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.
A designer is using polluting algae from Venice to make postage stamps
Being the hotspot that it is, the Venetian Lagoon has become a filthy body of water (though that’s not the case now). Algae regularly covers the water, which isn’t a good sign of health. In a classic case of opportunism, a Spanish-Italian designer has used the polluting algae to make paper Read More...
People are finally starting to oppose freeway expansion projects
Adding lanes for “traffic relief” remains politically popular, even though we see time and time again that it doesn’t work. In Texas, they’re making “road improvements” by adding lanes and widening highways. And, like so many gigantic urban highway projects of the past, I-45’s Read More...
Judge rules against plan to log in Tongass National Forest
The Tongass National Forest on Prince of Wales Island is America’s largest national forest. The land is home to critical old-growth trees as well as vulnerable species such as the bald eagle. Fortunately, this area will continue to be protected as a judge ruled last week to prevent logging of the Read More...
England is turning its roadsides into wild gardens
In England, vast stretches of roadside have been transformed into what essentially wild gardens with low-growing flowers. Where there were once thick clumps of grass and gravel, there are now wildflowers such as black medic, birds-foot trefoil, and red clover. The whole idea behind this Read More...
Virginia’s new law demonstrates the power of green corporate voices
Yesterday we shared an article about how Virginia is the first southern state to commit to 100 percent renewable energy. Today, we take a deeper look at how companies in the state played a critical role in passing the landmark Virginia Clean Economy Act. Numerous clean energy businesses, Read More...
Virginia is the first southern state to commit to 100 percent renewable energy
Virginia passed a landmark law on March 6 which makes it the first state in the southern United States to commit to achieving 100 percent renewable energy. The Virginia Clean Economy Act of 2020 includes plans to eliminate emissions from the electricity sector and create 13,000 new clean energy Read More...
Shady trees are saving the city of London billions
London’s leafy streets and gardens have long been prized for their beauty — and more recently their ability to counteract carbon emissions and improve air quality. But the value of urban trees can also be measured with money. A new report from Britain’s Office of National Statistics Read More...
The deepest waters south of Australia have finally been explored
Australia’s most famous coral resides on its Pacific coast. The Great Barrier Reef is amazing, to be sure, and a bellwether of how climate change is impacting reefs around the world. But there’s a reef hidden in the depths of the Southern Ocean off Australia’s south coast that could unlock Read More...
Community-level pop-up shop helps Portland get on the zero-waste wagon
As the zero-waste movement is steadily gaining momentum, there are a bunch of major grocery stores and zero-waste pop-up shops offering bulk buying options to skip unnecessary use of plastic packaging. But not every city can benefit from such alternatives. Portland, Oregon, is one example of a Read More...
How volunteer vets are saving the world’s fattest parrots from extinction
While the Optimist Daily may not have a favorite bird per se, the kākāpō is definitely one of our favorites. The kākāpō is a colorful parrot with intricate patterns, and it so happens to be the world’s fattest parrot. Endangered parrot Unfortunately for our feathered friends in New Read More...