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.
Minneapolis to disband its police force and adopt community safety model
These days, we find ourselves writing stories that would have been unthinkable just weeks ago. Yesterday we published a groundbreaking story out of Los Angeles where Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced that he was defunding the police department. By defunding the police, what is really meant is Read More...
Los Angeles is defunding the police and investing in minority communities
One of the main demands to come out of the nationwide George Floyd protests is for cities to defund police. That doesn’t mean completely defunding police departments but, rather, allocating some of their budgets to other initiatives that provide poor and minority communities with more than a Read More...
These countries are using COVID-19 to tackle climate change
Although COVID-19 shut downs gave the environment a brief respite from emissions and pollution, the fight against climate change is far from resolved. As we move forward and begin to reopen our economies, we look at case studies in South Korea, France, and Italy where policy makers are taking Read More...
This is what happens when police respond to protesters with compassion
In many cities where the George Floyd protests are taking place, the police have responded to protestors using rubber bullets, riot gear, and tears gas, which seemed to demonstrate the very need for these protests in the first place. But not every interaction between police and protestors turned Read More...
Cities are finally removing Confederate monuments following protests
Shocking as it may seem, more than 700 Confederate monuments remain on display in public spaces in America. Now, thanks to protests in the name of George Floyd, calls for cities to remove monuments dedicated to the Confederacy and its racist ideology have grown louder. And in many places, the Read More...
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...