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 are turning carbon dioxide into a liquid that powers fuel-cells
While it’s good that we’re finding ways to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it’s even better that we’re finding ways to turn all that CO2 into something good for the planet. Recently, scientists at Rice University have devised an environmentally friendly way to take carbon Read More...
This bat highway allows light-shy bats to cross the road
Highways are a nightmare for animals because they fragment habitats and obstruct the movements of animals. Now, you wouldn't think that flying animals would have a problem with roads, but as it turns out, some bats do. Not with the roads themselves, but with the street lights. Many bat species will Read More...
A New Orleans local listed a pothole on Airbnb to get the city to fix it
After waiting years for the city to fix their streets, a resident of the Irish Channel neighborhood in New Orleans did something a bit outside the box to get the attention of city officials: he listed a local pothole on Airbnb. The listing is called “Homer’s Hideout”, and the description of Read More...
Find out when the autumn leaves will look their best in your area
The changing colors of the leaves is a trademark sign of the start of autumn, but when that happens all depends on where you live. In certain parts of the country—we’re looking at you, central Rockies—foliage begins to change colors as early as mid-September, peaking by the end of the Read More...
UK conservationists are restoring seagrass meadows to fight climate change
While reforestation is an important tool against climate change, scientists in Britain are now also turning to the undersea to slow down the pace of climate change. A new seagrass restoration scheme could be used to fight UK emissions, as the “wonder plant” not only serves as critical Read More...
This veterinarian specializes in rescuing animals from war-torn regions
Dr. Amir Khalil is not your average veterinarian. Born in Egypt and based in Austria for the past three decades, Khalil has led animal rescue operations and created sanctuaries around the world for more than 20 years in war zones—including Iraq, Sudan's Darfur region, and Bosnia. He has calmed Read More...
Seattle takes the long-view and announces its roadmap to resilience
As a society, we face challenges every single day, and this week, as Hurricane Dorian leaves its mark on the Bahamas and the rest of the Atlantic coastline, is no exception. Issues include the extreme weather events and destructive acts of nature that are becoming regular occurrences (floods, Read More...
The River Thames was once declared biologically dead. Now it’s a haven for seals
The River Thames is known for many things, but cleanliness isn’t one of them. The English river has been a highway, a sewer and was declared biologically dead 62 years ago. But things have changed. According to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), researchers counted 138 baby seals living in Read More...
As autumn approaches, this photo gallery will make you nostalgic for summer
Kids are returning back to school, and the leaves are slowly losing their green color. Yes, it seems the long and balmy days of summer are coming to a close. As the summer feeling fades away, the people over at National Geographic asked its photographers to help us hold onto the last of the season Read More...
Ireland is looking to plant nearly half a billion trees to fight climate change
Lately, planting more trees has become one of the top environmental priorities for countries eager to slow down the pace of climate change. The latest nation to arm itself with greenery in the fight against global warming is Ireland. The country’s government has recently announced it will Read More...