? That’s amazing! It being indigenous-led is fantastic. We need more sustainability and environmental initiatives based in indigenous knowledge and communities!

New recommendations on when to expose children to peanuts have now proven to reduce the risk of allergy development. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/pean...

It’s been a good few weeks for ocean conservation! 🌊 #conservation #goodnews #hope #marinelife #oceanconservation #oceans #environment

In a major step forward for public health, the Maldives achieved what no other country has done before: it has eliminated mother-to-child transmission (EMTCT) of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/mald...

In a move to bolster ocean conservation, Spain designated six new marine zones: five as marine protected areas (MPAs) and one as a seabird sanctuary, which adds an impressive 17,000 square kilometers of protected waters. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/spai...

"Many people think hope is just wishful thinking or naive optimism. But the science tells a very different story," writes Clay Routledge. "Hope is a cognitive and motivational resource essential to both individual and societal flourishing, and it can be cultivated and shared."

For children born with ADA-SCID, a rare genetic disease that severely compromises the immune system, everyday germs can be fatal. Patients often do not survive past the age of 2. But hope has arrived in the form of an ingenious gene therapy. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/a-on...

We are diving into some wins for compassion and creativity on the pod. New York’s new law is making scalp cooling treatments more accessible for cancer patients, and a D.C. author is reimagining book access with her “LitBox” vending machine. Tune in! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/f...

A brightly lit vending machine that dispenses books is turning heads in Washington, DC. LitBox (@litbox.bsky.social) is offering local literature in a convenient location to promote a more inclusive publishing world. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/a-no...

Ireland will officially launch a permanent basic income program for artists, following a three-year trial that showed strong economic and social returns. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/irel...

Scalp cooling, a method to reduce chemotherapy-related hair loss, has a hefty price tag and is often not covered by health insurance. New York is now the first state to mandate private insurers to cover this treatment. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/new-...

In a development that could redefine how we approach Alzheimer’s treatment, researchers successfully reversed symptoms of the disease in mice by repairing the brain’s own vascular defenses. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/a-ne...

“Ten years from now, we should have the first fungal buildings,” says Professor Han Wösten, a molecular biologist at Utrecht University. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/how-...

We are spotlighting two game-changing breakthroughs on the pod today! ⚡ MIT’s new battery concrete could turn buildings into energy storage devices. ❤️ Low-dose aspirin may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer recurrence in certain patients. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/c...

When each breath feels like a struggle, even speaking can feel like a chore. But for a growing number of people with chronic lung conditions, the path to relief might just be set to music. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/sing...

Researchers are reimagining concrete not just as structural support, but as a potential solution to one of our biggest climate challenges: energy storage. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/conc...

Across the league, NFL stadiums in cities like Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Santa Clara are rolling out solar panels, waste-diversion systems, and composting programs to reduce their carbon footprints. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/how-...

Despite the growing pressures of global warming and human impact, Amazon trees are getting bigger. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/why-...

New research out of Sweden suggests that a low daily dose of aspirin could significantly reduce the chance of colorectal cancer returning after surgery, but only for certain patients with specific genetic mutations. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/low-...

TODAY on the pod! We are exploring the first Indigenous-led ocean reserve and diving into the science behind why women tend to live longer than men—and what those findings can teach us about resilience, biology, and the future of health. Tune in! podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

The Melanesian Ocean Reserve, a proposed Indigenous-led marine protected area, will span over six million square kilometers (more than 2.3 million square miles) of ocean and islands, an area comparable to the Amazon rainforest. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/worl...

An app called Food Rescue Hero coordinates pickups of surplus food and connects volunteers with organizations ready to distribute it. It is one of a few apps working to tackle food waste and food insecurity. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/can-...

This year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Mary Brunkow, Fred Ramsdell, and Shimon Sakaguchi for their discovery of a type of immune cell that plays a crucial role in keeping the immune system from attacking the body. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/how-...

For the first time, doctors say Huntington’s disease, one of the most devastating hereditary neurological conditions, has been successfully treated. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/hunt...

A team of scientists developed a pollen-based sunscreen that blocks harmful ultraviolet rays without endangering coral reefs. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/suns...

California is poised to become the first in the nation to define and ban ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in school meals. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/cali...

Once a quirky feature in the Netherlands, living roofs on top of bus stops have been popping up across Europe, Asia, and North America. www.optimistdaily.com/2025/10/why-...