Environment
Need some good news about the environment? The Optimist Daily is your go-to herald of positive environmental news, highlighting eco-friendly solutions and scientific progress around climate action, circularity, conservation, and more. Learn about everything eco in our Environment section.
30 White rhinos make record journey to Akagera national park
White rhinos are classified as near threatened, with numbers dropping due to poaching. In a bid to improve the outlook for the species, 30 of these giant animals recently made the journey from South Africa to Rwanda in the largest single rhino translocation in history. Weighing 1.5 tons each, Read More...
Ikea plans to stop using plastic packaging by 2028
As the environmental burden of our excessive use of plastic packaging is regularly making headlines these days, some companies are looking to set an example by transitioning towards more sustainable packaging materials. One of the frontrunners leading this shift away from plastic is Ikea, which Read More...
Amur tiger pawprints spotted in Russia for the first time in half a century
As reported by the state-run Russian News Agency TASS, an exciting discovery was made last week: the first sighting of Amur tiger pawprints in the northeast Siberian republic of Sakha for the first time in half a century. Russia’s forest protection service spotted the pawprints along the right Read More...
Bristol's Electric Avenue pop-up shop tackles e-waste and consumerism
A new shop in Bristol called Electric Avenue pop-up is restoring unwanted electronics before giving them away this holiday season. Bristol’s residents can bring all types of items such as lamps, keyboards, and kitchen appliances to be cleaned, repaired, safety checked, and most importantly, Read More...
Portugal becomes fourth EU country to shut down all coal power plants
Back in 2016, Belgium made history by becoming the first EU country to break ties with coal. Last year, Austria and Sweden followed suit, as the world is increasingly pushing for the wide adoption of more sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar. Now, we’re happy to announce the good Read More...
Department of the Interior moves to change derogatory US land names
We recently wrote about a California ski resort’s choice to change its derogatory name. Now, more sites around the US, specifically federal lands, will also get name changes as Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has ordered the department’s Board on Geographic Names to remove derogatory and racist Read More...
All new homes in England will be fitted with EV charging points
Electric vehicles are a greener alternative to traditional petrol- or diesel-powered vehicles, however, a major deterrent for drivers who are considering switching to electric is the lack of EV-charging points, meaning that drivers are plagued with “range anxiety,” or are, in other words, Read More...
Popcorn may be the next sustainable building material
Popcorn is more than just a tasty snack to munch on while at the movies—it may soon be widely used as a natural and eco-friendly alternative to man made home insulation. Scientists at Göttingen University in Germany have discovered that popcorn insulation boards had “excellent thermal Read More...
Ukraine plans to plant one billion trees over the next three years
Back in 2019, Swiss scientists conducted a study that concluded that the most effective way to combat climate change is to plant a trillion trees. According to the study’s calculations, planting at least one trillion trees could sequester nearly 830 billion tons of heat-trapping carbon dioxide Read More...
Italian garden installation shows us how much CO2 trees store
Trees are the lungs of our planet—we know that trees are needed because they sequester dangerous CO2 emissions, but do we really know how much we depend on them to clean the air we breathe? We don’t see trees and plants absorbing emissions as we trek through the forest or sit in our gardens, so Read More...