Episode Description: This week on The Optimist Daily’s Weekly Roundup, Arielle and Karissa dive into ocean-inspired solutions. From sea moss superfoods and memorial reefs that turn human ashes into coral habitats to breakthrough plastics that dissolve in seawater and soil without leaving a trace. Plus, they mention more of the week’s top headlines on climate, health, and connection, like community dementia cafés to a ‘Green Fee’ in Hawaii, and the subtle science of trust. Tune in for a grounded yet hopeful look at where sustainability and human dignity meet. The Optimist Daily is a project of the World Business Academy. Donate link: https://www.optimistdaily.com/donate-to-support-the-optimist-daily/?gift=Y%20http:// Transcript: Theme music Arielle: Hello and welcome to The Optimist Daily’s Weekly Roundup. I’m Arielle. Karissa: And I’m Karissa, and we’re working hard to put solutions in view and optimism in movement. Arielle: We’ve reached another Friday, and we’re back with another episode of our pod to share the solutions from The Optimist Daily this week. How are you doing, Karissa? Karissa: Not much to report. I feel like it’s just been another week. I guess the one interesting thing about my week is my sea moss journey I’ve been on. Arielle: Oh, you’re on a sea moss journey? Karissa: Yeah. So, at my local farmers market, there’s a sea moss vendor, and sea moss is a superfood. But from what I know, usually people just put it in smoothies—it’s like a type of seaweed. And on its own, it doesn’t really taste that great, but she flavors them. So I have this yummy peach sorbet flavor that I’ve been eating all week, and I’ve been kind of observing what’s going on with that in my body. I don’t know—I feel like the benefits are there because it makes you feel more energized and helps with digestion. Arielle: Oh. Karissa: So that’s just what’s been going on in my sphere. Arielle: Okay, that’s cool. I’ve never actually heard of sea moss. Karissa: Yeah, but maybe we’ll want to investigate a little bit more for a future solution. Arielle: Yeah, okay, well, that’s fun. I’ve also had just kind of a regular week, I suppose. I called my dad for Father’s Day last weekend. Karissa: Lovely. Arielle: But yeah, nothing really crazy to report. I’m just trying to keep my life as tranquil as possible, considering that the rest of the world is a bit chaotic. Karissa: Yep. Agreed over here. Arielle: On that note, do you have an “I’m an optimist, but…”? Karissa: I don’t really. I think this week I’ve been trying to just keep optimistic and grounded a little bit. Do you have an “I’m an optimist, but…”? Because I think it’s important to address what’s going on in the world. Arielle: Yeah, I mean, I don’t have anything very specific, but anyone who has their eye on the news whatsoever is under this barrage of suffering and death, and it all feels kind of needless. Especially civilian deaths. Karissa: Yeah. Arielle: It does get to me—which it should, obviously. We should all be very angry about this. I think that kind of puts a little bit of a damper on my optimism. It also makes me think about my own death. Karissa: Yeah. Arielle: We’re all going to go through that, which is not the happiest thought. I will say it’s not my most optimistic moment of the day when I’m… when I’m considering my own impending doom (laughs), but I do try to think about it as just part of life. Death is part of life. And I think that’s why I chose the solution that I chose this week. Karissa: Yeah, let’s hear about your solution. Arielle: Okay, well, we’re going to start off with a question—one that you probably weren’t expecting to start your day with: Do you know what happens to your carbon footprint when you die? Karissa: Not really. Is it something I need to start planning for now? Should I try to be offsetting my afterlife carbon footprint? (laughs) Arielle: (laughs) Maybe! Because did you know that the average burial pumps out around 833 kilograms of CO₂? Karissa: Oh my gosh, seriously?! I mean, I knew funerals were pretty expensive, but I didn’t realize they were so emissions-heavy too. Arielle: Yeah. Cremations are a little better, but they still clock in at about 400 kilograms of CO₂. And then you factor in the embalming chemicals, the steel, the concrete… it’s all very not eco-friendly. Karissa: Bad for the planet and for your wallet—or your family’s wallet—which is a classic combo. Arielle: Yes, exactly. But there’s a startup in the UK that’s doing something both kind of beautiful and wildly innovative. I think we actually covered them when they were just a student startup back in 2022, but the current article that I’m talking about is titled Turning ashes into action: how memorial reefs could restore Britain’s seabeds. The startup is called Resting Reef, and instead of putting you in the ground or keeping you on the mantle in an urn, they turn your ashes into artificial coral reefs. Karissa: Oh wow. Yeah, that’s kind of magical. Arielle: Yeah, it really is. The company was co-founded by Aura Murillo Pérez and Louise Skajem. They met while studying at the Royal College of Art and Imperial College London. They’re basically rethinking what a cemetery could be. Their whole philosophy is that memorials should