Circularity
Understanding the value of a circular economy and identifying circular solutions are essential to changing our world for good. Circularity, or the zero-waste principle of keeping materials in a closed loop and away from landfills and incinerators, is the future. Find out about the latest innovations and solutions accelerating the transition towards a circular economy in the articles here from The Optimist Daily.
Earth Prize 2026 part I: teenage teams tackling big global problems
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Every year, The Earth Prize asks teenagers across the world the same question: what environmental problem would you solve, and how? Every year, the answers come from young people who live closest to the problem. After five years and more than 21,000 students Read More...
Earth Prize 2026 part II: seaweed fabric, hornbill nests, and a healing bandage
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM This is part two of our Earth Prize 2026 coverage. Part one covered four regional winners from Ireland, Kenya, Gaza, and India, including Tala and Farah Mousa, whose Build Hope Palestine project we first wrote about earlier this month. Here are the remaining Read More...
China’s renewable hydrogen capacity crosses one million tonnes
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The numbers from China’s National Energy Administration tell a story that is clearest in two parts. First: over 250,000 metric tonnes per year (approximately 275,000 US short tons) of green hydrogen capacity is now operational in China, more than double Read More...
Finland’s new bridge was built for everyone except drivers
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When Helsinki needed to connect a growing island suburb to the city center, the planners made a decision that would be unusual in most countries: they never considered building a car lane. The Kruunuvuori Bridge, which opened to the public this past Read More...
2025: The year renewables finally outpaced global electricity demand growth
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Something shifted in the world’s energy system in 2025, and the numbers are hard to argue with. For the first time in modern history, clean energy generation grew faster than global electricity demand, meaning every new watt of power the world needed Read More...
Germany’s coal mines are now Europe’s largest lake district
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM When the last miners left the open-cast lignite pits of eastern Germany’s Lusatia region, they left behind craters stretching more than 200 feet (60 meters) deep. What followed was not restoration in any conventional sense. It was construction: the Read More...
4 tips for everyday eco-friendly living
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In the face of climate change, many people question the importance of individual actions in ensuring a sustainable future. While institutional change is necessary, environmentalist and author Heather White emphasizes the importance of individual choices. Read More...
Earth Day at 56: why the 2026 theme carries more weight than usual
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM On April 22, 1970, roughly 20 million Americans took to the streets, campuses, and parks to demand that the government treat the environment as something worth protecting. At the time, rivers in the United States were catching fire. Lead was still in Read More...
Why Western scientists are turning to Indigenous knowledge
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Marco Hatch describes his own work with characteristic dry humor: "I'm a glorified clam counter." What he's actually doing is more complicated. As a marine ecologist at Western Washington University and an enrolled member of the Samish Indian Nation, Hatch is Read More...
UK startup turns festival urine into forest-grade fertilizer
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Only seven percent of Britain's native woodlands are in good condition. Pests, pathogens, and invasive species have worked through the rest. And rising fertilizer costs, driven by ongoing conflict, have not helped. A Bristol-based startup thinks part of the Read More...