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.
African elephant poaching falls dramatically as ivory demand slows
Africa is home to some of the world’s most iconic animals, but the crisis of illegal poaching has left numerous species vulnerable and even on the brink of extinction. Among these animals are elephants, that die in the number of tens of thousands each year for their ivory tusks. The good news Read More...
Making Friends with Coyotes and Critters: A film review of The Biggest Little Farm
“For a new generation to be able to simultaneously make a decent living and pursue a profession that they feel is synonymous with how they want to live on this planet is an exceptional opportunity.” - Alan York By Kristy Jansen In 2007, a group of my friends and I read Barbara Read More...
Scientists are developing a super plant that stores massive amounts of carbon
If we want to minimize the effects of global heating, then we need to pull millions of tons of carbon dioxide out of the air. While capture technology is one potential way to suck up carbon, researchers at California’s Salk Institute for Biological Studies are taking a less mechanical approach Read More...
New study finds marching for the climate can actually convince onlookers
Does a protest march actually help to convince bystanders to tag along and join the cause? According to new research, the answer is yes—if you are a climate protester. In a new study published in the journal Frontiers in Education, researchers found that climate marches cannot only boost Read More...
Minnesota will pay homeowners to turn their lawns into bee-friendly gardens
Minnesota is on the verge of passing a landmark piece of legislation that will incentivize people to transform their yards into bee-friendly gardens. Under the new bill, which is awaiting the signature of Minnesota’s Governor Tim Waltz, a total of $900,000 will be allocated to cover up 75 percent Read More...
The UK is about to double its marine conservation zones
An area twice the size of England will soon become a “blue belt” of protected waters after the British government created 41 new marine conservation zones. The newly-protected areas ranging from Studland Bay, near Bournemouth, to the Goodwin Sands off the Deal coast in Kent will cover 4633 sq Read More...
This British company is using old coffee cups to make reusable coffee mugs
Disposable coffee cups are a pain to recycle. That’s because typical paper coffee cups have a plastic lining, which means that in order to recycle them, you need to separate the materials, which requires specialized equipment. You would hope that more people would start using reusable cups rather Read More...
Adidas and Parley are removing tons of plastic from the oceans
When Adidas teamed up with Parley last year to bring out a line of shoes made from ocean plastic, it seemed more like a greenwashing marketing gimmick rather than an actual solution. Sure, the shoes showed how we can transform ocean plastic into something useful, but there were doubts that this Read More...
Your toothpaste pollutes. Here are some eco-friendly alternatives
While a nice, minty toothpaste can leave your mouth feeling fresh, it has the opposite effect on the environment. Some of the chemicals in toothpaste cause serious water pollution, and with most people spitting those chemicals down the drain twice a day, all that pollution adds up. With that in Read More...
Cleaning and personal care products use lots of plastic. Here’s a solution
When you stop to think about it, much of the cleaning products or personal care products that we’re shipping around the world is water with ingredients mixed in to clean, moisturize, or do whatever you need. Now imagine if we could remove the water and only ship the additive. It could come in Read More...