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.
Hawaii’s state bird no longer endangered thanks to rigorous conservation efforts
The population of the majestic Hawaiian Goose numbered 25,000 on the islands in 1778 when Captain Cook arrived, but soon those numbers were decimated by human-introduced animals like the mongoose until there were just 30 left in 1952. Known locally as the nēnē, the goose was listed as an Read More...
Instead of ignoring sea level rise, this Brooklyn development embraces it
If you walk down Metropolitan Avenue, a street that stretches across North Brooklyn, you’ll eventually reach a dead end: a chain-link fence blocks off access to the waterfront on the East River. But vacant land behind the fence could soon be transformed into a new park that brings green space to Read More...
This rare Brazilian bird has returned to the Amazon after 3 decade absence
For an environmentalist, few things are as satisfying as when carefully planned conservation works out as intended. In Brazil, a special bird called the Alagoas curassow is now back in the jungle after three decades of being preserved in a scientific-breeding facility in the state of Rio de Read More...
The Ocean Cleanup device has returned with its first load of plastic
After months of research, failures, and reconfigurations, and weeks spent at sea traveling to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and back, The Ocean Cleanup’s device—a 2,000 foot-long floating tube that skims the surface of the water to catch plastic trash—has returned to shore. And with it, Read More...
The ocean is taking center stage at this year’s UN climate summit
On the opening day of this year’s United Nations climate summit or COP25, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres delivered a gut punch: “We are knowingly destroying the very support systems keeping us alive.” One of those vital systems is the world’s oceans, which generate at least 50% Read More...
Want an easy, rewarding, and green New Year’s resolution? Try composting
Composting is one of the most beneficial habits households can adopt to reduce their food waste and carbon footprint. Implementing worldwide composting could reduce emissions by 2.3 billion tons over the next 30 years by reducing methane emissions from decomposing organic material in landfills. So, Read More...
Wow: Traffic jam sculpture on Miami Beach provokes thoughts on climate change
When facts and figures can’t deliver the urgent climate change message, art can serve as a vital vehicle to get the message across. Speaking of vehicles, Argentinian conceptual artist Leandro Erlich unveiled a provocative art installation featuring more than 60 “vehicles” made of sand that Read More...
This one-armed surfer developed the first eco-friendly fire-retardant spray
Jeff Denholm is known for being a big wave surfer with just one arm. What he’s less known for, however, is his environmental safe fire-retardant spray. After becoming an equipment lessor for fire departments, predominantly in the West, Denholm discovered that the fire-retardant sprays currently Read More...
This startup is using drones to plant 1 billion trees by 2028
Every year deforestation leads to the clearing of 13 billion trees around the world, considerably slowing down our efforts in the fight against climate change. In a bid to put a dent in the deforestation rates across the globe, a Canadian tech company is aiming to plant 1 billion trees by 2028 - Read More...
A new process has been invented to create aluminum that slashes emissions
Aluminum is abundant in more things than just soda cans; the metal is used in everything from transportation to power lines to smartphones. It’s an incredibly important metal in today’s world, but the problem is that mining, melting, and casting is a carbon-intense process, accounting for 1 Read More...