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.
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...
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...
Fast-acting enzyme breaks down plastics and changes recycling game
We’ve all wondered when we take out the recycling just how much of it will be recycled, remade, and repurposed into a new product as we hope. Sadly, only 10 percent of plastics globally are successfully recycled, and there’s a lot of work to do to ensure everything we put in the recycling bin Read More...
Okra: the surprising hero in the fight against microplastics
According to new research from scientists at Tarleton State University in Texas, okra — you know, the green, finger-shaped pod that is often added to delicious dishes like gumbo and soup — is a valuable weapon in the fight to get microplastics out of our drinking water. What are Read More...
Researchers discover more than 200 freshwater fish species
There always seems to be a lot more talk surrounding species that we have lost to human habitat encroachment, over-hunting, and the ripple effects of pollution. Though, an encouraging discovery in 2022, reminded us that our world is still so full of wonder, where scientists - from the conservation Read More...
Crows help rid this Swedish city's streets of cigarette butts
A startup in the Swedish city of Södertälje, which is located near Stockholm, has recruited the help of local crows to pick up discarded cigarette butts from the city’s streets and public spaces. In fact, there’s a movement afoot in places as varied as California and the Netherlands to ban Read More...
Ingenious chemical process turns non-recyclable PVC into useful materials
Chemical advances continue to bring new materials into the domain of recyclability, and new research from a team at the University of Michigan has targeted one of the most difficult to reuse. The researchers created a method for transforming scrap PVC (polyvinyl chloride) into useable items, which Read More...
The Domino effect: pizza place splurges on electric delivery fleet
Domino's Pizza is investing in a fleet of 800 electric Chevrolet Bolts painted in Domino's livery to supplement its understaffed driving crew. As the world's largest pizza company, Domino's investment in EVs represents a particularly high-profile adoption of electric transportation by the fast Read More...
6 ways to have a positive impact while holiday shopping this year
Making sure your practices align with your values can be tricky all year round, but this is especially true during the holiday season. Here are six great ways to make a positive impact while going about your festivities this year. Support indie bookshops Even though bookshops have experienced a Read More...
These innovative solar panels stalk the sun across the sky
In order to get the most out of its energy, a Portuguese company's sustainable solution stalks the Sun as it journeys across the sky. SolarisFloat has created an innovative floating solar system that is unlike the many others that are currently stationed in bodies of water across the world. The Read More...