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.
Mass media is stepping up with a “covering climate now” commitment
Journalists and newsrooms have wrestled with the right way to tell the climate story for almost thirty years. In fits and starts, newsrooms have covered climate change, suggested there was a reason for concern, backed off, named & renamed the crisis, and been challenged by misconceptions that Read More...
Americans waking up to the seriousness of climate crisis, a new poll shows
In a new poll conducted by CBS News, two-thirds of Americans agree that climate change is either a crisis or a serious problem. More than half of those surveyed also said they wanted immediate action to deal with the effects of this climate change. This is big news, because although the rest Read More...
CupClub makes your morning coffee sleeker and effortlessly sustainable
The to-go coffee cup is a symbol of the on-the-go worker: an iconic image of the modern professional. But the image of 600 billion discarded coffee cups clogging up oceans and landfills each year is far less glamorous. Architect Safia Qureshi wanted to make coffee cups more sustainable, without Read More...
Danish people donate nearly $3 million in first-ever climate telethon
Fighting climate change from the comfort of your sofa is something hard to conceive, but that's exactly what Danish people were able to do this weekend through the help of a TV fundraiser. Individuals and companies alike in Denmark donated about $2.7 million to plant almost 1 million trees Read More...
Indulge in 40 beauty brands that pamper you - and the planet
Navigating environmentally friendly beauty products can be a challenge. Are glass containers better than plastic if they are heavier and more energy-intensive to transport? Is organic and GMO-free worth it if the ingredients can only be grown thousands of miles away? Picking beauty products depends Read More...
In solidarity with global climate strike, Patagonia will close its doors September 20th
Companies are slowing beginning to acknowledge the need for greater environmental consciousness in their business practices, but one company has been practicing green corporate responsibility for years and continues to put its money where its mouth is: Patagonia. In keeping with their Read More...
Plastic waste could soon be used to pave the roads you drive on
Last year China stopped accepting much of the world’s recyclable waste. Since then, many countries have been faced with the challenge of how to deal with their own trash. In Australia, however, recycling company Close the Loop has figured out a way to divert that trash from landfills and the Read More...
More legal rights could mean less deadly algae for Lake Erie
Laws focused on natural spaces often hone in on protecting what humans can gain from the natural resource, rather than protecting the space itself. However, “Rights of Nature” laws, which give natural spaces protection as legal entities, are beginning to crop up in an effort to change the Read More...
How fast fashion hurts the planet, and what you can do about it
If we could trace the ecological and social impact of our clothes, most of us would stop shopping altogether. The global fashion industry, specifically high volume producers of low-quality garments, such as Forever 21, H&M, Fashion Nova, and Zara, employ workers at sub-poverty wages. The Read More...
This Italian region will pay you €25,000 to move there
The president of Molise, an underpopulated region in southern Italy, has a lucrative offer for you. According to the Guardian, if you move to Molise, you will be offered €700 per month for three years to live in one of its villages. That’s €25,000 in three years’ time. There are a few Read More...