Environment
Need some good news about the environment? The Optimist Daily is your go-to herald of positive environmental news, highlighting eco-friendly solutions and scientific progress around climate action, circularity, conservation, and more. Learn about everything eco in our Environment section.
This Kenyan community regrew its forest
At The Optimist Daily, we love stories fighting deforestation or spurring reforestation. Forests are our friends. They host myriad wildlife, foster ecological diversity, consume carbon dioxide, and breathe out oxygen. They also do a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to reducing floods. In Read More...
Owls are helping winemakers stay away from pesticides
Winemaking is a delicate and millennia-old craft. To achieve a desirable product, vintners have to pay close attention to soil, rain, heat, and sunlight. Mice and gophers are other problems that vintners often turn to rodenticides to solve. In a bid to provide a more natural solution, a team of Read More...
8 things to keep in mind for sustainably sourced spices
When it comes to what we put in our pantries, many of us are already thinking: organic, ethical, fair trade, and sustainable. However, one type of ingredient that may slip our minds is spices! We spice our foods with flavors from all around the world, so it’s important to consider how they’re Read More...
Scientists use elephant DNA to prevent wildlife trafficking
Today, there are about 415,000 elephants in Africa. A century ago, that number was close to 5 million. Conservationists estimate that the international ivory trade leads to about 50,000 elephants being killed each year. If poaching continues at this rate, elephants may go extinct in the near Read More...
Pollution might help detect alien life
Last year, the long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) finally blasted off from Earth. It has since reached its final position and turned on its super high-tech cold camera. Scientists hope to carry out a wide range of missions on this incredible piece of machinery, with the end goal of Read More...
Germany plans to be 100 percent renewable by 2035
Sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar are important for countries as well as the planet. They improve efficiency, can reduce weather-related blackouts, and they also help a country’s independence by allowing it to rely on itself for energy. Germany announced Monday that its goal Read More...
Your vacation photos can help scientists track endangered species
In an increasingly digital world, photos may be worth much more than just a thousand words. Sharing snapshots of our food, loved ones, and vacations on social media is a common way to connect—but it can also be a useful way to help scientists track threatened and endangered species. Through an Read More...
Congress approves $350 million for wildlife crossings
Funding was finally secured in January for the construction of a wildlife crossing over the 101-freeway in Southern California, which cuts through the Santa Monica Mountains and the habitats of many native animals. The Optimist Daily has been closely following stories of wildlife crossings like Read More...
These wind-powered offshore chargers could change shipping
Wind energy is a major part of our energy future. As the technology develops it opens up new possibilities in different areas of our economies. The biggest CO2 emitter for offshore wind farms is the diesel boats that drive out for maintenance on the turbines. Scottish firm Oasis Marine Power Read More...
This bacteria "eats" carbon emissions and makes useful chemicals
Scientists at LanzaTech in Illinois have engineered some exciting new bacteria that actually transform carbon dioxide into ethanol and isopropanol, compounds used in paint remover and hand sanitizer. Michael Köpke and his colleagues went on a hunt for strains of the ethanol-producing bacterium, Read More...