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.
The planet's least loved vehicle, The Hummer, is back as an EV
The Hummer was once the poster boy of wasteful, resource-intensive transportation. With its clunky size and low gas mileage, the Hummer had a reputation of being one of the least environmentally-friendly vehicles on the market, which is part of the reason they went out of production a decade Read More...
This white paint reflects over 95% of sunlight to cool buildings
Have you ever noticed that it can feel hotter in a city than in a rural area? Part of this is because all the dark paved surfaces in cities absorb the sun’s rays more than trees and natural spaces, making it feel warmer. A team of researchers from Purdue University is hoping to cool down cities Read More...
Compton to launch America’s biggest guaranteed income program
In 2019, the city of Stockton, California, became the first city in America to launch an experimental guaranteed income program that would provide 125 residents with monthly payments of $500 over the course of 18 months, with no strings attached. From the first results of Stockton’s basic income Read More...
Smart windows change colors when its hot outside to cool your home
Figuring out ways to slash our over-reliance on air conditioners can go a long way in reducing the energy costs and emissions that usually go hand in hand with using these cooling machines. One way to do this is to tap into the key role that windows play when it comes to saving energy. Recently, Read More...
Allbirds launches clothing line made from discarded marine shells
Allbirds launched its sustainable shoes made from ethical wool farmed in New Zealand back in 2016. Years later, the brand made headlines in The Optimist Daily for donating sneakers to healthcare workers during the pandemic. Now, the company is launching a new sustainable clothing line made from the Read More...
6 dirty power plants in New York to transition to cleaner technologies
Power plants that rely on fossil fuels are already bad enough, but what makes these polluting plants even worse is that they are disproportionately located near communities of color. In a study from the University of Washington and Stanford University, researchers found that Black, low-income Read More...
Impossible Foods is making plant-based milk that tastes like cow milk
Impossible Foods became famous in the culinary world for its faux meat burger patties that feel and taste like the real thing. Now the food company is focusing on replacing another popular animal-sourced product: cow milk. Yes, alternatives to cow milk already exist in the form of soy milk or Read More...
Rope bridge restores forest passage for critically endangered apes
When a landslide on China’s Hainan Island damaged an arboreal highway that allowed the critically endangered Hainan gibbons to cross from one side of the forest to the other, conservationists were quick to find a solution and provide the apes with a safe route across the gully: an artificial Read More...
This startup makes real honey without involving any bees in the process
While the plight of honeybees has gotten a lot of attention in recent years, it is actually wild bees who are facing the biggest threats of extinction, in part because they have to compete with honeybees for their food. This eventually means that the more honey production increases, the more the Read More...
Why this startup makes shoes from plants rather than recycled plastic
While more running shoes made from recycled plastic bottles are hitting the market, a Dutch startup believes there’s a much greener way to produce shoes: starting with plants. According to Richard Rusling, cofounder of Zen Running Club, the problem with using recycled plastic in shoes is that Read More...