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.
Here’s what the hyperloop systems of the future might look like in urban areas
We've seen a lot of technical exploration around how a hyperloop system might one-day fling humans and goods across the Earth at the speed of sound inside low-vacuum tubes but not much about the structural elements that would hold everything in place. That’s why startup HyperloopTT has teamed up Read More...
People consume less meat and bottled drinks over growing environmental concerns
It’s no secret that public awareness about plastic pollution and global warming has been on the rise recently, but have people actually started embracing the green cause and doing their bit about these dire challenges? Well, data analytics firm Kantar may have recently found the answer. The Read More...
Scientists just discovered the world’s most powerful electric eel in the Amazon
As a testament to the incredible biodiversity of the Amazon Rainforest, scientists have discovered two entirely new species of electric eel in the Amazon basin—with one of them capable of delivering a record-breaking electrical jolt. For centuries, it was believed that a single species existed Read More...
What do cities look like when they are built for people, not cars?
It turns out cities focused on people, rather than vehicles, are cleaner, quieter, have more public space, and even help you live longer. One city in Spain is showing the rest of the world how this might be done. Barcelona is revolutionizing city planning by taking areas equal to nine city Read More...
How to control the flood of information during a natural disaster
In a 21st century crisis, information is dissipated in mass through social media channels. But when the communication stakes are high, such as relaying evacuation notices, bridge collapses, and road closures, how do we decipher what is accurate in the virtual flood of information? Shannon Bowen, a Read More...
LA recently hired its first-ever forest officer. More cities are set to follow
How do you keep cities cool as the world gets hotter? It’s sort of a no-brainer: Less concrete, more jungle. In a recent study, University of Wisconsin-Madison researchers showed that tree cover can cool down a city block by as much as 10 degrees Fahrenheit, a difference that could Read More...
Major industrial zone in UK launches plans to become carbon-neutral
A couple of months ago, the United Kingdom announced that it would eradicate its net contribution to climate change by 2050. Be that as it may, this ambitious goal is undermined by the country’s slow-moving pace to overhaul its heavy and energy industries, which are both a major source of Read More...
Meet the new (green) power couple: Solar Panels + Arid Farms
Renewable energy and sustainable food production are both in high demand as we move into a future of changing climate and growing population. But how do we allocate space for solar energy production and farmland when they both demand similar geographic conditions? Agrivoltaics, the process of Read More...
The classic VW Beetle gets a green makeover
If you’re a lover of the environment and classic cars, there is good news for you! Volkswagen debuted a new electric version of their classic Beetle at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt, Germany. Featuring the same nostalgia-inducing look of the original Beetle, the new version, which Read More...
KitKat’s new wrapper quits single use plastic… and challenges your origami skills
Getting corporations to join the fight against single-use plastics often takes more than a desire to help the environment. It also takes economic and marketing incentives. Food and drink giant Nestlé seems to have found a strategy for reducing plastic use and increase sales: paper packaging that Read More...