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.
Algae is helping this brewery in Australia cut carbon emissions
The process of fermenting beer releases a whole lot of carbon dioxide (CO2). In fact, it takes a tree about two days to absorb the CO2 released from producing just one six-pack of beer. By adding algae to the beer production process, a brewery called Young Henrys in Australia hopes to dramatically Read More...
Portugal abandons coal power two years ahead of schedule
One after another, European countries are abandoning coal energy this year. Back in April, both Austria and Sweden shut down their last coal-fired plant, with Sweden doing so two years ahead of schedule. Now another country is saying goodbye to coal two years early: Portugal! This week, Read More...
New device makes city living a whole lot quieter
If you live in an urban area, car horns, sirens, and jackhammers are just some of the daily noises that float into your home, but a new window-mounted device could create peacefully quiet city apartments. This solution was shared with us by an Optimist Daily reader and could finally bring some Read More...
Why climate change lawsuits could benefit from COVID-19 court battles
Courts have on occasion enabled massive changes in the societal structure before politicians were ready to, including school desegregation in Brown v. Board of Education and the more recent ruling on marriage equality. Moreover, judicial decisions have strength: Once the legal precedent is Read More...
Scientists create tiny camera backpack to show how beetles see the world
Have you ever wondered how bugs view the world? Well, now that’s possible after researchers from the University of Washington created the “GoPro for beetles,” a robotic backpack equipped with a tiny camera that can be put onto beetles to capture their bug’s-eye view. On top of the Read More...
Burger King will feed its cows a new diet to cut methane emissions
Fast food chains may have embraced plant-based meat patties, but that doesn’t mean they’ve stopped serving up beef patties. The good news (relatively so) is that Burger King will soon start feeding its cows a new diet that can reportedly cut methane emissions by as much as a third. If it proves Read More...
Why the removal of this dam is a big win for local tribes and wildlife
For decades, Native American tribes as well as environmentalists have pushed to remove a dam in Washington that sits on the Middle Fork Nooksack River. This week, construction crews finally descended upon the dam to carefully detonate explosives that will break open the dam. The animals nearby may Read More...
Japan’s new bullet train will keep running even during a natural disaster
Japan has long been ahead of the game when it comes to trains. The country’s bullet trains not only hit speeds of over 200MPH with ease, but they’re also notoriously punctual. Its latest train model, however, is taking Japanese transportation to new heights. The new train is called the N700S, Read More...
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...