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.
A look into IKEA’s quest to become fully circular by 2030
Last year, as Ikea began testing a furniture rental program in some markets, it also began taking old furniture back from customers, so it could refurbish old sofas and resell them instead of having them sent to landfills. It’s just one aspect of the company’s plans to become fully circular Read More...
COVID-19 lockdown: Cleaner air in UK relieves asthma symptoms for millions
Reduced human activity during the coronavirus lockdown doesn’t just make for cleaner skies. According to the British Lung Foundation, the lockdown has led two million people in the UK with respiratory conditions, such as asthma, to experience reduced symptoms. A survey, by the charity, of Read More...
Many rare seahorses return to Dorset coast for the first time since 2008
With humans away, the animals are coming out to play. Whether it be thriving sea turtles in Florida or buzzing wild bees in Albania, there have been many wildlife success stories to come out of the coronavirus lockdowns. Today, we have another one of those stories to share with you. Off the coast Read More...
New data shows efforts to reverse deforestation worldwide might be working
Last year, the world lost trees covering more than 29 million acres, an area roughly the size of the entire state of Pennsylvania. It’s a painful statistic to read, but fortunately, there are also early signs that some efforts to stop business practices that drive deforestation might be working. Read More...
Wooden wind turbine makes Swedish renewable energy even greener
Sweden is celebrating the construction of the country’s first wooden wind turbine. Built from sustainably sourced materials, wooden turbines are a cheaper and greener source of renewable energy. The design for the tower is based on a similar turbine in Germany and was created by Swedish Read More...
Hiring America: The case for creating a 21st-century climate corps
When millions of Americans were jobless during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the US government created a number of public works programs to get people working as a part of the New Deal. One of those works programs led to the creation of the environmentally focused Civilian Conservation Corps. Read More...
Scientists may have found a new species of octopus 4 miles below the surface
The deepest depths of our oceans are some of the most mysterious places on the planet. Little is known about the expansive seafloor, but scientists are constantly finding out more about bottom dwellers that inhabit this environment. More than four miles under the Indian Ocean, scientists managed Read More...
The surprising reasons a bike boom is great for American cities
COVID-19 has drastically changed not only how much we travel but how we get around. With people looking to get out of the house while avoiding public transit, bicycles are suddenly an enticing choice. They promise speed, freedom, and fresh air on newly quiet streets. Sales of bikes in the US in Read More...
A startup is farming algae to reduce the environmental footprint of cows
In a new factory on the Swedish coast, a startup called Volta Greentech will soon begin commercial production of Asparagopsis taxiformis, a type of red seaweed that’s never before been grown on land. The seaweed is being farmed because it has a unique ability to fight climate change: When it’s Read More...
Irish beekeeper constructs colorful LEGO hive in his backyard
From cleaning out the basement to taking up bread making, people around the world have taken up new hobbies to fill their quarantined time. One creative bee-lover in Ireland decided to use the time to create an elaborate home for bees out of LEGO blocks. Ruari O Leocháin, a school teacher and Read More...