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.
Walmart aims for zero emissions by 2040 without buying offsets
Walmart is a giant company with a giant environmental impact, which is why the company’s recently announced climate pledge is such a big deal. By 2040, Walmart pledges to reach zero emissions across its global operations without buying any carbon offsets. In other words, Walmart wants to be real Read More...
Learn about regenerative agriculture by watching this Netflix documentary
Climate change is a complex, multilayered challenge that requires a complex, multilayered solution — and, though not widely known, regenerative agriculture has been taking center stage as such a solution over the last couple of years. From a climate perspective, the main idea behind regenerative Read More...
Berlin opens giant city-run department store for second-hand goods
City planners around the world should take note of an exciting new development taking place in the German capital of Berlin. As the city looks to cut down on waste, it has opened a state-run department store that sells items that might get thrown away otherwise. Located on the third floor of the Read More...
Climate Week NYC 2020: 5 virtual events you can attend
Every year, the non-profit Climate Group invites businesses, governments, academic institutions, and civil society to participate in Climate Week NYC, a week-long events program encouraging discussions around climate solutions and showcasing amazing climate action from around the world. The best Read More...
Extremely rare “walking” fish discovered in the Great Barrier Reef
After the Schmidt Ocean Institute’s research vessel plunged deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, it came back with a treasure trove of high-resolution footage featuring rare deep-sea creatures. The remote operated vehicle (ROV), which explored Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, spotted and took Read More...
Students create device that captures microplastics from car tires
While a lesser-known culprit, the tires of our vehicles are one of the biggest sources of plastic pollution. Every time a car brakes, accelerates, or turns a corner, its tires gradually shed tiny particles that become airborne and make their way into our waterways. In Europe, alone, the amount of Read More...
This building was made partially from its own construction waste
While we’ve seen architects use wasted materials to construct buildings, never have we seen a complex use its own construction waste to build parts of a building. But that’s exactly what’s happened in the North India city of Kishangarh, where an innovative industrial complex has created Read More...
New Jersey passes bill to protect poor communities from pollution
In the past months, the state of New Jersey has passed some landmark laws that have been worth sharing. It started in June when the state mandated that climate change education must be a part of the curriculum in schools. Then, just weeks ago, Gov. Phil Murphy signed off on a new law that allows Read More...
Swedish town to turn former train track into a site for urban experiments
Looking to develop something meaningful out of an abandoned train track running through its center, the small Swedish town of Tibro has decided to turn the abandoned site into an arena for sustainable urban experiments. The Tibro Train Tracks project, undertaken by Stockholm-based architecture Read More...
This tool aims to save whale lives by preventing collisions with ships
Collisions with shipping vessels are among the most common cause of death in large whales. Along the West Coast, alone, scientists estimate that ships are responsible for the death of around 80 endangered whales every year. This usually happens due to busy shipping routes overlapping with whale Read More...