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.
Spiny sea friends help treat Hawaii’s smothered coral reefs
For tourists, sea urchins may be an unwanted addition to a Hawaiian vacation, but these spiky little creatures are a welcomed habitat dweller for the islands’ coral reefs. The sea urchins, which are native to Hawaii’s waters, eat invasive smothering algae which threaten the health of the reef Read More...
Why conservationists are giving these rare bats a manicure
Conservation technology has come a long way in recent decades. Scientists can now track birds’ migratory patterns via satellite and try to bring species back from the brink of extinction through advanced fertility technology. But there is still room for more low-tech approaches. Sometimes all you Read More...
How to stop pollution from ruining the air quality inside your car
Did you know our car vents don’t fully protect us from the gaseous emissions in our surroundings? This evidently becomes an issue if you are sitting in traffic during rush-hour, as breathing in these pollutants for an extended period of time can inflict damage on our lungs and heart. If Read More...
Dive into this photo gallery of Earth’s most alien landscapes
To really learn about how life emerges, evolves, and flourishes‚ and to improve our chances of detecting it elsewhere in the solar system, scientists look for life in Earth’s harshest environments. That means going to the extremes—to the hottest, darkest, driest, most acidic, saltiest places Read More...
Bury this shirt once it’s worn out. It will become “worm food” in 12 weeks.
A tech-based clothing startup by the name of Vollebak has developed a T-shirt that can either be put in a compost bin or buried in the ground once it’s reached the end of its life. That’s because the shirt is made entirely from wood pulp and algae, which breaks down in soil or in a composter Read More...
Marriott becomes latest hotel chain to ban tiny toiletries
Just a month ago, InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced it will no longer offer tiny toiletries at its hotels, which includes the Holiday Inn—amongst others. The move is expected to eliminate 200 million tiny bottles each year by 2021. Now, just a month later, the world’s largest Read More...
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...