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.
600 acres of neglected land to be transformed into climate-adaptive park
600 acres of neglected land in the state of Indiana is finally going to be transformed into Origin Park—a climate-adaptive park that had been in the works for several years and was supposed to be completed in 2021. Of course, due to unavoidable delays, the project didn’t break ground until Read More...
What you need to do to make your office more sustainable
Chances are it takes quite a lot of resources to keep your office running. Think about it. The office needs lighting and heat, the printer requires ink and paper, and may use disposable cups and other single-use plastics that can easily be thrown away instead of cleaning. With just a few changes, Read More...
New study shows gardening alleviates depression and anxiety
In a new study from the University of Florida, researchers proved that gardening can improve the mental well-being of even healthy people. “Past studies have shown that gardening can help improve the mental health of people who have existing medical conditions or challenges. Our study shows Read More...
To ecologists’ surprise, toads can climb trees
Toads were always known as terrestrial creatures, spending their time on both land and in water… until now. To ecologists’ surprise, a group of volunteers surveying dormice and bats in trees made the accidental and unexpected discovery that toads also dwell in trees. How did they discover Read More...
9 driving changes you can make to save more and burn less
Gas prices keep going up. While many of us can’t yet afford an electric vehicle, and we still need to get places, there are little tweaks we can make to save money on gas by burning less of it. Here are nine tips for your car, your driving, and your lifestyle to save some cash at the pumps and Read More...
Hummingbirds have the widest color range of all birds
Among the different species of birds, hummingbirds are among the most iconic and distinct in the skies. These unique creatures hover unlike most birds, they feed on sugary nectar, and they have incredible metabolisms. They also have the most wide-ranging colors in their plumage of all other Read More...
Scientists clone first mice from freeze-dried skin cells
Even before Jurassic Park, many have fantasized about cloning endangered animals. Science fiction made this seem too simple, easily copying a complex creature from recovered DNA. Now, that fantastical process is not so far off. Researchers have cloned the world’s first mice from freeze-dried Read More...
Singapore’s Seletar airport considers plans for electric flying taxis
Seletar Airport is the city-state of Singapore’s lesser known second airport. It’s a small airfield normally frequented only by private jets, but soon it could be known for the future of sky travel. Singapore has recently signed agreements that would make Seletar into a vertiport, where Read More...
New California law greatly curbs plastic waste
We have written a lot about plastic alternatives you can use and consumer-focused options for reducing plastic waste. Indeed, this is often the focus of efforts to reduce plastic waste. Not enough pressure is put on manufacturers to reduce how much plastic they produce. A new California law, Read More...
"Sand batteries" could solve the energy storage challenge
We’ve previously written about how water batteries could help address the energy storage challenge facing the green energy transition. In Finland, however, some scientists are working on a much dryer power storage facility — a ‘sand battery’. Solving the energy storage Read More...