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.
Manatees are struggling this year! Here's how we can help.
The life of a manatee is not an easy one, especially over the past couple of years. Luckily, you can help ensure that these aquatic creatures get more protection, but first, we should discuss their plight. During the first half of this year up until early July, at least 841 West Indian manatees Read More...
Humpback whales in Alaska still flourishing in the absence of cruise ships
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the world to slow down and stay put, which has certainly added stress to our lives, but for the natural world, has offered some respite from human activity. This is the case for humpback whales in Alaska, which, as we wrote about before, have been enjoying the Read More...
This plastic sculpture puts the environmental impact of plastic waste into perspective
Since the early 1950s, the world has produced about 8.3 billion metric tons of plastic. About 60 percent of that plastic has ended up in either a landfill or the natural environment. Seeking to put that mind-boggling about of plastic waste into perspective, artist Iiina Klaus has teamed up with Read More...
This platform provides a safe space to share climate emotions
The climate crisis can bring up a lot of emotions. Fear. Panic. Anger. Sadness. Grief. But managing these emotions can be difficult when we feel like our individual actions are just a drop in the bucket. Personal eco-friendly habits are a great way to take autonomy over your climate emotions, but Read More...
Check out this rare video of the elusive snow leopard
Snow leopards are notoriously elusive species and with only 4,000 left in the wild, researchers sometimes go years without documenting a sighting. Fortunately, a wildlife camera in East Kazakhstan has managed to capture a family of snow leopards on camera, for the first time since 2017. The Read More...
Why public transportation systems are the perfect microgrid candidates
Fleet vehicles, including public transportation vehicles, are critical for embracing a transition to fossil fuel-free transportation, but committing to transitioning a whole city bus or train system to electric power is no easy feat. Fortunately, microgrids could play a critical role in this Read More...
Indigenous communities combat deforestation with smartphones
As the recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report made clear, we must act quickly to restore and protect what’s left of the world’s biodiversity while reducing and capturing carbon emissions from the atmosphere. The Amazon rainforest is a vast area of dense forests that Read More...
How cargo delivery bikes can curb road congestion and pollution in cities
Online shopping has seen a surge during COVID-19. This, of course, went hand in hand with an increased number of double-parked delivery vans blocking traffic in urban areas and emitting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. A new report proposes that logistics companies start parting ways with Read More...
Why the IPCC report is so important and what to do about it
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has just published a new report on global heating, which announced that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut in half to limit heating to 1.5 Celsius above pre-industrial levels. The report offers us the first major review of the science of Read More...
This designer supports local farms by making eco-friendly kitchen textiles
Making your kitchen more sustainable goes beyond wasting the least amount of food possible. It also involves ensuring that the products you use on a daily basis in the heart of your home have a minimal footprint on the environment. In a bid to help people make their kitchens more eco-friendly, Read More...