Roman road in Wales shows farther reach of the ancient empire
We don’t get to venture into the annals of history much at The Optimist Daily. Every once in a while, though, archaeologists discover something truly newsworthy. These include treasures discovered beneath the floors of Notre Dame during its reconstruction, or new burial sites in Egypt upending Read More...
Could tidal energy be the new wave of renewables?
Time and tide wait for no man, so the saying goes. Sailors used to have to sail with the inevitable changing of the tides and were subject to the whims of the sea. Now, in Wales, humans will soon use the sea’s reliable indifference to us to generate energy. Construction has begun on the Read More...
The UK repeals anti-homelessness law
The UK Vagrancy Act criminalizes sleeping outside and begging—essentially homelessness—in England and Wales. Under this law, police have the power to arrest people found begging in public, or in enclosed spaces. Anyone convicted of these crimes is charged with up to £1,000 in fines along with Read More...
Every Welsh household gets a free tree to help tackle climate emergency
The Welsh government has come up with a £2 million scheme to help tackle the climate emergency that will give a tree to every household in the country. This adds up to approximately 1.3 million newly planted trees. People can choose tree species that are native to their region, but if they Read More...
A tree gets planted in Uganda every time a baby is born 9,000 km away
In 2008, a tree-planting charity called the Size of Wales set off to plant a new tree in Wales for every baby born or adopted in order to offset carbon emissions. After reaching its national targets, the scheme extended its efforts to Mbale, a hilly, heavily deforested area of Eastern Uganda that Read More...
Multi technology energy center provides green energy directly to local community
Wind and solar power have long been the most popular suggested methods to reduce fossil fuel emissions. While in many places their efficacy was still being debated, some entrepreneurs in Wales took it upon themselves to make community-wide renewable energy a reality. The Rassau industrial Read More...
Wales plans to plant a new national forest running the length of the country
In the following years, the Welsh landscape is expected to benefit from a significant increase in forestry thanks to an ambitious government to plant a new national forest running the length and breadth of Wales. Backed by £15m ($18m) of woodland creation grants, the new fresh national forest Read More...
Wales will ban single-use plastics starting next year
Amidst the maelstrom of news these past weeks, a few positive stories have slipped under the radar. One such story comes to us from Wales, where the Welsh government unveiled plans to ban single-use plastics in 2021. Under the plans, straws, cotton buds, stirrers, balloon sticks, plates and Read More...
New homes in Wales will be powered by renewable energy by 2025
The building and housing sector are one of today’s major contributors to global warming and the climate crisis. Acknowledging the urgent need to find a solution to this problem, the Welsh government has recently issued plans requiring all new homes in the country to be heated and powered by clean Read More...
Wales set to ban the use of wild animals in circus performances
Lack of natural habitats, cramped cages, and forced training are often unavoidable realities that circus animals have to live as a result of people’s entertainment. Deciding that such conditions are inadmissible, the Welsh government is getting set to ban the use of wild animals in traveling Read More...