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.
Have an old campaign sign? Donate it to a beekeeper!
During election season, it’s completely normal to see front yards covered with campaign signs. But now that the election season is over, what should be done with all these political signs? Rather than toss it in the trash, a beekeeper in Florida is asking people to donate them to help keep her Read More...
San Francisco becomes latest city to ditch gas in new buildings
We recently discussed how Ojai, California is banning gas in new construction. Now, a much bigger city is tossing their hat in the gas-free ring. San Francisco’s board of supervisors unanimously voted this week to ban gas in new buildings, making it the second-largest city in the country to do so Read More...
It turns out otters teach each others tips and tricks for survival
If you’ve ever seen an otter eat a snack, you’ll know they're pretty cute. But it turns out when it comes to getting those snacks, otters may be smarter than we give them credit for. New research shows that when otters learn new survival tips and tricks, they actually teach these strategies to Read More...
New footage shows how remoras hitchhike on the back of a blue whale
Ever heard of the remora? It’s a suckerfish famous for hitchhiking on the backs of larger marine animals for food and shelter. The remora has a funky appearance compared to other fish, which largely comes down to the fact that it has a flattened head covered in ridges. Beneath that Read More...
New York’s first professional streetery builder is keeping restaurants afloat
At the beginning of the pandemic, outdoor dining looked like a shamble of folding tables quickly pushed into bike lanes and onto sidewalks. But now, after more than half a year, al-fresco pandemic meals include colorful fences, outdoor heaters, and even, in some cities, dining bubbles. New York Read More...
Campaign to save giant fig tree in Kenya from proposed highway succeeds
The fig tree is considered sacred among Kenya’s most populous ethnic group, the Kikuyu. That’s why it was no surprise to see the Kikuyu people and other environmentalists stage protests when the country’s roads agency announced plans to uproot a giant fig tree in order to make way for a Read More...
This startup captures carbon and uses it to make greener cement
While carbon capture technology is capable of doing what its name implies, it hasn’t proven itself feasible because there’s not a large enough market for captured CO2 to justify the huge cost. Some companies within the industry have experimented with turning the CO2 into jet fuel. Others are Read More...
Pizza Hut launches plant-based toppings nationwide
Hamburger joints were early adopters of plant-based meat options, but now, Pizza Hut’s collaboration with Beyond Meat makes them the first national pizza chain to offer plant-based toppings across their 7,000 locations. The pizza restaurant recently launched two vegetarian pizzas, the Read More...
This designer from India is turning cigarette butts into beautiful vases
Cigarette stubs are the most commonly littered items in the world. In fact, 4.5 trillion of them discarded every year. To draw attention to this little-known fact, Indian designer Sachi Tungare collected five kilograms (11 lbs) of cigarette butts by hand to create a collection of multi-colored Read More...
Plantega is bringing vegan foods to your local bodega store
If you live in New York City, you will soon have easier access to plant-based ingredients thanks to Plantega, an initiative bringing vegan foods to the city’s bodegas, corner shops, and convenience stores. Your typical bodega is a small corner shop featuring processed snacks and packaged Read More...