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.
Scientists zero in on gut bacteria that enable waxworms to eat plastic
Plastic pollution is a monumental issue and one that isn’t going away anytime soon, but researchers are opening up new possibilities around how we could chip away at the problem. Scientists working in this area at Canada’s Brandon University have made an exciting discovery, zeroing in on the Read More...
Nike’s Team USA Olympic uniforms are stylish and more sustainable than ever
The 2020 Olympics are coming up in Tokyo this summer and Nike has released its highly anticipated Team USA uniforms. This year, the uniforms are making not only a fashion statement but a sustainability statement as well. The athletic clothing features sustainable recycled materials such as Read More...
Scientists make earthquake-proof concrete without energy-intensive cement
Concrete is the world’s most widely-used building material thanks to its incredible strength – but it doesn’t stand up well against bending. Now, researchers at Swinburne University have developed a new type of concrete that can not only bend better, but doesn’t require cement to make, Read More...
A rare video of a sloth giving birth has scientists thrilled. Here’s why
When Steven Vela, a tour guide in Costa Rica, spotted a brown-throated sloth up in a tree near La Fortuna, he had no idea the animal was in the late stages of labor—or of the drama that would unfold next. With the camera rolling, the sloth gives birth to its baby, but seconds later the baby Read More...
How the ski world is addressing the problem of harmful wax chemicals
The wax applied to the bottom of skis helps them glide smoothly across the snow, but it also has a heavy environmental footprint. The wax contains perfluoroalkyl and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, also known as PFAS, or 'fluoro' in the ski world, which are harmful to ecosystems and human Read More...
World’s largest banker of fossil fuels to no longer fund arctic drilling
If we are to truly put an end to oil and gas drilling in the Arctic, then the world’s financial institutions must stop providing the funds that support drilling operations. The good news is that America’s biggest bank is walking away from funding Arctic drilling, along with the world’s Read More...
This Bill Gates-backed startup is growing palm oil in a lab
On a typical trip to the grocery store, you probably buy at least one product made with palm oil, which is found in everything from shampoo and detergent to pizza dough, ice cream, and instant ramen. It’s the most widely used vegetable oil in the world, with 75.7 million metric tons of production Read More...
50 ways to be kinder to the planet
At the Optimist Daily, we’re always looking for ways to be kinder to the planet—whether it’s through the food we buy or the clothes we wear. Recently, The Guardian published a list of 50 simple ways to make your life a bit greener. We’re not going to post all 50 right here, but we’ve Read More...
Judge tosses oil and gas leases on almost 1 million acres of public land
For everyone who cares about our public lands, we have good news: A federal judge banned oil and gas leases on nearly one million acres of public lands that are important habitat for the greater sage grouse, the largest type of grouse (type of bird) in the US. The ruling goes against a White Read More...
An old coal plant and a new deal would benefit LA and the Navajo Nation
If you live in Los Angeles, you probably didn’t know that until last year the Navajo Nation had helped power the city with energy from a reservation coal plant. The plant was shut down, but this partnership will live to see another, greener, day. The Los Angeles City Council voted unanimously to Read More...