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.
Australian hospital receives record number of donations to save koalas from extinction
With Australia experiencing a record-breaking drought and harsh bushfires, koala populations have dwindled along with their habitat, leaving them “functionally extinct”. In a bid to save and rehabilitate the injured animals, an Australian koala hospital managed to raise over $1 million from Read More...
If you want to live in this Arizona community, you’ll have to ditch your car
Try and imagine your life without a car. No noisy engines, no busy asphalt streets, your grocery store within walking distance. This is the vision for Culdesac Tempe, a new development slated for 2020 in the fast-growing outskirts of Phoenix. The project will house 1,000 people, all without cars. Read More...
The Paris Aquarium is rescuing and providing refuge to unwanted goldfish
Lurking in the depths of a 40,000-liter fish tank within the Paris Aquarium is an unlikely sight—one that many visitors might be surprised to see. The freshwater tank is just one of several that house the aquarium’s growing population of goldfish. Over the past few years, the aquarium has Read More...
Creating pockets of air within concrete fixtures can slash building emissions
The production of concrete is one of the biggest sources of emissions in the world, so anything done to reduce the production of it is a win for the environment. In Germany, architects have come up with a clever way to use less concrete in buildings by incorporating air pockets made of recycled Read More...
This device can kill weeds without chemicals by using electromagnetic waves
Spraying weed killer near your prized plants can be tricky, but picture this: a weed, sucking up valuable sun and nutrients — but suddenly, a shadow passes above, and deep within the plant pest, tiny, violent vibrations begin. The molecules shake, the water inside warms and expands, until its Read More...
Bison will once again roam Badlands National Park
Thanks to work by Native American leaders and World Wildlife Fund workers, visitors to Badlands National Park in South Dakota will once again see large brown bison dotting the snowy landscape. Once numbering between 30 and 60 million, Bison have not set foot in this area of the Great Plains since Read More...
Coldplay to refrain from touring until a greener way of doing concerts is found
The platinum-record selling band Coldplay has announced it will not tour the world after the release of its new album in order to spare the environment. The band, which is world-renowned for songs such as Viva La Vida, said they want to take time over the next year or two “to work out” how Read More...
Sustainable fashion: this water-proof parka is made from recycled PET bottles
When it comes to coats and jackets, choosing a light-yet-durable option is best, so you don’t find yourself in a mummy-tight arctic coat when all you really need is a lightweight, waterproof shell. That is where the Maium Lightweight Parka comes in to play. Both light and waterproof, this parka Read More...
New Jersey just doubled its offshore wind power promise
How do you go about generating renewable energy when your state has 130 miles of windy coastline? Massive wind farms, of course. This week, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy declared the state will install 7.5 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035, almost double its initial target of 3.5 gigawatts. Read More...
This brand will pay you to send back their old sneakers to be 100% recycled
A pair of designers have come up with a pair of white sneakers that can be recycled in their entirety. The brand, which goes by the name Thousand Fell, is the first to launch a model that actually pays its customers to ship back their old pairs so that the company can assure that they are taken Read More...