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.
How the latest technology can save our coral reefs
As you may have read before, coral reefs around the world have been dying over the past years. Corals are incredibly sensitive to erratic changes in the environment - inculcating higher ocean acidity and temperature. Coral reefs are known as “ocean jungles” - a deserved name seeing that they Read More...
How crowdfunding saved this beautiful fjord from logging
Things that were once impossible to raise enough funds for have now become possible with crowdfunding. In the latest example of such, a foundation in British Columbia, Canada, successfully fundraised $3 million to purchase nearly 2,000 acres (800 hectares) of forest in order to protect it from Read More...
Germany prepares ambitious action plan to protect its declining bug populations
In 2017, researchers in Germany reported a dramatic loss of insects in the country’s nature reserve: 76 percent less biomass over three decades. This is an alarming statistic that, with things left unchanged, could have devastating effects on nature’s ecosystems and our food chains. Now, Read More...
Scientists are turning carbon dioxide into a liquid that powers fuel-cells
While it’s good that we’re finding ways to capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, it’s even better that we’re finding ways to turn all that CO2 into something good for the planet. Recently, scientists at Rice University have devised an environmentally friendly way to take carbon Read More...
This bat highway allows light-shy bats to cross the road
Highways are a nightmare for animals because they fragment habitats and obstruct the movements of animals. Now, you wouldn't think that flying animals would have a problem with roads, but as it turns out, some bats do. Not with the roads themselves, but with the street lights. Many bat species will Read More...
A New Orleans local listed a pothole on Airbnb to get the city to fix it
After waiting years for the city to fix their streets, a resident of the Irish Channel neighborhood in New Orleans did something a bit outside the box to get the attention of city officials: he listed a local pothole on Airbnb. The listing is called “Homer’s Hideout”, and the description of Read More...
Find out when the autumn leaves will look their best in your area
The changing colors of the leaves is a trademark sign of the start of autumn, but when that happens all depends on where you live. In certain parts of the country—we’re looking at you, central Rockies—foliage begins to change colors as early as mid-September, peaking by the end of the Read More...
UK conservationists are restoring seagrass meadows to fight climate change
While reforestation is an important tool against climate change, scientists in Britain are now also turning to the undersea to slow down the pace of climate change. A new seagrass restoration scheme could be used to fight UK emissions, as the “wonder plant” not only serves as critical Read More...
This veterinarian specializes in rescuing animals from war-torn regions
Dr. Amir Khalil is not your average veterinarian. Born in Egypt and based in Austria for the past three decades, Khalil has led animal rescue operations and created sanctuaries around the world for more than 20 years in war zones—including Iraq, Sudan's Darfur region, and Bosnia. He has calmed Read More...
Seattle takes the long-view and announces its roadmap to resilience
As a society, we face challenges every single day, and this week, as Hurricane Dorian leaves its mark on the Bahamas and the rest of the Atlantic coastline, is no exception. Issues include the extreme weather events and destructive acts of nature that are becoming regular occurrences (floods, Read More...