To save the Earth, science says we must keep half of all land in a natural state
To stabilize the climate and spare the planet from the consequences of runaway climate change, we must let nature play a bigger role in our conservation plans. According to a comprehensive new study, countries should double their protected zone to 30 percent of Earth’s land area, and add 20 Read More...
A photographer caught a rare glimpse of a “golden” zebra in Tanzania
People who make the journey through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park are already very fortunate if they spot a pack of zebras from nearby. That's’ why photographer Sergio Pitamitz couldn’t believe his luck when he came across one of the rarest creatures in the animal kingdom: a “golden” Read More...
Spending just 20 minutes in a park will improve your emotional well-being
It’s no mystery that exposure to nature has some amazing benefits to our general well-being like reducing stress or increasing our energy levels. But the question that naturally arises is how much time do we actually need to be able to reap those benefits. A new study might have an answer to that Read More...
Scientists find growing up near green space benefits your mental health
If you’ve been wondering where to live when you raise your children, perhaps this study will help you make a decision. According to researchers from the Aarhus University of Denmark. Growing up near vegetation is associated with an up to 55 percent lower risk of mental health disorders in Read More...
Cities are turning alleys into green spaces to help people reconnect with nature
From Montreal to Portland, cities across North America are starting to rethink all that cement that’s used to pave the streets. Alleys and alley sides, in particular, are being effectively imagined as people-friendly pathways, parks, and lushly planted urban habitats that stand in stark contrast Read More...
Restoring balance and harmony: A paradigm shift
If we were to describe the underlying message that we seek to express at the Optimist Daily it would be that we live in a “we-world” not in a “me-world." We recognize and respect the many challenges facing our society, yet too often “doom and gloom” stories are the only kind of news we Read More...
The Amazing Promise of Nothing
A Reality Check with Nassim Haramein Nassim Haramein has dedicated his life to finding the origins of our existence. He’s come a long way, and he may be about to unlock an abundant source of energy that will transform humanity and civilization as we know it. If Haramein succeeds, issues like Read More...
If you need one more reason not to rake the leaves on your lawn…
They fall from trees and we call them leaves. That's actually a good name: we need to leave these gifts of nature because they fertilize the soil. This piece of research is not so surprising. And guess what, if you let leaves do what they are supposed to do, you make a major contribution to 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 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...