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.
Waste minimization law could force manufacturers to make products last longer
The European Union and some states in the US are considering waste minimization laws that could force manufacturers to repair products in the case they break down and also to make the goods more durable in the first place. The initiative comes amid a growing backlash against impervious products, Read More...
The surprising impact of paper receipts
A new bill in California would make digital receipts the default; here's why it's a big Read More...
Why Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s 70 percent tax idea makes sense
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposal for a 70 percent tax on earnings above $10m to fund concrete climate action has sparked a lot of indignant replies mainly because of confusion among the critics about what such a policy would actually entail. The top tax rate plan is part of the progressive’s Read More...
Six Ways to Work Better
By Jurriaan Kamp, Editor-in-Chief Long before anyone invented the “open plan office”, there was the newsroom. The newsroom looks every bit like you see it in movies: a place of chaos and cacophony. I very well remember how I spent my first day in the newsroom of my first employer, the Dutch Read More...
This small grocery shop in Brooklyn is entirely plastic-free
A grocery store in Brooklyn is trying to minimize plastic waste by selling its food in bulk containers instead of the conventional packaging made out of plastic. Over time, the owner hopes to encourage customers to always bring their own bags and, eventually, turn the tide on Read More...
Zero-carbon emitting trains to run on UK’s rail network as soon as 2022
The UK wants to introduce hydrogen-fueled trains on its rail network as soon as 2022, under ambitious efforts to find green alternatives to existing polluting diesel engines. In addition to using clean energy, the hydrogen-fueled trains can run on existing tracks without the need for expensive Read More...
Coal plants are closing, despite Trump’s efforts
Coal is on a downward swing despite President Donald Trump’s best efforts to frame himself as a champion of the industry. According to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, more coal power plants closed during Trump’s first two years in the White House than in Obama’s entire Read More...
Jair Bolsonaro can be stopped from trashing the Amazon – here's how
The inauguration of Brazil's new president, Jair Bolsonaro, has triggered fears that rates of deforestation in the Amazon will increase. There are indeed good reasons for concern about Bolsonaro's administration. But several factors, both domestic and transnational, could constrain its ability to Read More...
FloWater manages to raise $15 million to take down single-use plastic bottles
FloWater, the company which aims to eradicate single-use plastic bottles altogether, has raised $15 million to help achieve its aim. The firm has introduced reusable water bottle refilling stations to numerous schools, colleges, fitness centers, hotels and offices, and aims to set out to address Read More...
The second-best time to plant a tree is now
A hairy, naked male and a hairy, naked female crouch over the body of an antelope they’ve just killed. They’re looking up with fear and fight in their faces as a huge bird of prey swoops down to try to steal their kill. A jackal lurks in the background, biding its time. It’s a frozen moment Read More...