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.
Wind farm funds condor breeding program to offset potential species harm
Wind turbines are a great source of renewable energy, but they also pose a hazard to local bird populations. Some wind farms have started painting turbines black to prevent this, but wind company Avangrid Renewables has gone one step further and launched a condor breeding program to compensate for Read More...
A first for invertebrates: Cuttlefish can delay gratification
Have you ever heard of the “marshmallow test?” It’s a type of experiment designed at Stanford in the 1960s by Walter Mischel to test whether human children have the self-control to wait for a better reward. In essence, the children were given a choice between having one marshmallow now or Read More...
National Parks are leading the transition to all-electric federal fleets
The US government has announced plans to transition all federal fleet vehicles to electric models and what better place to start than the country’s most valuable natural spaces: National Parks. Zion National Park has officially received a federal grant to transition all of its shuttle buses Read More...
Bird missing for 170 years rediscovered in Indonesian rainforest
More than 170 years after it was first reported around 1850, one of Indonesia’s most elusive birds has recently been rediscovered on the island of Borneo, to the excitement of conservationists and ornithologists. The black-browed babbler, featuring deep scarlet eyes, gray legs, and black, gray, Read More...
This lamp uses ultraviolet light to sanitize public spaces in minutes
Back in January, we wrote about a new 20,000 square meter outdoor light installation from the Rotterdam-based Studio Roosegaarde that is meant to make outdoor agriculture even more sustainable while dually turning crop fields into a work of art. Today, we bring you the latest design from Studio Read More...
Pollution-eating, electricity-breathing bacteria may save our water
It’s no secret that humans have had an enormous impact on the world’s water supply. If we look at lakes, rivers, or shores that humans live near, chances are we will find a significant quantity of litter scattered in the area. According to Clean Water Action, these water pollutants have Read More...
Sigh of relief: UK will not use bee-harming pesticide after all
Earlier this year, the British government reversed a ban on a bee-harming pesticide called neonicotinoid in order to kill off virus-transmitted aphids that threatened the UK’s sugar beet fields. Environmentalists were obviously not pleased with the reversal of the ban as the government had broken Read More...
Volvo joins the movement to go all-electric by 2030
The car industry has recognized the inevitability of an all-electric future for vehicles. With Jaguar and GM’s recent announcements about their combustion-engine-free futures, it seems like only a matter of time before every company is outpacing gas-powered production with EV models. The latest Read More...
These floating islands will form a “parkipelago” in Copenhagen’s harbor
The Optimist Daily is always curious about the latest ideas in urban development and design. In 2021, we're expecting to see the completion of an exciting new project in the Danish capital in which a series of small artificial floating islands are being built and installed together within the Read More...
Can hydropower help clean up commercial ammonia production?
Ammonia is a colorless, noxious gas that is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen. It is used for a number of different things from producing dyes to treating wastewater, but it’s most common industrial use in the production of fertilizer. Although useful, the production of ammonia is anything Read More...