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.
Stylish floating Amsterdam village produces and shares all its own energy
The city of Amsterdam is known for having beautiful homes along picturesque canals, but in the industrial north part of the city, a floating neighborhood has been completed that is unlike anything we’ve seen before. The visionary neighborhood is called Schoonschip (Dutch for “clean ship), and Read More...
The Ideal City is an urban ‘cookbook’ for planners to design better cities
By 2050, more than 70 percent of the world’s population is expected to live in cities. This means that we’ll need to significantly expand our urban landscapes to accommodate for the incoming wave of urban dwellers. In an effort to inspire urban planners to design tomorrow’s cities in a Read More...
Study: Plant-based diets are critical for protecting biodiversity
What is our most powerful tool for protecting biodiversity? A new report by the Chatham House, backed by the UN, indicates that widespread adoption of plant-based diets is one of the most crucial ways to protect endangered species. Plant-based diets are environmentally beneficial because they Read More...
France introduces “repairability index” to bring circularity to electronics
These days it’s all too common to have a drawer of discarded cell phones and other broken electronics in our homes, but if we want our economy to become truly circular, we will have to come up with innovative ways for these electronics to be repaired and reused when they get damaged. To achieve Read More...
Thought Leader Series: Agnes Kalibata on science and the future of farming
Agnes Kalibata is a Rwandan-born agricultural scientist and policymaker. She was recently appointed as UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ special envoy for the 2021 Food Systems Summit, which calls for tangible action on how we produce food to address the limitations of our food system in Read More...
This ecologist spent 2 years studying a single hedge—it’s wild
10 years ago, UK ecologist Rob Walton decided to take on a rather strange challenge: make a list of every plant, animal, and fungus inside a hedge 40 meters from his house over the course of 12 months. Little did he know that his challenge would help influence fundamental policy to help the UK Read More...
These trash traps are made to remove plastic waste from Vietnam’s rivers
Recently we shared a story about the Ocean Cleanup’s new venture to stop the flow of plastic waste from rivers into the marine environment. Though they may not look as swanky as the Ocean Cleanup’s Interceptors, Vietnam’s recently installed trash traps follow the same line of thinking — Read More...
Natural antifreeze compounds produced by fish inspire road salt alternative
Salt is a primary tool used by cities to keep roads safe during snowy weather, but while the salt helps melt snow and improve traction, it also has detrimental effects on the environment and infrastructure. Road salt is often a combination of regular salt and additives like magnesium chloride and Read More...
This project is turning PPE waste scraps into bedrolls for those in need
Since the start of the pandemic last year, the landscape of waste has changed significantly, with the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) like masks and gloves creating a common source of waste in virtually all parts of the world. Well aware of the issue, Indian fashion designer Read More...
Austin redirects police funding to buy transitional housing for homeless
Last week, the Austin City Council voted unanimously to purchase the Texas Bungalow Hotel & Suites for $6.7 million. The hotel is slated to become transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness. Where did the money to buy it come from? Redirected money from the city’s police Read More...