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.
Crowded cities finally have a way to bury their dead sustainably
Despite the expenses and environmental problems that come with burying the dead in urban areas, most people still want their final resting place to be close to where they lived most of their life. But fulfilling that desire in cities is becoming increasingly difficult, if not impossible. Take Hong Read More...
This coffee shop chain plans to become zero waste by the end of 2020
People’s strong love for coffee, combined with our western society’s throwaway culture, sends an overwhelming amount of waste to landfills, putting a serious strain on the environment. And while finding a sustainable alternative to the disposable coffee cup has proved difficult, the ultimate Read More...
This geothermal-powered community will feature connected public roof gardens
Of all the “sustainable” communities that global cities are planning to build in the coming years, the blueprints for a new net-zero community in Hamburg are particularly striking. One main reason is that the community, which will be built in the formerly industrial borough Harbugh, will be Read More...
Hello botanists, have you seen the incredible plants discovered in 2019?
At the end of each year, the Royal Botanic Gardens of the UK celebrates the diversity of plants and fungi by choosing its top 10 newly discovered species of the year. This year, the top 10 included everything from bamboo-dwelling medicinal fungi and a ‘miracle berry’ to a candy-cane striped Read More...
Mining is set to become a tiny bit greener with hydrogen-powered haul trucks
Mining companies are responsible for a huge chunk of our carbon emissions. One reason why is that the process requires big trucks to haul those minerals and ore around. With heavy loads and lots of back-and-forth travel, a fleet of these diesel-powered dump trucks are the main source of Read More...
More cities around the world are starting to love car-free streets
Cultural attractions, walking through the city and gazing at plazas, buildings, and places—these are the things that make a city unique. And what particularly adds to the charm of a city is the absence of noise and air pollution coming from car-congested streets. With that in mind, many cities Read More...
After years of steady decline, monarch butterfly populations are rising once more
The number of monarch butterflies doing their annual migration through California reached record lows last year, but according to several volunteer counts, there are significantly more butterflies this year. The Xerces Society’s Western Monarch Count Resource Center, which provides daily Read More...
This billboard in Mexico purifies the air around it
In Monterrey, Mexico, a new billboard has popped up in the city. But unlike the countless other billboards advertising around the city, this billboard is actually having a positive impact on its immediate surroundings. That’s because the billboard is covered in an air-purifying resin that can eat Read More...
New foam-like material makes carbon capture more sustainable and efficient
Carbon capture has been touted as an essential tool for avoiding catastrophic climate change. Capable to both reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to potentially even reverse their buildup in the atmosphere, scientists are increasingly investigating methods of capturing the carbon dioxide that's Read More...
How to make this year’s holiday gifts more environmentally conscious
With all the wholesomeness and magic it brings, the holiday season is also putting significant strain on the environment. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, American household waste increases 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day – equating to 1 million tons each Read More...