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.
Tesla’s new Gigafactory is as high-tech as you might have expected—and more
When it’s fully complete, Tesla’s Gigafactory in Sparks, Nevada, will be the largest building in the world, sprawling over 15 million square feet on a plot of land more than three times larger than Central Park. The building, which Elon Musk has called “the machine that builds the machine,” Read More...
Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park is thriving once more after years of war
In the ruinous 15-year civil war that followed the independence of Mozambique in 1975, the Gorongosa National Park served as a refuge for the right-wing RENAMO, or Resistência Nacional Moçambicana, rebel forces who received military support from neighboring Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and South Read More...
How the elk is helping restore wildlife habitats in coal country
One of the many awful side effects that come with coal mining is that the mining process completely transforms areas that were once teeming with flora and fauna. In the Appalachian Mountains, coal mining companies regularly blow up the top hundred feet of the mountain to expose coal seams, removing Read More...
The ‘Attenborough effect’ may help justify drop in use of disposable plastics
David Attenborough has inspired millions by bringing the sublime natural world into our homes, but his impact is even more surprising than you might expect. A recent survey suggests that his documentaries on climate change are having a major impact on consumers, and may be responsible for a Read More...
These surfers are mobilizing more than 30,000 volunteers to clean ocean plastic
Very few people are as familiar with the problem of ocean plastic as surfers. Tired of riding waves littered with trash, more and more surfers around the world are taking a stand against plastic and finding ways to fight it. In Australia, a duo of surfers created a floating rubbish bin that can Read More...
Scientists closer to finding the optimal eco-friendly replacement for plastic
The quest to keep plastic out of landfills and simultaneously satisfy the needs of the food industry is filled with obstacles. A biodegradable replacement for petroleum-based products has to meet all sorts of standards and, so far, attempts at viable replacements from renewable sources have faced Read More...
Wrapping produce in banana leaves is becoming a trend in Asia
A few weeks ago, we wrote about a supermarket in Thailand that had a surprisingly simple solution to plastic packaging: banana leaves. Instead of wrapping goods such as cucumbers and lettuce in plastic, the store simply used leftover banana leaves. A local real estate person spotted the Read More...
This project shows drones can be the key to restoring the world’s forests
Drones are really starting to prove their worth—beyond just taking cool videos up in the air. Last September, drones were used to drop seeds across abandoned fields in Myanmar where industry or farming once took place. Just a half a year later, tiny mangrove saplings around 20 inches tall are Read More...
Bitcoin mining pollutes the planet. China wants to ban it altogether
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have left their mark on the world, but not in the way most people predicted. In a typical Bitcoin mining operation, powerful banks of computers are dedicated to crunching out “blockchain” numbers and processing transactions. Nearly three-quarters of Read More...
Ecologists are turning to star-spotting cameras to count endangered orangutans
If thermal cameras are capable of spotting distant starts, then they must be capable of finding animals here on Earth, right? Such is the logic of researchers from Liverpool John Moores University who are testing the thermal infrared technology that astrophysicists use to discover stars in order to Read More...