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.
Degrowth? Economics focused on human and ecological wellbeing
Would it be possible to shift from an economy focused on the ever-growing use of material resources to an economy focused on the growth of human and ecological wellbeing? Around the globe there are inspiring initiatives to “re-localize” the economy and nurture grassroots cooperation. At the Read More...
Plants to the rescue, absorbing more CO2 in response to climate change
Humans and animals produce carbon dioxide; plants and trees absorb it. Climate change is the result of the fact that we have disturbed that delicate balance with an explosive growth in the use of fossil fuels. For decades, we’ve been pumping billions of tons of harmful greenhouse gases into the Read More...
"Restoration economy" strives to protect pollinators, create jobs
Gary Nabhan and I are bumping along in a rental car down a two-track dirt road that follows the edge of Sonoita Creek’s floodplain, some 29 kilometers north of the Arizona–Mexico border. Nabhan—an ethnobiologist, conservation biologist and agroecologist at the University of Read More...
Transforming carbon dioxide into rock could help save the environment
Just a few years ago, Iceland’s largest producer of geothermal energy injected 250 tons of carbon dioxide into an underground repository of volcanic rocks. To their surprise, the carbon they had injected underwent a quick chemical reaction and formed into a rock called carbonate in two years’ Read More...
100 solutions show how cities are blazing path towards climate action
The world's cities are growing rapidly and in 2050 two thirds of the global population is expected to reside in urban areas, compared to 50 percent today. That puts pressure on infrastructure, energy supply and housing capabilities in a global climate that is poised to become hotter and less Read More...
Fall cover crops for livestock grazing improve soil health, protect environment
Adding a cover crop that livestock can graze to the rotation plan can improve soil health and help protect the environment. That's the premise behind Read More...
Trash to treasure: the social enterprises transforming recycling
Convincing companies to buy back their own rubbish sounds like an unlikely business model – yet the Melbourne social enterprise Green Collect has found a way to make it work. Companies in the city’s office towers pay Green Collect to take away hard-to-recycle waste. Green Collect then Read More...
Want To Detox Your Home? Throw Out These Things Right Now
It wasn't until I became a mother that I realized many objects in our homes are made from petroleum and other harsh chemicals. Then, I learned that these chemicals can contaminate our air and even act as neurotoxins, reproductive toxins, developmental toxins, and endocrine disruptors in the body. Read More...
16 more tips for living without plastic
Plastic-free living requires careful and conscientious consumer choices. Here are more ideas to help you along the journey. 1. Burn beeswax or other natural candles to scent your home, instead of air fresheners. Just make sure to avoid palm oil in the ingredient list. 2. Choose kids’ toys Read More...
China is taking climate change and air pollution seriously
China is stepping up its efforts to crackdown on pollution as public anger continues to grow over damaging smog levels and environmental degradation. After inspections revealed that provinces are doing too little to implement pollution control efforts, the country is holding factories and other Read More...