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.
Starbucks rolls out new ambitious sustainability goals for 2030
Consumer pressure on the food industry is pushing restaurants to adopt greener practices including embracing alternative meats, ditching plastic straws, and encouraging customers to use reusable containers. This week, Starbucks has taken its sustainability pledge to cut emissions, reduce waste, and Read More...
This Canadian didn’t want to fly from Germany to Canada—so he took a cargo ship
When Will Vibert’s European work visa was closing in on its expiration date, the Canadian was reluctant to travel back to Vancouver via plane. Vibert had been confronted by the flight shaming campaigns that had shone a harsh light on the climate impact of air travel, and like so many of his Read More...
Lebron James and Lyft team up to give thousands of teens free bikeshare access
Growing up in Akron, Ohio, LeBron James relied on a bike to get to basketball practice and school and visit friends. Today, recognizing that access to a bike helped change his life, his company, Uninterrupted, is partnering with Lyft to give thousands of teenagers free one-year memberships to Read More...
The ultimate guide to getting rid of your old stuff responsibly
Great. You went all Marie Kondo on your house and now you have a bunch of stuff you want to get rid of. Dumping it in the trash is definitely not an option, so what can you do? Here you’ll find some tips for properly disposing of items that people commonly try to get rid of. Tech If you have Read More...
New homes in Wales will be powered by renewable energy by 2025
The building and housing sector are one of today’s major contributors to global warming and the climate crisis. Acknowledging the urgent need to find a solution to this problem, the Welsh government has recently issued plans requiring all new homes in the country to be heated and powered by clean Read More...
Packaging as a service could eliminate unnecessary cardboard and plastic waste
With nearly 700 million trees being cut each year to make the shipping boxes used in e-commerce, and nearly 8 million tons of plastic in tape, bubble wrap and foam, it’s high time the industry rethinks its wasteful practices. Enter THE BOX - a revolutionary, sustainable and trackable shipping Read More...
Architects have created a replicable self-sustaining surgical center in Uganda
Roughly 5 billion people lack any form of safe or affordable surgery, leading to millions of deaths annually worldwide. In response, architects have created a modular, easily replicable surgical facility to provide ambulatory surgical procedures for underserved populations in resource-poor Read More...
This is how Harvard students confronted Exxon’s law firm
With this weekend's Optimist View in mind, we bring you another fantastic case of civil disobedience. Last week, more than 100 first-year Harvard law students gathered at a restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for a reception hosted by the corporate law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Read More...
Buy carbon offsets and help indigenous communities with this offset program
Sometimes it feels like there’s only so much we can do in our efforts to be environmentally friendly. We can invest in reusables, but maybe we still need to drive to work if we don’t have reliable public transit. We can eat less meat, but maybe we don’t want to miss out on a trip that Read More...
Eco-friendly living concrete is made from a mix of bacteria and sand
Despite its remarkable properties as a building material, concrete has a dangerous environmental footprint. Cement - the main ingredient for making concrete - is solely responsible for 6 percent of the world’s human-made carbon emissions. And while researchers have sought alternative means of Read More...