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.
Sea squirts can help address our oceans' growing microplastic problem
In the past, The Optimist Daily has written about unassuming sea creatures such as sea cucumbers, which, despite their humble appearances, play a vital role in maintaining the health of the entire underwater ecosystem and can reveal important information about how human activity impacts marine Read More...
Denver will be home to North America’s largest sewer heat-recovery project
Did you know that the hot water you send down the drain can be used to regulate the temperature of buildings? Called sewer heat recovery, the process essentially captures warm water from showers, washing machines, and dishwashing and stores it in a heat-consistent pit. This stored water is then Read More...
How can we solve our plastic waste problem? Make an island out of it.
Visionary architect and psychologist Margot Krasojevic is working on an outlandish concept that may just help us deal with the concerning plastic waste problem plaguing the world’s oceans: building a plastic island. Krasojevic and her team at Margo Krasojevic Architecture started with Read More...
This car-free neighborhood encourages residents to walk and cycle more
A while back, we shared a story about how in addition to reducing air pollution and making streets safer, car-free zones can also help build more connected thriving communities. Well aware of the benefits of designing people- rather than car-friendly neighborhoods, a team of designers recently Read More...
Bulgaria welcomes reintroduction of Griffon vultures
The pandemic has offered an opportunity for the resurgence of some of the world’s most vulnerable species and among these is Bulgaria’s Griffon vultures. The birds were presumed extinct in the country in the 1970s, but a team of researchers confirms that after conservation and reintroduction Read More...
Papilio is a self-powered street lamp designed to reduce light pollution
Human innovation has driven our civilizations forward, but oftentimes at the detriment of other species. For instance, conventional lights and street lamps allow people to work and navigate at night, but they can confuse nocturnal life and attract pollinators, killing them in the process. Tobias Read More...
This gifted dog is helping a Texas fire department by sniffing out arson
From preventing the spread of COVID-19 to helping turtle conservation and protecting wildlife, dogs continue to prove themselves as humans’ most devoted helpers. One of the latest cases that further adds evidence to this fact involves Sheldon, a dog that’s helping a fire department in Texas Read More...
Leonardo DiCaprio and conservationists launch Galápagos rewilding project
The Galápagos Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Ecuador, are one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots, but deforestation, loss of plants and animals, and invasive species have taken a toll on the region. Fortunately, a new conservation initiative spearheaded by Leonardo Read More...
After 300 years of absence, this giant bird may finally return to Ireland
We have good news for bird watchers and folklorists in Ireland, where a pair of cranes have been spotted nesting on a rewetted peat bog in the country’s Midlands for the first time in centuries. The giant bird, which is a popular motif in Irish folklore and was a common pet during medieval Read More...
This long-lost river could provide modern day climate solutions
Today, the area of the Gulf of Mexico known as the Trinity River Paleovalley is submerged underwater, but 20,000 years ago, when ice covered immense areas of the planet, sea levels were significantly lower, meaning the valley was not underwater, but rather a lively coastline through which the Read More...