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.
This company is using beer and chips to slash emissions
In a bid to drastically cut down on emissions, British snack food manufacturer Walkers is summoning the power of potato chips and beer. Yes, you read that right. What the company is doing is utilizing new technology to capture carbon dioxide from beer fermentation in a brewery, which is then Read More...
Little pygmy possum found after fears they were wiped out by bushfires
When bushfires ravaged Australia’s Kangaroo Island last year, wildlife experts were left concerned about the future of some of its threatened species, including the endemic little pygmy possum. But a recent survey conducted by local conservation groups spells good news for the fate of the tiny Read More...
These modular and breathable micro-environments make growing crops easier
Finding smarter ways to produce our food is an essential step in adapting to an increasingly volatile global agricultural system. Equipping local farmers with better, more innovative tools is one way to do this. With that in mind, Mexico City-based design studio NOS has created a new way for Read More...
The Rockefeller Christmas Tree gets a charitable new life after the holidays
We once shared how a tiny owl was rescued from the branches of the Rockefeller Christmas Tree. Now we have more good news as it turns out the fate of the tree itself is also quite heartwarming. Once the holiday season is done, the tree will be taken down in early January. Then, it will take on Read More...
Bamboo bridge seeks to help reptiles cross over busy road
In the mountainous state of Uttarakhand in India, a bridge was built across a busy road that cuts through the forest. Not for humans or cars, but rather for reptiles and other small animals. The new “Eco Bridge” is 90 feet long and made from bamboo, jute, and grass. Local officials say Read More...
EU's biggest oil producer votes to end all new oil and gas exploration
Denmark is currently the biggest oil producer in the European Union. That’s why it’s a big deal that the Danish government voted last week to bring an immediate end to all new oil and gas exploration in the Danish North Sea. The move is part of a plan to phase out fossil fuel extraction by Read More...
Getting rid of your old mattress? Here’s how to recycle it
If your pandemic home upgrades included getting a long-overdue new mattress, you might be asking yourself: what do I do with the old one? Unfortunately, mattresses are bulky and difficult to donate, making it tough to find a sustainable solution for their end of life. The good news is there are Read More...
New Guinea singing dogs not extinct in the wild, as previously thought
For years, zoologists have assumed that the New Guinea singing dog is extinct in the wild. That assumption has been proven wrong after an analysis of the DNA of three wild dogs living 14,000 feet high on the island matched the DNA of captive New Guinea singing dogs. If you aren’t familiar with Read More...
This green building can be completely dismantled and repurposed
When building the new Braunstein Brewery taphouse in Køge, Denmark, designers did something a little unusual. They put as much thought into taking the structure down as building it in the first place. The innovative design allows the building to be completely disassembled into reusable pieces at Read More...
Hawaii’s Hanauma Bay is teeming with life thanks to the lockdown
15 minutes from Waikiki lies the stunningly beautiful body of water known as Hanauma Bay. It was formed within a volcanic crater and has long been home to a colorful array of marine life. Since Hawaii’s tourism heyday in the 1980s, thousands of tourists have been visiting Hanauma Bay every day, Read More...