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.
Medellín aspires to become Latin America's first "eco-city"
Medellín, Colombia has proven to the world that it is a city capable of transformation. Only three decades ago, it was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the world. However, by investing in their low-income communities, transportation infrastructure, education, technology, tourism, and Read More...
Researchers discover ancient four-legged whale in Egypt
While it’s rather difficult to picture whales outside their vast marine habitats, the early ancestors of these gigantic creatures were actually terrestrial — and a recent discovery of new four-legged whale species brings to light more exciting evidence about the animals’ evolution from land Read More...
Mexico is first country in North America to ban animal cosmetic testing
Mexico becomes the first country in North America and the 41st country in the world to completely ban cosmetics testing on animals after Mexico’s Senate voted unanimously to do so. This change in legislation is believed to have been influenced by the Humane Society’s International Read More...
Why the intimate wedding is here to stay
The Covid-19 crisis has made us adjust and adapt to life in the midst of a pandemic. In the name of health and safety, we’ve lost out on many planned events and have had to cancel, postpone, or reconceptualize how we celebrate life’s milestones. One of the biggest realizations? Sometimes less Read More...
Invisible teeth aligners help Ford make more eco-friendly cars
To make their manufacturing process more sustainable, automobile manufacturing giant Ford Motor Company has partnered with HP to find a way to recycle used materials from 3D printers into fuel-line clips for automobiles. The company that they’re sourcing these used materials from will put a smile Read More...
Need a laugh? Check out this year’s comedy wildlife photography finalists
Between the pandemic and climate disasters, summer 2021 hasn’t been easy, but humor is a powerful tool for helping us through tough times. Fortunately, the 2021 Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards are here just in time to lift our spirits with some of the best comedic relief nature has to Read More...
Three ways we can repurpose closed department stores
40 percent of US department stores have closed their doors in the past five years, but the question remains: what do we do with these huge spaces? Many will be demolished, but some communities are turning defunct big-box stores into repurposed useful spaces. Library Department stores and Read More...
France is turning this unusual ingredient into fertilizer
Do you think about what happens to your urine after you’ve flushed it down the toilet? Most people probably don’t dwell on the subject because we think of human waste as simply that: waste. However, there are researchers and innovators who believe that it’s time for us to see that human waste Read More...
This bicycle library boosts inexperienced cyclers' confidence in London
As the gravity of the climate crisis becomes more apparent, governments are setting goals to reduce the carbon emissions of their countries and states through a variety of means. The UK, for instance, aims to have at least half of all journeys in towns and cities be cycled or walked by the year Read More...
Ocean-exploring autonomous robot is inspired by penguins
Though humans have marveled and studied the ocean for thousands of years, much of it remains a mystery to us. One of those mysteries is ocean eddies, small ocean currents that impact the planet’s climate and therefore all life on earth. What we do know is that ocean eddies are responsible for Read More...