reconnect us with nature—it should reinforce our place as part of a bigger ecosystem. Karissa: Okay. Yeah, well I love that idea. But how does it work? I mean, I assume they’re not just tossing them into the ocean and hoping they grow into corals, so… Arielle: Yeah, they use something called aquamation, which is kind of like water-based cremation, and it’s way less carbon-intensive than fire. This process is also known as alkaline hydrolysis. Instead of using fire, aquamation uses a mixture of water and strong alkali—usually potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide—to break down the body in a heated, pressurized chamber. The process mimics natural decomposition, just much, much faster. Then they mix the ashes with crushed oyster shells and marine-safe concrete to mimic natural reef materials. When you think about how 85 percent of oyster reefs have been destroyed by human activity, these memorial reefs are actually part of a solution by helping rebuild those habitats. They create structures with different textures and tunnels, all designed to support marine life. It’s kind of like an undersea condo complex—but more meaningful. And… made of us, I guess (laughs). Karissa: Yeah, okay, well this is kind of amazing. Does it actually work, though? Arielle: Yeah. So they ran a pilot in 2024 in Bali, and the results were super promising. They didn’t use humans though—they placed 24 pet memorial reefs and found that these reefs attracted 84 species of fish. Biodiversity there was 14 times higher than in nearby degraded areas. Karissa: Okay, so pets are getting to be the first ones out there in the reef region. But what about bringing this to the UK, where the founders first came up with the concept? Arielle: That is the plan in the long term. They’re working on licenses to install reefs in places like Plymouth Breakwater on England’s south coast. It’s already a national marine park, so it’s a natural fit. Karissa: All right. So what do marine scientists think about this? Are they into it? Arielle: Yeah, totally. Professor Rick Stafford from Bournemouth University called it aligned with global goals like protecting 30 percent of the ocean by 2030, and Peter Holt from the Plymouth Ships Project is also on board. Karissa: This is really cool. I am very intrigued and thinking about where I want to go in the afterlife for my final resting place. Arielle: Uh-huh. Karissa: So I guess… when can I sign up to be part of an undersea neighborhood? Arielle: Human memorial reefs could start appearing by 2027. Packages begin around £3,900—that’s around $5,300 USD, which, let’s be honest, is not that far off from a traditional funeral. And you can even add things like curated on-site activities. Karissa: Oh, okay—what kind of activities? Like snorkeling with the guests or something? (laughs) Arielle: (laughs) I know it sounds kind of crazy, but yes—you could visit the site. It’s less about mourning and more about regeneration—helping life thrive after loss. Karissa: Yeah, that’s kind of the best legacy you can leave. You’re gone, but you’re also growing coral and feeding fish and preventing coastal erosion. I think this is a beautiful thing. And you know, we all just turn to dust in the end anyway, and… Arielle: …and it’s nice to think of having a productive afterlife. Co-founder Louise Skajem put it beautifully—she says, “We don’t see ourselves working with death, but rather providing better lives for coming generations.” Karissa: Yeah, I’m officially considering coral reef real estate as my end-of-life plan. I’ll have to keep an eye on these developments—but hopefully I have a long time to go. Arielle: Yeah, yeah, I feel the same way. Karissa: Thanks for sharing the solution, Arielle. I like this idea. Arielle: We’ve also covered other stories dealing with more eco-friendly and sustainable death rituals. Karissa: Mm-hmm. Arielle: I think we’ve written before about garments you can wear if you’re going to get buried, that disintegrate and biodegrade a lot faster. And then there are tree burials, yes—human composting type of solutions. So there’s a lot of innovation going on in this space. Karissa: Yeah, I know it’s morbid, but of course it’s a part of life, and so… Arielle: Yeah—facing it head-on and making it good for oceans, which I think has something to do with the solution you picked this week.   Karissa: Yes indeed. So this one is titled A splash of good news for oceans: new plastic dissolves in seawater in just hours. Arielle: Wow. Karissa: In a world surrounded by plastic, scientists in Japan may have found a lifeline. Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science and the University of Tokyo have developed a new type of plastic that can dissolve in seawater within hours—without leaving a trace. Arielle: This is incredible news. I think we’ve reported on some forms of biodegradable plastics here at The Optimist Dailybefore. So what sets this new material apart? Karissa: While biodegradable plastics have been around for a while, this new material stands out for how quickly it breaks down—and how little it leaves behind. In a lab demonstration in Wako city, just outside Tokyo, a small piece of the plastic disappeared after being stirred in salt water for about an hour. That’s pretty incredible. And project lead Takuzo Aida said that the material is as strong as petroleum-based plastics but degrades rapidly in seawater and soil. Even better—it’s non-toxic, non-flammable, and doesn’t release carbon dioxide when it breaks down. Arielle: Oh wow. OK, so… also soil! But let’s first talk about the seawater. What happens when it breaks down there? Is there material left behind or…? Karissa: According to Aida, the material breaks down into its original components, which can then be digested by naturally occurring bacteria in the water. This process prevents the creation of microplastics—tiny, persistent particles that can harm marine life and creep into the food chain. Arielle: Ohh yeah. The dreaded microplastics—they’re everywhere. Karissa: Yeah, and we always hear about them being a problem—and they certainly are. But microplastics are a problem here, and it’s not just seawater that breaks this down. Salt and soil can do the trick too. A piece about five centimeters in size will disintegrate on land after roughly 200 hours. So even if it does end up on land, it’s going to break down no matter what. Arielle: I’ve never thought about soil as salty, but I guess it does have minerals and things like that in it. Either way, this sounds like a super viable solution. Can we expect to see this new material used on a larger scale anytime soon? Karissa: Well, the research is still in its early days, but interest is already bubbling up—especially from the packaging industry. Aida and his team are now focused on refining coating methods that allow the material to be used like traditional plastic while preserving its quick-dissolving magic. The team hasn’t yet announced commercial plans, but this innovation comes at a critical time. The UN Environment Programme predicts plastic pollution will triple by 2040, potentially adding 23 to 37 million metric tonnes of plastic waste to the oceans each year. Arielle: OK, well, hopefully this material will be out there soon enough and we can start to mitigate all of this plastic pollution. Karissa: This new plastic may not be a silver bullet, but it could be a powerful piece of the solution puzzle. I think by designing materials that work with nature rather than against it, scientists are showing that the future doesn’t have to be plastic-wrapped at all. Arielle: OK. Well, this is exciting, because I’m guilty of doing a lot of online shopping and it always makes me feel horrible when everything is wrapped up in plastic. Karissa: It’s hard to avoid it. Arielle: Yeah. And as a consumer, you’re not left with very many options that aren’t wrapped in plastic, you know what I mean? Even if you just go to the grocery store for a sandwich, or a wrap, or any kind of snack—it feels unfair to put that pressure on the individual consumer to save the planet. When it’s really the industry that needs to change—and the systems that are in place. Something like this could really help both sides. Karissa: Yeah, exactly. Because we’re going to need plastic for the foreseeable future. Part of it is hygiene—if you go to a store, plastic is going to be around. But changing it to something that will break down so easily is definitely good news to hear. So I’m optimistic about this, and I’m optimistic about the other solutions we had in The Optimist Daily this week as well. Arielle: They include Where memory lives: community cafes bring joy and connection for people with dementia, Your colorful guide to every LGBTQ+ Pride flag and what they represent, 10 secret-weapon ingredients for plant-based cooking, and Hawaii’s new ‘Green Fee’ sets precedent for climate funding through tourism. What else do we have, Karissa? Karissa: Scientists use mRNA to expose hidden HIV in breakthrough step toward cure, 5 subtle signals that make you more trustworthy at work (and beyond), Young adults are the driving force behind hopeful future for a smoke-free America, and The 9 best beverages to boost hydration this summer, according to dietitians. Arielle: All right, well that is all from us today. We hope that you’ve enjoyed listening to these solutions and that you feel a little bit more optimistic in this sea of negative news. Karissa: Get these solutions straight to your inbox by signing up for our daily newsletter, or follow us on any of our social channels. Arielle: We’re @OptimistDaily everywhere—except for X. There, we’re @OdeToOptimism. We are a small team of optimists, and we work really hard to bring you positive news. So if you’d like to support us—whether that’s financial, or just sharing our solutions, our podcast, or our publication with your friends, family, or loved ones—anything like that would be a huge help. Please leave a five-star review if you feel like it. Those also help us get the word out and build our Optimist family. Karissa: Great roundup as always with you today, Arielle, and I’m looking forward to sharing even more solutions next week. Arielle: Yes! We wish all of our listeners a very happy weekend, and until next time—bye! Karissa: Bye!  The post Podcast Transcript June 20, 2025: Burial reefs and dissolving plastics: hopeful headlines for our oceans first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.