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.
How this city in Illinois plans to stop homelessness by the end of the year
Less than a decade ago, more than 700 people were homeless in the small, 150,000 person city of Rockford, Illinois, about 90 miles northwest of Chicago. By the end of the year, the city expects that number will have shrunk to essentially zero—making it the first community in the U.S. to end Read More...
Germany is turning 62 Cold War military bases into sanctuaries for wildlife
Wildlife in Germany will get a quarter more land to roam over, as the country’s government has decided to turn 62 unused military bases into sanctuaries for rare birds and other animals. Serving once as military bases at the center of the Cold War, the green areas just west of the Iron Curtain Read More...
New research shows the neurological importance of living near green spaces
As the Optimist Daily has often reported, natural spaces improve air quality, mental health, and boost community building. Adding to their list of superpowers, a new study from the University of British Columbia has found that living near green spaces can reduce your risk of developing neurological Read More...
UK to get air-filtering buses on the roads of some of its major cities
For some time now, major cities in the UK have been experiencing high levels of air pollution, pushing local authorities to up their game on solving the problem. In an effort to help alleviate the issue, the country’s biggest bus and rail operator - the Go-Ahead Group - has come up with an Read More...
Oonee bike pods offer safe and reliable bike storage for green commuters
Bikes and scooters, especially electric ones, are prominent players in the transportation revolution taking place across major cities. But one glaring component of bike and scooter transport is missing: how do we store them securely? One company, Oonee, is attempting to boost electric bicycle Read More...
How cacao trees are helping to stop illegal gold mining in the Amazon
Located in the far north of the Brazilian Amazon, Yanomami is Brazil’s biggest indigenous reserve, spread over 9.6 million hectares (23.7m acres). But its wild, mountainous forests are overrun by an estimated 20,000 wildcat gold miners, called garimpeiros. For the people of the Yanomami, this Read More...
Aerial firefighting at night is now possible with new high-altitude drop system
Since 1953, firefighters have been battling flames by flying planes low to the ground and dropping liquids or foams that can suppress fires. When we say low, we mean at between 100 and 120 ft (30 and 36 m). Such basement floor flying is extremely dangerous, but it's necessary because if the liquid Read More...
Bank of America has achieved carbon neutrality a year ahead of schedule
In an effort to become more sustainable, Bank of America has achieved its goal of carbon neutrality. Even better: it did so a year ahead of schedule. The carbon-neutral status is still pending third party approval, but the company achieved its carbon footprint reduction by reducing Scope 1 and 2 Read More...
Scientists have discovered 4 new species of walking shark
Scientists have identified four new species of walking shark in the waters off Australia and New Guinea. While that might sound like the stuff of horror films, researchers say that the foot-long fish, which have evolved to use their fins to walk on land or in shallow water, are actually adorable. Read More...
Pushing for ambitious sustainability has become the standard in Paris
Whatever you think of them, you can’t say the new promises from Paris’s Mayor Anne Hidalgo lack ambition. Seeking re-election at the municipal polls in March, Hidalgo unveiled proposals this week that include a referendum on the role of Airbnb, a plan to make the city center “100 percent Read More...