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.
Have a laugh with these hilarious wildlife photos
In these turbulent times, we could all use a good laugh. And that’s exactly what we have to offer today in the form of a hilarious gallery of wildlife photos. The light-hearted images of wildlife come from the finalists of this year’s Comedy Wildlife Photography awards. We weren’t aware of Read More...
McDonald’s experiments with circularity with reusable drink cups
Transitioning to a circular economy means making changes across all industries. The food and beverage sector plays a big role in single-use plastics, but fortunately, more companies are getting on board with more eco-friendly, reusable options. The most recent announcement comes from McDonald’s Read More...
This lab is using AI to spot wildfires just minutes after they start
Most fire services rely on human spotters to identify and report new blazes, but Descartes Lab, a Santa Fe-based startup, aims to revolutionize the wildfire reporting process using cloud-based AI to identify fire outbreaks minutes after they happen. The lab uses AI to analyze huge amounts of Read More...
Salomon’s new running shoes are 100% recyclable
The problem with most shoes is that they are produced with a mix of materials and glues, making them nearly impossible to recycle. A new pair of running shoes from the French company Salomon wants to show the shoe industry that, yes, it’s possible to create a shoe where every single part of it Read More...
This city is the first in a southern state to sue big oil over climate change
Charleston, South Carolina made history this week as the first city in a southern state to sue the fossil fuel industry for their part in damages due to the climate crisis. The lawsuit is being filed against 24 oil and pipeline companies including ExxonMobil, BP, and Chevron. It alleges that Read More...
Surfers are attaching Smartfins to their boards to collect data
With scientists in need of more data about the warming of our oceans, a US-based nonprofit has come up with a nifty solution: giving data-collecting “smart” surfboard fins to surfers. Surfboards typically have fins to improve stability. By including sensors into the fins, now it’s possible Read More...
South Australia becomes first Aussie state to ban single-use plastics
Although bans on single-use plastics have been enforced in countries all around the world, such policy has yet to be implemented in Australia. But that is about to change after South Australia became the first Australian state to introduce laws banning some single-use plastics including cutlery, Read More...
Volvo repurposing old electric bus batteries for energy storage
While electric vehicles are certainly greener than their gas-guzzling counterparts, the environmental benefits of owning an electric car, go to waste if EV batteries aren’t properly disposed of or repurposed. Battery waste is toxic waste, and the more EVs are driven, the more used batteries we Read More...
Portugal is no longer extracting fossil fuels on their soil
We recently shared an inspiring article about a group of young Portuguese activists taking 33 countries to court over climate change inaction. Today we also get to share that the country has canceled its last two remaining fossil fuel contracts, meaning Portugal is no longer extracting fossil fuels Read More...
Thought Leader Series: We need more controlled burns to prevent wildfires
Many residents in California woke up this week to apocalyptic orange skies due to fast-growing wildfires across the state. Today, for our Thought Leader Series, we share a ProPublica article that dives deeper into solutions for reducing the severity of what many are now calling Read More...