Today’s Solutions: January 12, 2025

Climate Action

What is Climate Action? Climate Action is humanity's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance our planet's resilience against climate change. From adaptation to mitigation, at The Optimist Daily you will learn about the most recent positive news stories and solutions targeting climate change and other environmental issues.

Green Education

Two new DC public schools model net zero education

It goes without saying that we should be teaching our children about important environmental matters, especially excessive energy consumption and the need for energy efficiency. But what about the energy that a school itself consumes? While it is a rarely-thought-of area for improvement, new Read More...

Solar power Plant in small village in India

Welcome to Modhera, India’s first village entirely powered by solar

Modhera in Gujarat became India's first solar-powered village, setting a precedent for what UN Secretary-General António Guterres called a "reconciliation between humanity and the planet," according to Euronews. UN News reports that the solar project provides residents of Modhera with an Read More...

blue tongued lizard

Australia adds 127 reptiles to global treaty against wildlife trade

Australia added a total of 127 reptiles to a global treaty put in place to shield animals from the illegal wildlife trade. The inclusion of these 127 animals (one of the biggest listings in the treaty’s history) will grant these scaly creatures, who have long been targeted by bad actors in the Read More...

Wildflowers in nature reserve in the UK

England is turning 99,000 hectares of land into nature recovery projects

In recent years, an increasing number of influential scientists have suggested that we reserve half of our planet for protecting nature to make Earth more liveable. In England, a huge conservation project aims to contribute to that goal by turning 99,000 hectares of land into nature reserves. The Read More...

Great Lakes Cleanup

$1 billion to be invested in cleaning up Great Lakes

The US Great Lakes are treasured and iconic wonders of North America's natural splendor. Countless families and individuals flock there for fun and thousands of species of animals, fish, insects, and birds call those waters home. Being important waterways, they also hold major economic importance Read More...

Amasra town on the Black sea coast, Turkey

Turkey’s Zero-Waste Project protects environment and boosts economy

Observing the slow pace of environmental action, starting any kind of climate-focused initiative can feel futile. Don't let the cynics win. The fact is, our individual and collective efforts can make a significant difference. A wonderful reminder of this is Turkey’s Zero-Waste Project, which Read More...

Underwater sculptures

Italian fisherman uses underwater sculptures to stop trawling

Italian fisherman Paolo Fanciulli had been fishing the waters of the Maremma coastline for almost 40 years. These sea habitats near Tuscany, and Fanciulli’s livelihood, came under threat, however, in the form of illegal trawling, dragging huge nets through the water to catch large amounts of Read More...

plastics

Canada outlines plan to ban single-use plastic

Canada has now become a world leader in environmental policy. On Monday, it laid out its final plans and regulations on how it intends to ban single-use plastics.  Federal health minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the country recycles “only 8 percent of the plastic [Canada] throws away” and Read More...

Pee Wheat

Helping the environment and fertilizing crops by upcycling pee

Here’s something you probably never thought you’d hear: the price of urine per 25 liters has risen from $1 to $6 since the start of the War in Ukraine. This is because there’s now a shortage of agricultural chemicals, and farmers and providers have turned to human urine as an abundant source Read More...

Hydrogen factory

New electrolyzer improves green hydrogen production

Green hydrogen continues to gain momentum in funding and research. The hydrogen market is projected to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2050. "Green" hydrogen is hydrogen fuel made using energy from zero-carbon renewable sources through a method called electrolysis. As the world seeks to limit its carbon Read More...