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.
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...
Upcycled shipping containers provide housing for LA’s homeless
Los Angeles County has an estimated 66,000 homeless individuals, but a new initiative is helping some find housing from an unexpected source: old shipping containers. Recycled shipping containers can be transformed into livable spaces surprisingly quickly. Each container in the seven-unit Read More...
Local 5 year old saves kidnapped lemur in San Francisco
Last week, Maki, a 21-year-old endangered lemur, went missing from the San Francisco Zoo. As one of the slowest primates in the exhibit, Maki was easy for thieves to catch, but fortunately, the lemur has been safely returned to the zoo after the heroic work of a local five-year-old named James Read More...
The gharial: How this special creature was saved from near extinction
Though often mistaken for crocodiles or alligators, the gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is its own special creature that dwells in the rivers of India and Nepal eating only fish and some crustaceans. This incredible reptile is believed to have split from all other crocodilians perhaps more than 65m Read More...
Try these sustainable detergents on your next laundry day
We recently discussed how to catch the microfibers produced by your washing machine. Today, we’re tackling detergents with the most eco-friendly laundry options on the market. Here are some of the best waste-free soaps to wash your clothes. As an added bonus, many are also cruelty-free and use Read More...
This Dutch wind farm will also restore oyster populations
Apart from playing a key role in our clean energy transition, offshore wind farms may also play an essential part in restoring the European flat oyster beds in the North Sea. At least that’s what Dutch maritime contracting company Van Oord plans to do by installing eight reef structures within Read More...