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.
Adidas by Stella McCartney unveils new hoodie made out of 100% recycled clothing
Each year, the world throws out a mind-boggling 92 million tons of textile waste. In a little more than a decade, that number could increase by 60 percent. One solution to this problem is recycling the most popular fabric used for making clothing: cotton. In collaboration with fashion designer Read More...
We’re running out of rare-Earth metals for electronics. Here’s a solution
Electronic devices are made possible thanks to a group of elements often referred to as rare-Earth metals, but as the name suggests, these may be in limited supply and are relatively expensive. Now, a team of scientists has found a way to combine much more common elements into electronically-useful Read More...
What the city of Utrecht did to become a paradise for cyclists
When you think of the world’s most bike-friendly cities, Amsterdam and Copenhagen probably come to mind first. But another contender has edged into the top tier: Utrecht, the fourth-largest and fastest-growing city in the Netherlands, where average daily bike trips number 125,000. A new short Read More...
Novel technologies could increase UK’s recycling rates tenfold
When we throw something in the recycling bin, we like to think that plastic waste will be reincarnated into something else. Sadly enough, the reality is that most of the plastic being produced today is non-recyclable and winds up in the landfill. To deal with all that non-recyclable plastic, a host Read More...
Planting more trees could dramatically help in fight against climate change
In order to achieve stabilization of global temperatures as called for by the international climate goals, we need to reach net-zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050. And while turning away from fossil fuels to clean energy sources is an essential step, a recent study suggests that the best Read More...
Satisfying the Ache for Home
Whole Community Approaches to Accommodation by Amelia Buckley Homelessness has been on the rise in many major cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco, where homelessness rose in the last year by 12 and 17 percent respectively. But even for those who have a home, it’s often not that Read More...
The National Trust of Great Britain has pulled its funds from fossil fuels
As Europe’s largest conservation group, The National Trust of the UK is a powerful organization with loads of wealth. The organization holds up to £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in assets, with a large chunk dedicated towards fossil fuel companies including BP, Shell, and Total. In the past, the Read More...
Meet the ‘night minister’ who helps those who need it most in San Francisco
For decades, the Tenderloin has been known as San Francisco’s primary harbor of destitution. More than 4,000 people sleep unsheltered around the area, far more than anywhere else in the city. It’s common to encounter open-air narcotic exchanges, human feces on the sidewalk, and desperate Read More...
Leonardo DiCaprio co-founds new environmental initiative Earth Alliance
Leonardo DiCaprio has recently stepped up his climate activism game by partnering with billionaire investors and philanthropists to create a new non-profit with the main target of battling climate change. Called the Earth Alliance, the organization is essentially joining the resources of the Read More...
Scientists in Zurich are turning light and air into carbon-neutral fuel
Until our transportation systems run entirely on battery-powered engines or hydrogen fuel, cleaner ways of producing fuel are absolutely necessary. In Zurich, scientists have developed a solar plant that produces synthetic fuels that release as much carbon dioxide during their combustion as Read More...