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.
Major hedge fund dumps oil companies for lobbying against climate action
That oil, gas, and mining companies extract resources while damaging the environment is already bad enough, but what is absolutely unacceptable is that some of these companies lobby against climate action. That’s why a Nordic hedge fund worth more than $90bn (£68.6bn) has dumped its stocks in Read More...
California fires: How you can help fire victims and firefighters
Wildfire season has descended on Northern California with a vengeance, sparked by lightning, heat, and high winds. With more than half a million acres burned and evacuations in full progress across the Bay Area, many people have begun wondering how they can help. Here are a few options. American Read More...
GreenPee is a planet-friendly public urination solution
With Covid-19 cases decreasing, the city of Amsterdam was excited to start moving out of lockdown, but more people out and about meant the resurgence of an old problem: public urination. Fortunately, the city found a green way to address this unwanted behavior with GreenPee hemp-filled public Read More...
Seafood shells and coffee grounds make up this versatile leather alternative
Vietnamese designer Uyen Tran has developed a flexible bio-material called Tômtex, a leather alternative made from food waste, that can be embossed with a variety of patterns to replicate animal leathers. The name tôm, meaning shrimp, references the discarded seafood shells that are mixed Read More...
Mount Rainier sees wolverines for the first time in 100 years
For the first time in over a century, wolverines have returned to Mount Rainier National Park. Scientists from the conservation group Cascades Carnivore Project, together with the National Park Service, spotted a reproducing female, named Joni, and her two offspring also called kits. Resembling a Read More...
Brewdog: Why this Scottish brewery just bought a forest
At its brewery in Scotland, the craft brewer BrewDog runs on wind power and gas made from malted barley, part of a strategy to reduce carbon emissions as much as possible. But the company, which also owns a chain of pubs, wanted to go further. That’s why it now owns a forest. On 1,500 acres Read More...
These effective face masks are made with
Rather than make masks from plastic-derived materials, a company in the Philippines has turned to abaca leaf fibers. As reported by Bloomberg, abaca is as strong as polyester, but unlike polyester, it can decompose in just two months. The fiber is commonly used in the Philippines to make things Read More...
UK will start using bacteria to extract precious metals from e-waste
According to a recent report by the UN, the world dumps at least $10bn worth of gold, platinum, and other precious metals in a growing mountain of e-waste each year. The problem is further exacerbated by the release of toxic compounds into the atmosphere associated with inappropriate and unsafe Read More...
This university rooftop is home to one of Asia’s largest organic farms
If you’re curious to get a glimpse into the climate-adaptive architectural developments of the future, take a look at the Thammasat University Rooftop Farm (or TURF) project by Bangkok-based architecture firm LANDPROCESS. Repurposing a massive 236,806 sq ft of previously unused space, the new Read More...
Google rolls out new real-time wildfire boundary maps
Having accurate wildfire data during an active blaze can help save lives and inform critical evacuation decisions. Amidst the wildfires ravaging California, Google Maps has launched a new service that provides real time wildfire boundary data. The program was piloted last year in California Read More...