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.
Breaking down the real meaning of “biodegradable” and “compostable”
“Biodegradable” and “compostable” are terms that pop up frequently in our search to make our day to day purchases more sustainable, but what do they actually mean and what is the difference between the two? That’s exactly the question we’re tackling today. Let’s start with Read More...
This technology allows plants to communicate with farmers
Scientists at the Swiss deep tech company Vivent have created technology that allows us to know exactly what our plants need. Before this, farmers have relied on secondary indicators for finding problems with their crops, looking, for example, for signs of drought by checking out their roots. But Read More...
These emergency shelters can later be converted into permanent homes
When a natural disaster occurs, aid organizations typically send emergency relief tents to those who have lost their home as a result. While extremely helpful, these tents usually last a year at max, after which they become no longer functional and end up in the landfill. In a bid to extend the Read More...
This foundation turns discarded oyster shells into new marine habitat
In 2008, Galveston Bay lost more than 50 percent of its oyster habitat to Hurricane Ike. Seeking solutions to this crisis, The Galveston Bay Foundation partnered with a local restaurant to turn discarded oyster shells into restored habitats for marine life. The program is supported by Read More...
America will have a climate corps once more thanks to new executive order
Big news! The Civilian Conservation Corps that was once so popular during Franklin D. Roosevelt’s time as a president is rising up from the ashes again under a slightly altered name. Under a newly signed executive order from the White House, a new Civilian Climate Corps is being established to Read More...
Farmers devise plan to reintroduce the white-tailed eagle to Norfolk
After the successful reintroduction of the majestic white-tailed eagle in Scotland and on the Isle of Wright, efforts have now begun to reintroduce Britain’s biggest raptor to Norfolk in an unprecedented rewilding project led by farmers. While the previous reintroduction efforts were conducted Read More...
Artificial intelligence tool helps easily detect ocean plastic from the air
While preventing the flow of plastic waste into the ocean is key to safeguarding the health of our marine environments, it’s also essential that we clean up the mess that’s already there. Of course, detecting ocean pollution is not an easy undertaking — but a new useful tool is here to Read More...
Unused parking lots in Paris are becoming underground mushroom farms
Car ownership has been steadily declining in Paris for years, leaving the city with a new problem: thousands of square meters of unused underground parking space. In an effort to repurpose this space, the city began running competitions to find innovative uses for the space. This is how three major Read More...
Elon Musk announces $100m competition for carbon removal technologies
Carbon capture technologies have proven their potential to help accelerate the transition towards a post-carbon future. But one of the main problems preventing the solution’s widespread implementation is that the tech is still relatively expensive and unproven at scale. In a bid to foster Read More...
Kenyan woman recycles plastic waste into bricks stronger than concrete
Kenya uses 600,000 tons of plastic bottles annually, of which only 9 percent is recycled while the rest ends up in landfills and polluting the environment. A Nairobi-based, impact-driven entrepreneur is putting that plastic waste to much better use. Meet Nzambi Matee, a 29-year-old entrepreneur Read More...