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.
Austria’s Klimaticket lets you to travel anywhere in the country for just €3 a day
Fifteen years after it was first proposed, Austria has finally officially introduced its Klimaticket, or ‘climate ticket,’ an annual ticket with unlimited access to all public transportation for the price of just €3 ($3.50) per day. The implementation of the Klimaticket comes just after Read More...
Maine is restructuring the modern recycling system
As much as we like to think that the material we recycle makes its way back into the market as revitalized packaging, the reality is that US recycling systems are frustratingly inefficient. According to the Columbia Climate School, only 66 percent of discarded paper and cardboard, 27 percent of Read More...
Greenland permanently bans all oil and gas exploration
In exciting news for the planet and environmentalists, Greenland has announced it is permanently halting all new oil and gas exploration in the country. Despite the recent discovery of potentially significant oil reserves off the island's east coast, the country's government says the costs for Read More...
E-waste: Crucial “right to repair” laws have come into force in the EU
In an effort to cut the environmental impact of electronic goods, the European Union passed a law in 2019 that would force companies that sell products such as TVs, hairdryers, and refrigerators to ensure that those appliances can be repaired for up to 10 years. This week, the law finally came into Read More...
One ambitious crew is bringing carbon-neutral shipping to the Hudson River
Many conscious consumers choose to limit their online shopping to reduce their personal footprint, but entrepreneur Sam Merrett is taking sustainable commerce to a new level. After purchasing a 64-foot steel-hulled sailboat on Craigslist in 2015, he launched a “clean shipping” venture which Read More...
This soccer club to become the first in the US with a zero-landfill stadium
Soccer games at the Subaru Park stadium in Philadelphia are about to get a lot greener thanks to a new initiative that aims to divert 100 percent of the waste generated during matches away from landfills. Home to the Philadelphia Union soccer team, the stadium produced more than 570,000 pounds of Read More...
IKEA’s buy back and resell program has launched in select US stores
Last year, Swedish furniture company IKEA announced plans to launch a “Buy Back & Resell” program as part of their plan to reduce waste and become carbon neutral by 2020. After successful trials of the buy-back program in Europe, the sustainable initiative is officially coming to select US Read More...
For Gen Z, climate careers are the clear path to success
For many Gen Z students contemplating their future careers, the answer is clear: addressing the climate crisis. Multiple surveys have found that overwhelming numbers of students and professionals under 25 are pursuing environmental-related degrees and careers. This shift in career aspirations Read More...
These Minnesota solar farms go beyond green energy production
Global renewables company Enel Green Power has installed 16 solar farms across Minnesota, but their arrays look a little different than others you find across the US. Instead of bare earth or gravel beneath the panels, you can find pollinator-friendly plants and grazing sheep. Recognizing the Read More...
A star-mapping algorithm from NASA is being used to save whale sharks
The Wildbook for Whale Sharks uses an advanced algorithm to scan images of sharks and compare them to thousands of archived photos to track populations, but the technology was not initially intended for use in our oceans. The system was first developed by NASA to map stars in the sky with the Read More...