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.
Healthy wetlands can save coastal communities millions of dollars during storms
Wetlands such as mangrove forests, marshes, and seagrass beds are critical habitats for a wide variety of species. They also serve to protect inland areas from storm surges and strong winds. A new analysis of Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal storms has also found that areas with larger wetlands Read More...
Want to play a hands-on role in coral reef protection? Consider this course
Roatan Marine Park (RMP) has protected the reefs and surrounding ecosystems of one of the Bay Islands National Marine Park’s three islands off the coast of Honduras and Belize since 2005. After recently completing its newest coral nursery, the park has announced it will begin offering an RMP Read More...
Scientists are planting 1m seagrass seeds to save the carbon-reducing plant
While generally overlooked, seagrass is one of our strongest allies in the fight against global heating due to its incredible carbon-absorbing abilities. The problem, however, is that the plant is also one of the most threatened organisms in the world. Up to 92 percent of the marine grass has Read More...
Instead of a new airport, Mexico is now building a huge urban park
When plans to build a third runway at London’s Heathrow airport were canceled thanks to heavy objections from environmentalist groups, we at the Optimist Daily celebrated. The only thing that could have made it better is if they turned that proposed third runway into a natural park that would Read More...
This former banker created an 'Uber Eats-style' food rescue program
Three years ago at age 44, former banker Tony Colley had only $278 to his name after a failed business venture. He went on welfare, paid his rent, but didn't have enough to eat through the day and fuel his six-foot-five-inch frame. He hid this secret from everyone except his mother. Depression Read More...
The world witnessed a 2% drop in overall carbon emissions last year
Good news from the green energy transition front: Carbon emissions generated by the electricity sector fell at the fastest rate in at least 30 years as countries turned their backs on coal, analysis suggests. Overall, coal-fueled electricity declined 3 percent in 2019, leading to a 2 percent fall Read More...
How conservationists brought this tiny bird back from extinction
The Guam rail is a tiny, virtually flightless bird that once thrived on the Micronesian island of Guam. But that all changed sometime in the mid-1900s when brown tree snakes made their way onto the island, likely stowed away in cargo delivered by a U.S. Navy supply ship. And once these lithe, Read More...
Starbucks is piloting compostable cups in five major cities
If you live in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, London or Vancouver, your next Starbucks cup may be completely compostable. The coffee giant, which pledged to increase their sustainability efforts earlier this year, has replaced the plastic lining in their cups to create an entirely compostable Read More...
This dietary supplement cuts methane emission from cows by 26%
At the Optimist Daily, we are strong advocates of a meat-free diet, especially since the production of livestock is the greatest contributor of greenhouse gasses in America. With that said, beef production is showing no signs of stopping any time soon, so we’re open to solutions that minimize the Read More...
Naga villagers in India are giving up their guns to save their wildlife
India’s tribal north-east, Nagaland, was once a “biodiversity hotspot”, one of 36 such regions identified globally. Ninety-two species of mammal have been documented here, as well as 490 species of butterfly, 500 species of bird and 360 species of orchid. But the Nagaland hit a turning point Read More...