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.
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...
Bees could play a big role in eliminating the need for spraying pesticides
Bees are great at retrieving tiny cargo: their main job is to visit flowering plants in order to gather pollen and nectar for their hive. Now one pesticide company has gained federal permission to ensure they’re bringing something special along on each trip. The Canadian-based company Bee Read More...
Hurricane Dorian: 7 ways you can help the Bahamas
The satellite images of the Bahamas before and after Hurricane Dorian show just how devastating the Category 5 hurricane was. The Red Cross estimates that as many as 13,000 homes were destroyed, leaving some 70,000 people in the Bahamas homeless on two northern islands. With the situation devolving Read More...
Diapers are a disaster for the environment. Here are some better options
Most babies use between 2,500 and 3,000 disposable diapers in just their first year of life, and they continue requiring diapers until they are potty trained, running the total cost somewhere between $1,500 to $2,000 for diapers for one baby, on average. Not to mention, disposable diapers account Read More...