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.
This bus is powered by your waste
Yesterday, we wrote about the plant in California that turns sewage into hydrogen to fuel clean electric cars. Now the UK introduces a bus that needs the waste produced by five people in a year to fill its tank with biomethane gas, and drive 186 miles per tank. Humans are finding their way to the Read More...
Solar heat power breakthrough
Another week, another jaw-dropping solar technology breakthrough. The critical point of solar technology is the amount of light that can be captured by light-absorbing material and converted into electricity (photovoltaic panels) or heat (concentrated solar power). Researchers at the University of Read More...
China to cap emissions for steel, cement
In their latest attempt to breathe fresh air into its asphyxiated cities, the People’s Government has announced planned caps on two of its major polluting industries: Steel and cement production. While the cap isn’t aimed at reduction—2015 emissions from the two industries should be equal to Read More...
Norway is most prepared for climate change
Norway is best prepared for the impact of global warming. The country tops rankings prepared by the University of Notre Dame. The US came in at number 8. The rankings took into account vulnerability and readiness to adapt to droughts, extreme weather, and other natural disasters associated with Read More...
Solar walls: the next dimension in renewable energy
In The Optimist Daily we’ve written before about solar cells that have been integrated in windows. But could they serve as walls? Well, yes. CSEM a Swiss non-profit company, made them. They’re white, but they can come in every color you like. (White keeps the cells cooler, boosting efficiency.) Read More...
London fights air pollution with additional tax
Global warming is a threat that may lead to death and disaster in decades to come. Meanwhile air pollution in the megacities of the world kills 7 million of people prematurely every year, according to statistics of the WHO. That’s an immediate threat. London is already the largest city with a Read More...
Boeing turns cooking oil into fuel
Gutter oil: what can we do with it? Well, put in the tank of a Boeing! That's what the US aircraft maker must have thought after revealing plans earlier this year to green its fleet. A factory in China will convert thousands of gallons of used cooking oil into Read More...
Coal use in China falls
This is a statistic we really want to see going down. Being outside in some of China’s polluted cities can be worse for your health than smoking cigarettes. The main contributor to China’s notorious pollution is the incessant burning of coal. Coal is also a major contributor to the fast-rising Read More...
Saving butterflies with social media
Conservationists are beginning to realize the benefits of using tech to help restore nature, and some projects could use your help. The app Monarch mines data using social media and algorithms to track the migratory patterns of monarch butterflies—anyone interested in saving butterflies can help. Read More...
Alternative source for natural rubber is environmentally sustainable
Most of the rubbers we use now, like in rubber bands or car tires are made synthetically. But large vehicles, like airplanes and trucks, require tires made from a natural source, and until now that has been one type of tree that doesn’t scale or farm well. A new process to make natural rubber Read More...