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.
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...
West Coast states are gearing up to build an electric highway
Imagine driving on a highway where semi-trucks don’t belch dirty diesel fumes because they can rely solely on electric power. Well, that could be the case on the West Coast relatively soon. Recently, utilities and state agencies in California, Oregon, and Washington announced a plan to transform Read More...
Affordable housing in South Bronx ranks high on sustainability
The Melrose neighborhood of the South Bronx has recently added a residential building to its urban setting that stands out in more ways than one. Designed by NYC-based Curtis + Ginsberg Architects, the 15-stories-tall dwelling is an energy powerhouse and a new affordable housing community with Read More...
New technology enables power plants to “reuse” emissions
Power plants give off vast amounts of greenhouse gas emissions, but a new technology could help curb these devastating effects by harnessing exhaust to generate even more power. According to research published this month in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemical Engineering, the technology is not Read More...
Sloth robot takes role of conservationist to watch over rare species
While typically sloths are not on display at Atlanta’s Botanical Garden, over the next couple of months, the garden’s visitors will be treated to the peculiar sight of a cute, sloth-resembling robot hanging out amongst the trees, watchfully observing the natural environment around it. The Read More...
Senate passes monumental public lands conservation act
The Senate has approved a bill that would make billions of dollars available to fund national parks and public lands infrastructure including trails, roads, and buildings. Called the Great American Outdoors Act, the bill is a significant piece of conservation legislation and was passed thanks to Read More...