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.
Trade of wild African elephants will be banned under new international agreement
It will no longer be legal for wild baby elephants to be snatched from their families and exported to zoos around the world. The landmark conservation decision is the result of a new international agreement ratified by members of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Read More...
India wages war against single-use plastics to fight the country’s trash crisis
India consumes about 14 million tons of plastic every year – out of which a staggering 70 percent is simply discarded, as most of the country’s cities lack an organized system for waste management. As a result, the world's largest democracy is home to vast trash mountains that loom over the Read More...
The Amazon fires are disastrous, but not to our oxygen supply. Here’s why.
If you have been following the news about the fires in the Amazon, chances are you have heard the statistic that 20 percent of our oxygen comes from the Amazon Rainforest. Added to this observation, often in the conventional news media, is a panic-inducing statement that the lungs of the planet are Read More...
Meet the majestic “General Sherman,” resident of Sequoia National Park
General Sherman, a 2000-year-old giant sequoia, is not the largest tree in terms of height, but it does take the cake in total wood volume at an astonishing 52,500 cubic feet. The tree resides within the boundaries of Sequoia National Park and is a popular tourist destination for those who wish to Read More...
Check out this handy guide on plastic recycling. Thanks NPR!
The recycle step of “reduce, reuse, recycle” is not always as easy as it seems. With categories and policies varying based on city and disposal company, it is not always easy to know what can be recycled where. Luckily, NPR has created an easy to use guide to help the average consumer navigate Read More...
Will the growth of car sharing change how cities are built? Absolutely!
Car share services, such as car2go and ZipCar, have gained popularity in recent years as a cost-effective and easy transportation methods for less “car-centric” individuals, including students and residents of urban areas. Apps like car2go work like an instant rental car service, zoom in on the Read More...
A major company just gave its national ad airtime to the Global Climate Strike
Seventh Generation, a major company that specializes in cleaning and personal care products, is donating all of its national TV ad airtime for a whole week leading up to the Global Climate Strike. If you aren’t already aware of the global Climate Strike, it’s an event happening on September Read More...
This invention could make geothermal energy available across the globe
Just last month, the US government released a report that highlighted the “enormous untapped potential” that geothermal energy, the heat naturally produced beneath Earth’s surface, could have in generating electricity within the country. Now, Canadian company Eavor Technologies is building a Read More...
Marine protection area surrounding Ascension Island will soon be the world’s biggest
Ascension Island is a tiny, remote, volcanic outpost in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Brazil and the west coast of Africa. The island may look rather rugged, but the ocean that surrounds it happens to make up one of the world’s most pristine and biodiverse ocean ecosystems. And to make Read More...
150 top-of-the-line clothing brands have united to clean up the fashion industry
Here’s some news from the G7 summit that’s actually worth talking about: this week. French President Emmanuel Macron; who hosted this year’s summit, debuted his new Fashion Pact, a set of shared objectives the fashion industry can work toward to reduce its environmental impact. The Pact is Read More...