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 post-industrial space in Pittsburg is finding a new purpose as an urban park
What do you do with 626 acres of old mining land? When the city of Pittsburgh was faced with the decision in 2016, they decided to turn the large space into an extensive urban open space. After acquiring the land from a developer for $5 million, the city made a plan to spend the next decade Read More...
Computer model can help predict how climate change will affect coniferous forests
As climate change increases the odds of worsening drought in many parts of the world in the decades ahead, it is essential to gain new insights into how to preserve our natural environments. When it comes to forest ecosystems, drought-resistant conifers may hold some answers. In a bid to help Read More...
Earth-friendly material filters pollutants out of stormwater
While it’s often overlooked, stormwater has great potential to solve the problem of strained water supplies in urban areas. One of the main reasons why this resource has gone mostly untapped is because stormwater picks up toxic chemicals as it runs through streets and gutters. Now that may no Read More...
Footage of chimpanzees dancing suggests the urge to dance might be prehuman
If there is one thing that unites humans around the world, it’s that dance is a part of every human culture ever encountered. But while dance has a rich and ancient history in humans, it is considered all but absent in non-human primates. New footage from researchers in Kyoto, however, is telling Read More...
Beijing’s air quality continued to significantly improve in 2019
The Chinese capital of Beijing is a cultural and economic hub for the country, but unfortunately, it is also known for its hazardous air pollution. Seven years after the government launched its “war on pollution” in the city, the area is finally seeing some positive results. The Beijing Read More...
Four predictions that will make you more optimistic about the future of the fashion industry
We at the Optimist Daily are big advocates of fashion products that challenge or ameliorate the industry’s large and wasteful ecological footprint. While it’s true that the fashion industry is responsible for 8% of all global climate impacts, companies such as Patagonia are raising awareness Read More...
Tiny Pacific island nation bans harmful toxins in sunscreens
For some time already, scientific evidence has shown that the chemicals found in most sunscreens are toxic to corals, even in extremely tiny doses. Particularly, the ingredients have a negative impact on the juvenile development of most coral and many fish and algae species. Instead of waiting Read More...
This coating allows seeds to sprout in soil that would typically be too salty
Too much salt isn’t only bad for our bodies, it’s bad for our crops, which don’t grow well in highly saline soil. As climate change, poor water quality, and the misuse of agrochemicals degrades our land, the world’s soil is becoming saltier, threatening the global food system. The good Read More...
A farm in New York has been powering itself using food scraps and cow manure
On a farm in upstate New York, a cheese brand is turning millions of pounds of food scraps into electricity needed to power its on-site businesses. Founded by eight families, each with their own dairy farms, Craigs Creamery doesn't just produce various types of cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss and Read More...
London to start heating homes using ‘waste heat’ from the city’s underground
If you frequently commute via the metro, you’ve probably noticed the hot gusts of air that tend to blow out of train tunnels. In London, a new project seeks to harness the heat from the underground metro in order to heat homes in the north of the city during the colder months of the year. The Read More...