Texas blends clean energy and sustainable farming with the help of 6,000 sheep
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM As the United States accelerates its shift to renewable energy, Texas is pioneering an unusual approach that combines solar power generation and sustainable agriculture. This method, known as agrivoltaics, combines solar panels with agricultural practices to Read More...
Robot weed killers could create a sustainable future for agriculture
BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM On a scorching summer day, the fields of central Kansas shimmer with heat as Clint Brauer oversees a team of bright yellow robots navigating through rows of crops. These battery-powered devices, each four feet long and two feet wide, methodically remove weeds Read More...
How the TREES initiative will help reverse deforestation in Africa
Among the global push for forestry, one African project stands out for its novel approach. Could the Trees for the Future (TREES) effort help to reverse deforestation and desertification? This innovative project, which promotes the conversion of monoculture landscapes into biodiverse forest Read More...
Study finds yet another potential use for aloe plants—Natural insecticide
The green skin and stomach protector aloe vera unveiled a new weapon in its arsenal: its discarded peels. Previously discarded as agricultural trash, these peels are now set to become nature's response to crop-munching pests. Scientists at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley developed a Read More...
This crop actually benefits from being shaded by solar panels
Solar panels often take up a lot of real estate that is also optimal for growing crops (flat land with access to lots of sunlight). Instead of having panels compete with plants, there is a growing field called agrivoltaics that studies how solar power and agriculture can exist together and even Read More...
This dairy farm turns its manure into biodegradable pots and packaging
There’s a lot circulating in the news about how maintaining livestock for meat production and other byproducts are not sustainable. In fact, the amount of land, water, and resources it takes, not to mention carbon emissions it releases into the atmosphere, make this industry one of the major Read More...
Does Mario Kart hold the key to reducing poverty and boosting sustainability?
Andrew Bell, a Boston University College of Arts & Sciences assistant recently published a paper that suggests we adopt the principles of the popular racing game Mario Kart to reduce world poverty and improve sustainability. This classic Nintendo racing game has stirred up competition Read More...
How sustainable agriculture is taking coal’s place in Appalachia
The collapse of the coal industry may be good news for the environment, but for towns in the Appalachian mountains that have long relied on coal, it’s been disastrous for the economy and eliminated thousands of jobs. The good news is that we’ve seen a number of green-minded initiatives spring Read More...
This vertical farm wants to improve agriculture by growing food for cattle
Producing food for cows requires an enormous amount of land. In fact, the US uses 780 million acres — or 41 percent of its land — to grow animal feed, either on pastures or through growing crops. And as demand for animal food continues to grow, the availability of arable land decreases. In some Read More...
This tech makes sunlight more potent so normal greenhouses can grow more
Indoor farming startups are known to grow crops using efficient LED light bulbs with custom “light recipes” that adjust the color of the LEDs to help plants grow faster. With that said, all these lighting systems using LED bulbs still use a huge amount of energy, which is why scientists have Read More...