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.
Transport giant UPS invests in renewable fuels for its fleet
The international shipping company UPS plans to buy up to 46 million gallons of renewable diesel fuel during the next three years, to be able to replace 12 percent of the fossil fuels the company currently uses. UPS plans to get these fuels from three producers, and they are made from several Read More...
Researchers successfully growing bacteria producing ethylene, most important plastic ingredient
Imagine bacteria eating sunlight, and using this "energy" to produce the natural plant gas ethylene, the most important ingredient of plastic and polyester. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) are succesfully growing these bacteria. It would be a great step forward for Read More...
Canada adopts higher standards to cut air pollution from vehicles
Transportation is a big source of air pollution in Canada, as well as the source of about 25% of the greenhouse gas emissions. Tightening regulations is important since 25% of cars are causing 90% of the air pollution that we breathe. Canada has now passed new emission standards, starting with the Read More...
Google, Apple, Coca-Cola and other companies invest $140 billion in projects that reduce carbon footprint
Thirteen of the largest US companies promised this week that they will invest at least $140 billion to lower their carbon emissions. They did this by signing the American Business Act on Climate Pledge, an initiative from the Obama administration. The thirteen companies—among them Goldman Read More...
Conservation success story: Australian humpback whale makes a comeback
Many decades of legal and illegal whaling diminished whale populations all over the world, and it's not often that we get to share a conservation success story like this one: Humpback whale populations have recovered to up to 90% of pre-whaling numbers in Australian waters. Conservation policies Read More...
Hillary Clinton wants half a billion solar panels for the US to combat climate change
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has announced goals to combat climate change, and they're ambitious. She pledges to install 500 million solar panels by 2021, if voted president. Her campaign team said these goals would lead to a 700% increase in the current solar capacity. She Read More...
Algae: the eco-friendly alternative for livestock feed
Corn is mostly genetically modified, needs to be highly processed and is a cause for allergies in people. Thankfully, algae could replace corn as feed for cattle and other livestock. A study published in the Journal of Animal Science shows that algae—microorganisms that can grow in a variety of Read More...
Toxic substance found in clothing banned by EU members
It has been known for years that nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE) degrade in the environment into substances which accumulates in the bodies of fish and disrupts their hormones, harming fertility, growth and sexual development. Still, the toxic substance was used in clothing and other textile Read More...
Business opportunity: remove carbon from the air. Who wants to pay for it?
The problem of too much CO2 in the air is an interesting challenge for innovative businesses. There’s no more effective force to solve problems than business. So more and more startups are placing bold bets on technology designed to directly capture the greenhouse gas. Their technologies work. Read More...
EU parliament backs reform of carbon market
The European Union in 2005 decided to put a cap on CO2 emitted by more than 11,000 large factories, power plants and other companies. Within the cap, companies receive or buy emission allowances which they can trade with one another. Back then, it was widely considered a key tool in combatting Read More...