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 largest grocery chain to create and adopt a no-deforestation policy
Two years ago, the Union of Concerned Scientists released a report that ranked 13 major food companies on their deforestation-free beef commitments and practices, highlighting that fact that, "beef is the largest driver of tropical deforestation – and companies that buy beef from tropical Read More...
Six out of 10 UK voters support radical action to curb climate change
With the growing international focus on school strikes inspired by teen activist Greta Thunberg, the Extinction Rebellion protests in London, and David Attenborough’s latest documentary on climate change, enthusiasm for tougher measures on curbing global warming is on the rise in Britain. A Read More...
Yacht-sized sharks are being spotted off California coast after 30-year hiatus
Sharks as long as small yachts are starting to frequent the coastal waters of Southern California. Surely some of you beach lovers find this bit of news unsettling, but there is no need to fear. The humongous sharks we’re talking about are called basking sharks, and they are known to be peaceful Read More...
Why it’s time to get rid of lawns, the No.1 irrigated “crop” in America
Is there a greater symbol of life in suburban America than the lawn? Probably, but the point is that lawns are incredibly common for households in the U.S. That’s a problem since lawns are awful for the planet. Our addiction to lawns means that grass is the single largest irrigated agricultural Read More...
Next-generation plastic can be recycled over and over again into new materials
Plastic is useful and ubiquitous – but that's not always a good combination. The vast majority of plastic waste can't be recycled, meaning it ends up in landfills at best or the ocean at worst. To help curb the problem, researchers at Berkeley Lab have designed a recyclable plastic – called Read More...
An Ode to the Marvelous Mushroom
By Amelia Buckley August 14th marked the first day of the sold-out 39th annual Telluride Mushroom Festival in Aspen, Colorado, which sold more tickets this year than ever. Mushrooms gained a reputation in the 1970s as a vehicle for psychedelic exploration, but these fungi friends are not just Read More...
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...