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.
Tiny owl rescued from the Rockefeller Christmas tree
This year’s holiday season is anything but ordinary, and even the classic Rockefeller Center Christmas tree faced an unusually troubled start to the season. The 75-foot Norway spruce was en route to the Big Apple when workers discovered a tiny owl living in its branches. Fortunately, the Read More...
Bask in nature’s mystique with this brilliant photo gallery
There is hardly anything more calming and satisfying than looking at galleries of incredible nature photography—well, other than going out into nature and seeing the real thing for yourself. With that in mind, the European Environment Agency recently held it's annual ‘Rediscover Nature’ photo Read More...
Follow these 7 tips to become an expert thrift shopper
Thrift shopping is a stylish and effective way to reduce the impact that fashion has on the planet. It’s also trendy at the moment, which means there’s a whole array of different thrift shops and websites offering second-hand clothing for you to explore. Before you go hunting for second-hand Read More...
Researchers create the first global map of bee species
There are over 20,000 species of bees around the globe, but information on the location and population health of different species is sparse. In an effort to bolster bee conservation, biologists have created the first modern map of all the bee species around the world. Michael Orr, the study's Read More...
Farm Bureau and environmental groups form an unlikely alliance
Large scale agriculture has traditionally been at odds with organic and regenerative farming practices with the American Farm Bureau Federation as a powerful lobbyist against climate change legislation. In a fortunate turn of events, the group recently announced an unexpected alliance to reduce Read More...
Blue whales reappear in South Atlantic Ocean after decades-long absence
Deep in the South Atlantic Ocean lies the island of South Georgia. The waters surrounding the island were once abundant with Antarctic Blue whales, but that all changed when the industrial whaling industry established itself on the island in 1904. Records show some 42,698 of these blue whales Read More...
Drying fruit is energy-intensive, but “ionic wind” could change that
Dried fruit is delicious and can serve as a great alternative to candy. The only problem is that producing it is quite energy-intensive. In order to dry fruit, commercial food producers typically utilize a “non-thermal drying” process. This involves fans blowing unheated air across the fruit Read More...
English nature reserve expects a record-breaking year for seal pup births
Back in 1988, the Blakeney Nature Reserve in Norfolk, England, recorded the first birth of a grey seal pup. Since then, the reserve has become England’s largest seal colony, with a total of 3,399 pups born there just last year. When compared to the grand total of 25 pups born there in 2001, you Read More...
Sustainable fashion: This puffer jacket is made of up-cycled materials
After winning one of the world’s largest sustainable fashion design competitions, UK designer Maddie Williams partnered with major Chinese fashion brand JBNY Group to gain hands-on experience in producing a sustainable collection for retail. Williams immersed herself in every step of the garment Read More...
Scientists identify incredibly rare monkey species in Myanmar
A very curious primate species has been discovered for the first time by scientists in the jungles of Myanmar. The Popa langur (Trachypithecus popa), as it’s being called, is a type of monkey with an extremely unique look. It has grayish-purple fur, black circular eyes with large rings around Read More...