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.
Multi technology energy center provides green energy directly to local community
Wind and solar power have long been the most popular suggested methods to reduce fossil fuel emissions. While in many places their efficacy was still being debated, some entrepreneurs in Wales took it upon themselves to make community-wide renewable energy a reality. The Rassau industrial Read More...
3 Smart solutions to space junk
Planet Earth's trash is more than enough for us to deal with, but that doesn’t mean we should forget about the mess we've left behind in space. Space junk presents a potential threat to functioning spacecraft because not only is there plenty of it (tens of thousands of pieces of space trash Read More...
Elephant-friendly alternative to ivory can be 3D-printed to restore art
Although there has been a ban on international ivory trading since 1989, tens of thousands of elephants are still poached for their tusks every year, a trend that’s slowly pushing some endangered species to the brink of extinction. A team of scientists has recently developed a high-quality ivory Read More...
Target plans to design all its products for circularity by 2040
While you can currently buy sustainable products at Target, such as compostable cutlery, cleaning products in glass bottles, and shoes that can be sent back for recycling, the retail giant plans to go further and make all the products in its stores circular by 2040. That goal is part of its wider Read More...
This map app helps pedestrians in Barcelona stay cool on the shadiest routes
A new app launched in Barcelona is helping the city’s residents deal with scorching temperatures this summer by finding the shadiest and coolest routes for pedestrians. The pedestrian routing app, called Cool Walks, was first developed at a data visualization contest. Its purpose is to show Read More...
Pair of brothers set record for longest highline walked in Yosemite
Yosemite National Park has long been a site for the daring and determined and now, a pair of brothers from San Francisco claim to have successfully walked the longest Highline ever within the park. Moises and Daniel Monterrubio recruited a group of friends to help them string up a 2,800 ft line Read More...
Scientists use a 3D printer to create a living material made from algae
Being some of the most productive organisms on Earth, it’s no wonder that algae are the subject of intense study in the scientific community. We have previously written many stories about these miracle organisms and their incredible qualities, such as sequestering greenhouse gases and Read More...
Bee-friendly wildflower meadows are blooming across Germany’s biggest cities
Germany is home to about 580 wild bee species, most of which have their habitat in urban areas. More than half of these species are endangered or on the brink of extinction. The increased use of insecticides, exposure to noxious exhaust fumes, and above all a loss of diverse habitats, are the main Read More...
Mangroves roots inspire scientists to develop efficient water purifier
While solar stills have been around for some time already, there’s plenty of room for efficiency improvements. In a bid to do exactly that, scientists from Virginia Tech have developed a mangrove-inspired “synthetic tree” that mimics the natural process of transporting water from the roots to Read More...
Beyond seawalls: How oysters can more sustainably protect our coastlines
We’ve written at length about using natural materials to restore degraded coastlines. The strong natural composition of oysters makes them a popular choice for these projects and in Southern California, one scientist is combining native oysters with the power of seagrass to promote coastline Read More...