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.
The world’s biggest shipping company is testing greener fuels
Shipping accounts for 90 percent of the transported goods around the world and 3 percent of total global CO2 emissions. That number is set to rise to 15 percent by 2050 if left unchecked. The good news is that number is not being left unchecked by the world’s largest shipping company: Maersk. The Read More...
How a drone rediscovered a rare Hawaiian flower thought to be extinct
There are many benefits to living on a sheer cliff face, if you’re a very rare Hawaiian plant. Hungry goats can’t get to you. Neither can oblivious people, who are known to crush priceless plants underfoot. Nor can botanists, even though they just want to save the plants. That’s Read More...
Before electric planes become the norm, we need airlines to make use of biofuels
Electric planes are expected to play a massive role in reducing the carbon footprint of the aviation industry in the future, but unfortunately, there’s still a long road ahead before commercial electric planes become the industry standard. In the meantime, we need to look at other ways of Read More...
China’s huge electric bus fleet is paying off, both socially and environmentally
Making transportation greener has been a central theme to today's Optimist Daily. We've had a story on cargo ships, another on planes, and now another about electric busses. According to research, electric buses alone will save an astounding 270,000 barrels of diesel demand in 2019 – every single Read More...
This robot could eventually rid the agricultural sector of pesticides
Nowadays, the adoption of automated robots is a common practice among many industries that seek to improve their effectiveness – from automated robots that are tightening the knots and bolts on cars to automated hoovers that clean your home. Now, in efforts to stop the use of pesticides, Read More...
Finally, a supermarket chain is letting people use their own reusable containers
Consumers can absolutely be a part of the solution when it comes to reducing waste. Canadian supermarket chain Metro realizes that, which is why they’re allowing customers to bring reusable containers from home to fill with meat, seafood, deli products, and prepared foods. Although it seems Read More...
You can help NASA by snapping photos of trees
NASA would like you to take a picture of a tree, please. The space agency’s ICESat-2 satellite estimates the height of trees from space, and NASA has created a new tool for citizen scientists that can help check those measurements from the ground. All it takes is a smartphone, the app, an Read More...
To save the Earth, science says we must keep half of all land in a natural state
To stabilize the climate and spare the planet from the consequences of runaway climate change, we must let nature play a bigger role in our conservation plans. According to a comprehensive new study, countries should double their protected zone to 30 percent of Earth’s land area, and add 20 Read More...
Nepalese army collects two tons of trash from Mt Everest in less than a week
Decades of commercial mountaineering have turned Mount Everest into the world's highest rubbish dump as an increasing number of big-spending climbers have paid little attention to the ugly footprint they leave behind. Fortunately, collective action once again proved its value. In a coordinated Read More...
Here’s why giant trash monsters are popping up in front of Nestle’s headquarters
There are lots of ways you can voice your disapproval of a company’s wasteful ways. You can write the company letters, lament them on social media, boycott their products—or you can put a 15-foot-tall monster made out of garbage in front of their headquarters. That’s exactly what Greenpeace Read More...