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.
Impact-driven entrepreneurship is slashing plastic pollution in Indonesia
You may have heard that Indonesia has some of the world’s most beautiful and pristine beaches adorning its lush archipelago of islands. And while it’s true that there are few other places that can compete with these spectacular landscapes, over the recent years, an increasing number of Read More...
Into the mainstream: Plant-based meat now on the menu at Starbucks
It took Impossible Foods hardly a year it seems to go from niche food product to mainstream menu item. This week, Impossible Foods has announced it will sell its plant-based breakfast sandwiches at most Starbucks locations in the US. Given that Starbucks has more than 15,000 US location and that Read More...
Endangered smoky mouse, feared wiped out during bushfires, found alive
Following Australia’s devastating bushfires six months ago, the critically-endangered smoky mouse has been feared extinct by conservationists as more than 90 percent of the rodent’s habitat had been scorched. To their relief though, recent images from motion-sensor cameras prove Read More...
Rain storms bring life back to New South Wales after years of drought
Many regions of New South Wales have recorded more than 300mm of rain so far this year, surpassing rainfall totals of 2018 and 2019. After a year of devastating wildfires across Australia, the rain is bringing beautiful blooms and hopeful new growth to the area. Farmers in the region are Read More...
These animals socially distance themselves too during times of illness
While it may feel unnatural for us to engage in social distancing, the sacrifices we've made have deep roots in the animal kingdom. From ants and bees to mice, monkeys, and apes, an array of social animals change their behavior to reduce the risk of spreading infections when one member of the Read More...
American honeybees are bouncing back after a bad year
When it comes to beekeeping, the number of winter deaths within a bee colony is a crucial indicator of the colony’s health. Colonies will always see a percentage of the population wiped out by colder temperatures and less abundant flowers, but what’s most important in this case is how many Read More...
Scientists are making huge progress in mapping the ocean floor
Us humans know more about the surface of the Moon than we do Earth’s oceans, but there’s progress on closing that gap. The Seabed 3030 Project reports that scientists have mapped 19 percent of ocean floors to contemporary standards, or a huge leap over the six percent from Seabed’s launch Read More...
The Vatican urges all Catholics to divest from fossil fuels
There are few other entities in the world that have such a big and far-reaching influence on people as religious institutions. Well aware of this, the Vatican has recently used its wide-ranging position of power to urge Catholics to be more environmentally conscious. Last week, the Church has Read More...
Lockdown helps create first global map of spring dawn chorus
The drop in noise from human activity during lockdown has presented scientists with the amazing opportunity to create the first global public sound map of the spring dawn chorus. With a quieter world, scientists and artists from the Biotopia Museum in Munich, Germany, have launched a citizen Read More...
Why a clover lawn is so much better than a grass lawn
Americans use more than 7 billion gallons of water a day on their lawns. Over half of that doesn't even help lawns. People overwater, which is bad for the grass. Some water just evaporates or runs into sewers, carrying pesticides with it. That's a pretty heavy environmental cost. "But people like Read More...