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.
This text-message-based platform is helping solve hunger in America
Considering that a whopping 40 percent of food in America becomes waste, it seems outright ridiculous that restaurants commonly throw out excess food. Recognizing the severity of the issues of waste and food insecurity in America, a group of out-of-the-box thinkers known as Not Impossible Read More...
Climate Action Project empowers students to find climate solutions
Educating children about climate change is important, but teaching about the degradation of our planet without completely overwhelming kids with fear for the future is no easy task. As we at The Optimist Daily know, addressing crises with tangible solutions is an empowering way to approach some of Read More...
It could be possible to stop locust swarms using their own scent
A single locust is just bigger than a paper clip. But when these solitary critters attract others into a growing swarm, billions of locusts wind up flying together, forming a moving carpet that can block out the sun and strip the landscape of plants and crops. Giant swarms like this have Read More...
Coating seeds with microbes boosts plants’ carbon capture abilities
We need to capture more carbon from the atmosphere to slow climate change. While carbon capture technology is a possibility, one startup in Australia believes we can capture more carbon by planting seeds that are coated in microbial fungi and bacteria, which improve the plant’s carbon-capturing Read More...
Rare butterfly species experiences successful reintroduction into the wild
Declared extinct in Britain in 1979 before being reintroduced from European populations nearly 40 years ago, the large blue butterfly has recently experienced the most substantial reintroduction into the wild. After five years of preparing the landscape for the species, 1,100 larvae of the large Read More...
Riverbottoms and Rainforests: Emissaries making an Impact
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead BY AMELIA BUCKLEY Before the pandemic hit, Karin Muller had planned to roadtrip the United States to feature unsung heroes working in their Read More...
How to turn your yard into a certified wildlife habitat
One third of insects are classified as endangered and this is in large part due to habitat loss. Fortunately, there are ways you can help support all types of wild animals using your very own front yard. Transforming your garden into a Certified Wildlife Habitat is a great goal for families looking Read More...
How a handmade nest lured golden eagles to return to Scottish highlands
To lure the endangered golden eagle back to the Highlands of Scotland, renowned conservationist Roy Dennis built an elaborate nest on a remote cliff. The nest is woven together with arm-sized sticks that are perched on an extremely steep ledge and held together by a piece of dangling safety rope. Read More...
Why we need to eliminate natural gas from cities now
After a massive gas explosion destroyed homes in Baltimore, the city announced plans to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to make repairs on the city’s aging natural gas infrastructure. But perhaps making repairs is the wrong plan entirely. Instead, the city could use this as an opportunity Read More...
A wildlife reserve in Kenya is witnessing a baby elephant boom
Despite the tumultuous state of the world in the past seven months, it has been a good year so far for Kenya’s elephant population, which has been experiencing a celebratory baby boom in one of the country’s wildlife reserves. Since the start of the pandemic earlier this year, Amboseli Read More...