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.
Buffalo to be flown to Siberia in effort to slow deadly permafrost feedback
When it comes to sharing climate change scientific findings, and global warming’s devastating impacts to the Earth, there is simply no good news to report, says Alan Martin writing for alphr. Martin highlighted a “study from the University of Rochester in New York which has mathematically Read More...
Repurposed plastic waste creates reusable building bricks
Communities around the world are building affordable public and private structures that also help to reduce pollution. They are doing this by using Ecobricks. Advocates of the brick see their use as a social movement and lifestyle choice. Empty plastic bottles filled with other waste plastics Read More...
China clears Mount Everest of 9.4 tons of waste
In China a team of 30 people has managed to clear Mount Everest of 9.4 tons of waste since April. The amount of waste has continued to grow with an increasing number of visitors to the world's tallest mountain even as warmer temperatures reveal decades of frozen Read More...
Cutting out meat and dairy is the best thing you can do for the planet
Huge new study reveals that going vegan offers far greater benefits than quitting flying or driving an electric Read More...
Restoring eelgrass in the ocean could reduce carbon and acidity in seawater
Researchers along the California coast have been using sensors to test whether eelgrass—an underwater plant with quarter-inch wide leaves that can grow up to 3 feet long—can remove carbon from seawater and help maintain water chemistry. The idea is that, through photosynthesis, eelgrass can Read More...
These gas stations for bees could help save declining bee populations
Scientists suspect that exponential urbanization and industrialization may be pushing bees to travel longer distances to find pollen, killing them through exhaustion. Some scientists believe bees may need a place to fuel up during their long travels, which is why a paper craftswoman and her team Read More...
Chile to become first country in the Americas to ban plastic bags
Chile is set to become the first country in the Americas to ban plastic bags to help protect the environment and especially the ocean. Congress unanimously approved the measure on Wednesday. The bill was initially designed to outlaw plastic bags in Patagonia, but was later extended Read More...
Regenerating soil: Scaling global solutions is a local proposition
For many years, agriculture—or the production of food and fiber—has resulted in the massive degradation of billions of acres of land worldwide. Now, the same industry finally has been acknowledged as having the unique ability to sequester carbon through the improvement of soils, representing a Read More...
Michelin is reincarnating used tires into new ones
Ever since tires were invented, humans have been looking for good ways of recycling them with little to no avail. But in recent years a technology company, which has been acquired by French tire giant Michelin, has figured out how to reincarnate end-of-life tires into a specialty material called Read More...
Facial recognition system can track endangered primates without being invasive
Tracking endangered animals can involve invasive things like fitting primates with GPS tracking devices. That’s why researchers have developed a far-less invasive face detection system that lets field workers keep tabs on chimpanzees, golden monkeys, and lemurs just by snapping a photo of them Read More...