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.
These 15 states will join California in electrifying all buses and trucks
Fifteen states and Washington, DC have announced that they will follow California’s lead in switching all heavy-duty trucks, vans, and buses over to running on electricity, in what could be one of the most significant efforts to reduce harmful diesel engine pollution in the United States. It Read More...
Tapir dung is the Amazon’s natural reforestation tool
Reforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is no easy task. Logging, slash and burn agriculture, and wildfires have left areas decimated, but lowland tapirs, a trunk-nosed piglike native species, could hold the key to bringing these areas back to life in their excrement. Tapirs eat more than 300 Read More...
Every $1 invested in the ocean generates $5 of benefits for the planet
Investing money towards protecting our oceans isn’t just about saving this precious source of biodiversity. According to a new report, every $1 invested in key ocean actions can generate $5 in economic, health, and environmental benefits. The report comes from the World Resources Institute, Read More...
This instant ramen packaging dissolves into spices and sauces
If you’ve ever made yourself instant ramen, you’ll know the process involves putting dry noodles in a bowl, dispersing the flavored contents of a plastic sachet into the bowl, and adding hot water. It’s simple, but the problem is the sachets aren’t recyclable and are one of the biggest Read More...
Indians recently planted 250 million trees—while socially distancing
India is committed to keeping a third of its total land area under forest and tree cover. In recent years the country has mobilized millions of people to plant tree saplings across the country, and plans were in place to do the same in the state of Uttar Pradesh on July 5th. The mass-planting Read More...
Lisbon to turn short-term rentals into affordable housing for key workers
Over the last couple of years, tourism in Lisbon has surged dramatically, leading to strong demand for Airbnb-style short-term rentals, which in turn has helped push prices up and local residents out. But, similarly to many other tourist hotspots around the world, the lockdown has drained the Read More...
Unilever’s new carbon labels will help consumers shop greener
Ever pick something up off the grocery store shelf and balk at the nutrition label before putting it back and opting for something healthier? This is what Unilever hopes to achieve with its new carbon labels, information on each product they sell about the carbon impact of that good. To create Read More...
The pandemic led to biggest drop in emissions in human history
When the coronavirus first started putting nations into lockdown-mode, many publications including our own shared stories about the environmental impact of these lockdowns. Emissions plummeted, skies cleared, and native animals started to appear in streets and waterways usually occupied by humans. Read More...
Ways you can support the environmental justice movement
When most of us think about environmental issues, we are inclined to picture in our heads images of melting ice caps, deforestation, wildfires, and animals close to extinction. But how often do we think about how all of these issues affect the human communities in our own backyard? When climate Read More...
Thai fishermen help turn discarded fishing nets into virus protection gear
With 50,000 small vessels and 10,000 commercial ships, Thailand has one of the world’s largest fishing industries. This, however, puts a heavy environmental burden on the country’s natural environment as hundreds of endangered sea animals wash up on its shores every year, entangled and injured Read More...