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.
75 percent of new electricity sources were renewable in 2019
According to the International Renewable Energy Agency, new green energy hit an all-time high in 2019 with almost 75 percent of new energy generation coming from renewable sources. Solar, wind, and other green energy sources now make up one-third of the world’s power as fossil fuel plants Read More...
Coffee grounds could skip the landfill to produce eco-friendly bioplastics
The International Coffee Organization estimates that the world produces over 6 million tons of coffee grounds annually, most of which is tossed into the bin once it's used. Looking to find a more useful end life for coffee grounds, scientists at Yokohama National University have examined whether Read More...
This experimental housing complex holds the key to a clean, stable grid
In the small town of Basalt, Colorado, a small housing development that was meant to stand as a bulwark against skyrocketing housing prices is now dually serving as a living laboratory for testing advanced power grid technologies. The hope is that, one day, these technologies could turn every home Read More...
These 5 startups are poised to disrupt the fashion industry for the better
While some clothing companies have made great strides to clean up the polluting fashion industry, what we really need are innovators that can disrupt the industry and put us on a path towards truly sustainable fashion. With that in mind, here are five exciting startups that are set to make waves in Read More...
Behold the most awe-inspiring water photos of the year
There is something so awing about looking at the water. Whether it’s in the form of powerful waves or perfectly still ponds, water’s shape-shifting powers make it an endlessly fascinating thing to observe. Recently, the photography social network Agora held a competition to provoke Read More...
City dwellers are going hyper-local to experience nature
Most shelter-at-home orders allowed for people to visit national parks or nature preserves, but when too many people starting visiting these places, governments started restricting access to them as well. And although it’s frustrating to be separated from the great outdoors, staying home has Read More...
Improving soil carbon storage is a win for the planet and our food systems
Feeding a growing population on a planet with finite resources will require getting more creative and sustainable with how we operate our food systems. A new study has found that one key to protecting the future of our planet and people is carbon storage in soil. Plants pull carbon out of our Read More...
Critically endangered turtles hatch undisturbed on people-free beaches
At the start of each April, people on the northeastern shorelines of Brazil can witness the critically-endangered hawksbill sea turtles emerge from their eggs and make their first steps into the waters of the Atlantic. But as people have been advised to stay indoors to slow the spread of the Read More...
This tannery turns discarded billy goat hides into biodegradable leather
While the Optimist Daily is staunchly against killing animals for the sole purpose of harvesting fur or making leather, we do believe that if an animal is killed in the livestock industry, then all of its parts should be put to use instead of wasted. In the UK, commercial goat-milking is growing Read More...
Urban planners now know which tree is best for sound absorption in the city
Cities are notoriously noisy places, which is why urban planners are increasingly turning to trees as a buffer for noise. To identify which trees do the best job at muffling noise, researchers from University College London (UCL) recently evaluated 13 species of tree such as beech or willow trees Read More...