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.
How black paint can drastically reduce bird deaths at wind farms
Politicians who lobby against the renewable energy industry often use the death toll of birds at wind farms as a way to argue against wind energy. But apparently, there’s a simple solution to reduce the number of deaths that happen at the blades of wind turbines: black paint. According to a Read More...
Forget plastic: Here are some greener ways to freeze food
While Ziploc bags and plastic wrap can be useful for sealing up food that’s going into the freezer, there are better alternatives—ones that are better for both you and the environment. The problem with these simple plastic solutions is that they can leach chemicals (bisphenols A and S). On Read More...
Smithsonian National Zoo celebrates birth of panda cub against the odds
It’s been a big month for animal conservation. After celebrating the birth of endangered zebras and an elephant baby boom in Kenya, we are excited to announce that the giant panda Mei Xiang has given birth to a cub at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo. The cub was born in the evening on August Read More...
Refill station in NYC laundromat offers waste-free cleaning products
As we’ve seen with Nivea’s recent initiative to test a refill station in Germany, the reuse movement is steadily getting more attention as a solution that can reduce our overwhelming amount of plastic waste. A similar initiative that’s taking roots in New York City is yet another positive Read More...
What life is actually like at NYC’s hotels-turned-temporary shelters
With the coronavirus pandemic leaving hotels without guests, a few hotels in New York City’s Upper West Side have welcomed homeless residents temporarily. It is a great initiative, but it recently attracted negative press after the New York Post reported that “crime and chaos” had overtaken Read More...
Food brand KIND pledges to source bee-friendly almonds for their snacks
Bee pollination is essential to coaxing fruit from almond trees, with almond growers in the US renting about 1.5 million colonies of honeybees per year to produce about 80 percent of the world’s almonds. But between the stress of relocating, the increased exposure to disease from other Read More...
Why painting eyes on the buttocks of cows can save them from predators
Being a cattle-owning farmer in Botswana is no easy feat. To keep their animals safe from hungry predators like lions, ranchers in the region often have to use costly fencing to separate the cattle from the carnivores, and sometimes the farmers may even kill the predators. But a new study shows Read More...
Phew! California’s 2,000-year-old redwoods survived the wildfires
With over 1 million acres torched and 12,000 buildings burnt down, the California wildfires have already been the worst in history. But just when you thought things couldn’t get worse, the wildfires started sweeping through California’s oldest state park: Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Park Read More...
Study: Access to green space helps boost a child's IQ
Green open spaces in neighborhoods give children a place to play, but these pockets of nature could do more than just give kids a place to explore. New research shows children living near green spaces have higher IQs than children living in less green areas. The study from Hasselt University in Read More...
How the world’s biggest battery could help solve blackouts in California
California aims to run its grid entirely on fossil-fuel-free energy by 2045 and has been closing down dirty power plants and ramping up renewables at a steady clip. But while fuels can supply a steady stream of energy, the sun and wind are intermittent. That’s where the Gateway Energy storage Read More...