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.
Scientists have photographed a mouse deer for the first time in nearly 30 years
In a testament to the Earth’s ability to continually surprise us, scientists in Vietnam have successfully photographed a species not seen for nearly 30 years. That species is known as the mouse deer, a rabbit-sized animal that despite the name, is neither mouse nor deer. Instead, its the Read More...
How “Climate Strike” became Collins dictionary’s word of the year
It’s funny how quickly the English language adopts new words and phrases that were on nobody’s tongues last year. A good example of this phenomenon is the phrase “Climate strike”, which was featured on plenty of news headlines this year and rapidly became something we hear on a daily Read More...
Studies suggest humor is effective for engaging the public about climate change
Although the climate crisis is certainly a dark issue to communicate to people, three studies this year have come to the conclusion that using humor may be the most effective way to engage the public about the crisis. In March 2017, the American Psychological Association published a Read More...
We cannot overestimate how important fungi is for storing carbon in soil
Humans have long relied on fungi for sustenance and, er, inspiration. With that said, scientists are only just discovering how incredibly important fungi are for the Earth’s ability to store carbon. Human activity, especially large-scale agriculture, has severely affected a delicate and Read More...
Oslo wants to become the world’s first zero-emission port. Here’s how
Cargo shipping is a massive contributor to emissions, and shipping technology has not quite reached the level where we can suddenly swap fossil fuel-burning engines for electric ones. This makes decarbonizing a port a difficult process, which is something many cities are trying to do one step at a Read More...
A brilliant new park is being built atop a highway in San Francisco
The foggy weather of San Francisco has never stopped its local residents from enjoying the city’s many outdoor parks. But as more and more people move to the city by the bay, the municipality has decided to add a new 14-acre park to its landscape. The “Tunnel Tops” park will cover two Read More...
Russia has finally released the last beluga whales from its “whale jail”
Russia’s notorious “whale jail” is no more. In November of 2018, conservationists shared drone footage of a huge whale enclosure in Russia’s Far East coast. An estimated 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales were once held at the facility, which consisted of cramped, ice-covered enclosures in a Read More...
Heineken is saying goodbye to plastic beer holders and shrink wraps
The premium beer seller, Heineken, has officially announced it will replace plastic ring-holders and shrinkwrap from its products in all UK facilities. By replacing the old plastic holders with a recycled cardboard holder, the company hopes to remove 500 tonnes of plastic from the packaging by Read More...
Urban farms could breathe life into the typical big-box store parking lot
Typical parking lots at big-box stores, sprawling over several acres, are empty most of the time, unnecessarily occupying space that could otherwise be designated for more useful community projects. One way to breathe life and utility into these bland spaces could be by turning them into urban Read More...
Algae is going mainstream as Kanye West unveils algae-based sneakers
We can already imagine some of our readers facepalming after reading this headline, but the fact of the matter is nothing spreads faster than when an “influencer” bringing it to the mainstream. That’s why it’s awesome that Kanye West unveiled a new shoe prototype from his Yeezy fashion Read More...