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.
America’s first all-electric vessels will soon start operating at Niagara Falls
For decades, tourists have been able to get up close and personal with the roaring waters of Niagara Falls by getting on board one of the Maid of the Mist ferries. Soon they will be able to do this in a more environmentally-friendly manner thanks to a pair of all-electric boats that will not only Read More...
Pedestrians are taking over the streets of traffic-filled Brussels
Right now, there can be an almost eerie calm to some sections of central Brussels. Take an evening stroll down Boulevard Anspach, the broad avenue that forms the Belgian capital’s spine, and you may find the roadway empty, its limestone and wrought-iron facades echoing the footsteps of a rare Read More...
Carbon capturing ‘mechanical trees’ to be deployed across the US
Unless you've been living under a rock, you probably know the world needs to urgently cut the amount of carbon dioxide dumped into the atmosphere. One way to make a serious dent is carbon capture - a group of technologies that has been gaining momentum lately, and has been cited by the United Read More...
California restaurants are incentivizing eco-friendly farming with surcharge
Restaurants in California are banding together to fight climate change in an intriguing way. Concerned eateries can sign on to the Restore California Renewable Restaurant program, which pledges to add a 1% surcharge to diners' bills and then use the money to incentivize farmers to implement more Read More...
Endangered sea turtles are making a comeback in the Pacific Ocean
Amidst the seemingly endless stream of bad news we hear about the world’s oceans on a daily basis, here’s some good news: According to a new survey of sea life in the Pacific Ocean, endangered green sea turtles are making a lively comeback as populations along dozens of coral reefs in waters Read More...
The UK just announced a climate change emergency. Here’s why that matters
Before any concrete action can be taken on climate change by governments, the threat of climate change should at least be recognized officially. Last week, the UK became the first country in the world to declare a climate change emergency, taking their recognition of the threat that climate change Read More...
Single-use plastics have been banned from all cultural events in Prague
Although festivals can be good fun, for some reason people tend to treat festival grounds with reckless abandon, leaving plastic waste all over the place. The world famous Glastonbury Festival in England has banned all single-use plastic bottles earlier this year to help combat the problem, and now Read More...
Amsterdam to ban diesel and gas-powered cars and motorbikes by 2030
As the world gets hotter and more crowded, we don't need our transportation to continue pumping dirty emissions into the air we breathe. The World Health Association lists air pollution as one of the most threatening global public health issues and estimates that 90 percent of the world’s Read More...
Have a truly green spring cleaning with these eco-friendly products
It's spring-cleaning time once again! As the weather slowly warms and the sun comes out for longer each day, the urge to purge and scour our homes becomes stronger. Tackle that winter grime with the help of the following cleaning products, all designed with the environment in mind. Whether it's Read More...
Maine becomes first state in the US to ban environmentally-harmful Styrofoam
Like all plastics, Styrofoam, or polystyrene, stays around in the environment for hundreds of years. But it's particularly noxious because its light weight makes it liable to be carried by wind and water into the ocean, where it breaks down into micro-plastics that eventually make their way into Read More...