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.
This Mexican highway is now flanked by lush vertical gardens
If you drive along Mexico City’s iconic Beltway expressway, you will notice a new green makeover of the roadway pillars. The renamed "Vía Verde" includes 1,000 concrete columns covered in lush vegetation to create 15 acres of vertical gardens. The pillars serve to both beautify the area Read More...
Startup in Uganda upcycles plastic bottles into building materials and PPE
The city of Gulu, Uganda, is six hours from the nearest recycling plant – so most plastic bottles collected in the city end up trashed or burned. However, in a small pilot facility that’s now operating behind a restaurant in the city’s downtown, a startup called Takataka Plastics is testing a Read More...
Nestle rolls out zero waste product dispensers
Cutting out single use plastic can be tough when it seems like everything comes wrapped in it, but Nestle is piloting a new zero waste program for their products in stores in Switzerland that hopes to cut down on plastic waste. Purina cat food and Nescafé coffee are some of the products you can Read More...
Could cell-based seafood help clean up the fishing industry?
Scientists are leaning into the idea of lab-grown food as a solution for food shortages around the globe, and while the idea may not sound appetizing, advancements in cell technology have moved towards more palatable, and even enjoyable, food options. While 3D printed steak and lab-produced Read More...
Ethiopia sets out to plant 5 billion trees in 2020
Ethiopia has set out to plant 5 billion trees this year as part of its ambitious plan to plant 20 billion seedlings by 2025 in order to help combat environmental degradation, build resilience, and transition into a green society. Called the Green Legacy, the broader reforestation plan made Read More...
One of the oldest grizzlies outside a zoo emerges from yet another winter
Nothing warms the heart like a conservation story about bears—and today we have a really good one for you. A few weeks ago, a nature photographer who lives near Yellowstone national park sent a four-word text message to Dr. Jane Goodall, the British primatologist. “Miraculously, she still Read More...
This deep sea dweller has natural water filtering abilities
If you haven’t heard of larvaceans, you’re not alone. These relatively unknown sea creatures are surrounded by a three-foot balloon of mucus. As gross as that sounds, researchers recently learned that these animals play a critical role in climate change mitigation and the preservation of ocean Read More...
This artist sculpted a “Coral Greenhouse” and sunk it to the seabed
A British artist by the name of Jason deCaires Taylor is using his love for sculpting to support the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. What the artist has done is create what he calls a "Coral Greenhouse", which has been sunken to the seabed so its cement and steel frame can be a habitat for marine Read More...
Britain’s coal-free streak is still going as renewables beat fossil fuels
Back in April, we published a story detailing how the UK had gone 18 days without using coal energy. Now we’re in June—and guess what? That coal-free streak is still going. Midnight on Wednesday marked two full months without burning coal to generate power, an incredible streak for a country Read More...
Video: Oatmeal, the sloth, is a little reminder to never lose hope
Meet Oatmeal, the sloth. She was first discovered in critical condition after she and her mother were severely shocked by an overhanging electric wire in Sarapiquí, Costa Rica. She is not the first orphaned sloth to call the Toucan Rescue Ranch (TRR) in Costa Rica her home. She is also not the Read More...