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.
Lifelike robotic creatures could be the future of theme parks and aquariums
Going to the aquarium may be a great way to learn about sea creatures, but keeping animals in captivity for such purposes usually comes hand in hand with a number of ethical problems. US engineering firm Edge Innovations wants to change that by creating animatronic dolphins that look almost Read More...
America’s first firefighting robot helped put out a blaze in downtown LA
Firefighting took a step into the future this week when the Los Angeles Fire Department became the first in the US to deploy a “robotic firefighting vehicle”. Weighing in at 3,500 pounds, LAFD’s Thermite RS3 is about the size of a Smart car but has the power to blast its way through a wall. Read More...
Diesel garbage trucks average 3 miles per gallon. It’s time to go electric
Last month, we featured a story out of New York City where new electric garbage trucks are being tested on the streets of Brooklyn to take the sound and smell of exhaust fumes out of the waste collection equation. The garbage truck in that story was Mack’s LR Electric, a greener take on the truck Read More...
Scientists use microwaves to turn plastic waste into clean hydrogen
One of the main contributors to plastic pollution is the ubiquity of difficult-to-recycle plastic packaging such as plastic bags, milk bottles, and sachets. Because they are such a pain to recycle, most of these single-use plastics end up in landfills or waterways, polluting the environment as a Read More...
Why more farms should feed maggots to chickens rather than soy
Watching chickens peck around for insects should be an utterly normal experience, but in this day and age, most hens are kept indoors where they are forced to eat a grain and soy-rich diet. These chickens might never see an insect in their life. The reason farmers opt for soy is rather simple: Read More...
Israel becomes the first country to ban the sale of furs and animal skins
While an increasing number of cities across the world have banned the selling of animal skins and furs in recent years, no government has enacted such a policy on a national level — that is, until now. Israel has recently become the first country in the world to ban the use of animal fur and Read More...
IEA: Renewables are the only major power source to grow in 2020
In its annual World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported that renewables are expected to overtake coal as the primary means of producing electricity by 2025. The combined share of solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind in the global generation will rise to almost 30 percent in Read More...
Europe’s top court upholds French ban on bee-harming pesticides
In 2018, the French government placed a ban on the use of certain pesticides that harm bees. These pesticides belong to the neonicotinoid group's family of chemicals and are based on the chemical structure of nicotine. They were introduced in the mid-1990s and work by attacking the central nervous Read More...
Futuristic plant-monitoring buggy makes farming more sustainable
With a heavy reliance on fertilizers, pesticides, and valuable water supplies, it’s needless to say that our current farming practices are anything but environment-friendly. And with a growing population, agriculture’s effects on our climate are only expected to worsen in the next few Read More...
How to gauge whether the air is clean enough for outdoor exercise
At the Optimist Daily, we care about the well-being of our readers. That’s why we want to share this little guide to help you figure out whether the air quality in your area is safe enough for outdoor exercise. Especially as wildfires continue to blaze on the West Coast, it’s vital to keep an Read More...