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.
Scientists discover a “spectacular” bright orange bat species in Africa
In early 2018, a group of scientists ventured off to conduct a conservation survey of bat populations in Guinea’s isolated Nimba Mountains in West Africa. The researchers were sleuthing in a series of old mining caves when they came across something unusual: a new species of bat with a fiery Read More...
New Zealand city closes busy road for weeks to let sea lions nest safely
The harbor city of Dunedin in New Zealand regularly shuts down roads during the summer months to allow safe passage to wildlife. These closures typically last no longer than one or two days at a time. This year though, the city council decided to close a popular road for an entire month in order Read More...
Ikea just bought a forest in Georgia to keep it protected
A forest in Georgia covering nearly 11,000 acres was on the verge of being sold and developed when an unlikely savior appeared: Ikea, the Swedish furniture giant. At the moment, Ikea is on a mission to become “climate positive” by 2030. Climate positive means Ikea wants to reduce more Read More...
The European bison is no longer classified as “vulnerable”
In 2003, the population of the European bison stood at just 1,800 individuals, leading scientists at the International Union for Conservation and Nature to classify the animal as “vulnerable.” This led to a number of conservation initiatives, including the 5-year LIFE Bison project, which Read More...
Ivory Coast designates first-ever marine sanctuary
Grand-Bereby is a tiny western town on the Ivory Coast home to mangroves, reefs, and important nesting grounds for sea turtles. It is also home to the Ivory Coast’s first-ever marine protected area. The 1,000 square mile area is the first of five that the Ivory Coast government has Read More...
Children's hospital integrates nature within its design to improve wellbeing
The health benefits of integrating nature within our built environment have long been made clear by research, so it makes perfect sense that design studio Perkins and Will has decided to do just that when it was commissioned to design a healthcare facility that caters to children with autism. The Read More...
Science Moms: This group is rallying mothers to become climate activists
As a climate scientist and a mother, Emily Fischer says it can be hard to study climate change because the data feels “very real” to her. She thinks about our climate timeline in terms of her own kids, knowing that the estimated 10 years or less that we have to perform a massive shift in the Read More...
Re-Wind wants to build things using old wind turbine blades
While a rapidly growing wind energy industry is a positive sign for our transition toward carbon-free energy sources, there is a disadvantage to all this growth: more waste. The blades on wind turbines only have a lifespan of about 20 years, so older decommissioned wind turbine blades from early Read More...
Food and beverage giant PepsiCo pledges to achieve zero-emissions by 2040
Being one of the largest food and beverage companies in the world, it comes as no surprise that PepsiCo also has a ginormous carbon footprint. In 2019 alone, the company was responsible for putting 57 million metric tons into the atmosphere. Aware of the key role it plays as an industry leader to Read More...
GM launches all-electric delivery fleet for a greener e-commerce future
The pandemic has created a boom in the already exploding e-commerce industry. People are ordering goods online more than ever before, but delivering those goods is a carbon-intensive process. General Motors has launched a new line of all-electric products to help make e-commerce Read More...