Recycling small fragments of glass is now possible thanks to new process
Unlike plastics, glass can be recycled many times over—making it a much more sustainable material. The only issues are the recycling process is generally limited to large pieces that can be easily sorted by color. When glass is shattered into small fragments, they tend to simply be discarded by Read More...
This web search engine uses its ad-revenues to plant millions of trees globally
Looking for an easy way to fight climate change? Here's a simple one: the next time you need to search for something on the internet, use Ecosia – a search engine company that uses at least 80 percent of its ad-generated profits to plant millions of trees around the world. The small Read More...
With some thanks to India and China, Earth is greener than 20 years ago
It seems whenever the word ‘forest’ is in the headlines of a news story, the story has only to do with deforestation and habitat loss. But that’s not the case with this story. This time around, we’re here to tell you that NASA’s latest study found that the Earth has actually become a Read More...
Climate Change: A Crisis of Human Belonging and Connection
In our ongoing search for solutions and indications of progress, we come across many opportunities and possibilities. We are much inspired by the creative forces around the world that persevere to serve humankind and the environment in the best possible way. We see many possibilities to make Read More...
How the humble lamp-post could help power our cities
As more than two-thirds of us will be living in cities by 2050, scientists and tech firms are looking at new ways to harness renewable energy within the built environment. But at what cost? One day, your office windows will be harvesting energy from the sun, while the lamp-post down in the street Read More...
Possibility: Iran goes green
From The Intelligent Optimist Summer 2016 On most mornings, the majestic snowcapped Alborz Mountains that envelope Tehran are obscured by a curtain of smog. Many of the bustling city’s 14 million residents have become accus-tomed to seeing the mulberry trees bloom and the winter’s first Read More...
City life
From The Intelligent Optimist Summer 2016 All over the world, millions of people flock to cities. Is this a recipe for more problems and decay? What associations come to mind when you think of cities? Do you see images of moral decline, crime, unemployment, beggars, congested streets and a loss of Read More...
Handiwork of the heart
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Summer 2016 On a mission to save orangutans, Willie Smits rebuilt a devastated rainforest where no rain fell, no birds sang, and the people spent a quarter of their resources just to get enough water to survive. By Rosamund Stone Zander Rosamund Zander, Read More...
Ode to Zuzana Caputova, Pezinok, Slovakia
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Summer 2016 Environmental advocate Rarely are the actions of one individual felt by an entire country, but Zuzana Caputova’s fight for environmental safety in her hometown in Slovakia went even further—it became a victory for the population of the entire Read More...
Ode to the American Buffalo
From The Intelligent Optimist Magazine Summer 2016 The Return of the Bison By Ivar Laanen After a long absence from American lands, descendants of a bison herd sent to Canada more than a century ago have been relocated to the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, in Montana. The animals, also known as Read More...