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.
England plastic bag usage drops 85% since five-pence charge introduced
Since introducing a five-pence charge on plastic bags in supermarkets last October, English shoppers have used six billion fewer bags than last year. The charge is also expected to save 60 million pounds in litter clean-up costs and has already raised 29 million pounds for good causes as most of Read More...
How this Japanese town produces 'zero waste'
At the waste collection center in Kamikatsu, Japan, there are separate bins for different types of paper products: Newspapers, magazines, cartons, flyers. Then there are separate ones for cans: Aluminum, spray, steel. There are even individual bins for plastic bottles and caps. But that’s Read More...
Tesla supplier will recycle Flint water bottles into car parts
From the "take a bad thing and make it good" files comes a story about C3 Ventures. The automotive supplier, which makes interior plastic components for Tesla, announced yesterday it will open up a facility in Flint, MI. As you probably know, that city has been rebounding from a serious water Read More...
Tesco bids farewell to John West tuna due to sustainability concerns
In 2011, seafood company John West guaranteed consumers its tuna would be 100 percent sustainable by 2016. Unfortunately, as of now the fishing company still catches most of its fish with nets, a method that severely endangers wildlife. That’s why British multinational grocery retailer Tesco is Read More...
How eco-friendly communes could change the future of housing
When a massive wildfire destroyed more than a thousand homes last year in the bone-dry hills of drought-stricken Lake County, California, about two hours north of San Francisco, Magdalena Valderrama Hurwitz and her husband Eliot were among those made homeless. Eager to transform their tragedy into Read More...
Sri Lanka prime minister: Mangroves curb climate threat
Sri Lanka's prime minister has said mangroves' ability to swiftly absorb carbon make the forests vital in the fight against climate change. His comments come on a day marking the first anniversary of a project to protect all of nation's mangroves. As well as storing carbon, the forests provide Read More...
China's hits coal peak and that’s a turning point in climate change battle
China’s coal consumption peaked in 2014, much earlier than expected, and has since then continued to drop. In a new paper, economists argue that this can be seen as a permanent trend, not a blip, due to major shifts in the Chinese economy and a crackdown on climate on pollution. China has its own Read More...
Evolution is happening faster than we thought
A friend recently invited me over to see the blackbird that had taken up residence in a potted plant on her balcony. Serenely incubating eggs in the inner city, this bird had little in common with its shy, reclusive ancestors that nested in Europe’s forests. Early in the 19th century, Read More...
Beyond organic at Miracle Farms in St-Anicet: Permaculture transforms an apple orchard into an oasis
When biologist Stefan Sobkowiak took over the orchard in St-Anicet in 1993, there were very few birds. His commercial apple orchard in the Montérégie region of Quebec, about 90 kilometres southwest of Montreal, was surrounded by non-organic neighbours, and this seemed to impact the Read More...
Finally, a Starbucks coffee cup that can be recycled
An estimated 60 billion paper cups in the US end up in landfills every year because they can't be recycled easily. A coffee cup is an environmental nightmare. Most are made from cardboard with a thin layer of plastic tightly attached to the cup. This keeps the drink warm and prevents the cardboard Read More...