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.
Shop sustainably with these ethical online marketplaces
Online shopping is a modern-day convenience that many of us enjoy, however, the biggest online marketplaces often have questionable ethics practices. Luckily, there are other lesser-known marketplaces that are committed to ethical and sustainable business practices, support independent artisans, Read More...
These ants can transform from worker to queen with one single gene
The social dynamics of ant colonies are complex setups, requiring sophisticated mathematical models to map them out. There is a strict hierarchy of jobs that are determined by age: sterile workers, reproductive males, and reproducing queens. Under this hierarchy, the colonies' main collective goal Read More...
Travel company discontinues bookings with captive whale or dolphin shows
Marine biologists and activists are increasingly calling for the end to dolphins and whales held in captivity, especially for entertainment purposes, as these environments do not give them the space, social connection, and mental stimulation their complex brains need to thrive. Captive sea Read More...
How coal could help desalinate seawater in an eco-friendly way
While the practice of burning coal to generate electricity is soon to become a thing of the past, the material could prove useful in other, more sustainable ways. A new study, for example, has shown that the mineral could find use in the desalination of seawater. The study, conducted by Read More...
Over 40 countries pledge to shift away from coal during COP26
During the COP26 climate summit, more than 40 countries have pledged to move away from coal, one of the biggest contributors to climate change. This is a major win for the environment, even though some of the world’s biggest coal-dependent countries, such as the US, India, and China, opted out Read More...
Shark scales: a day spa for fearless fish
Sharks are the apex predators of the ocean. They consume between 0.5 to 3.0 percent of their body weight each meal, which takes two to three days to digest. Depending on which species out of nearly 400 we are talking about, their diet consists of fish, crustaceans, stingrays, turtles, squid, Read More...
Ireland to become 15th European country to ban fur farming
Minks, foxes, weasels, and other furry friends can breathe a collective sigh of relief—Ireland is to go ahead with its fur farming ban, which will be enforced in 2022. This makes Ireland the 15th European country to do so. Ruth Coppinger, a politician from the People Before Profit/Solidarity Read More...
This elite group of countries is already carbon negative
As the COP26 climate conference continues this week, all eyes are on countries’ plans to achieve their net-zero emissions goals. For most nations, this accomplishment is slated for 2045 or 2050, but for a select few, carbon neutrality is not on their mindsーbecause they’re already carbon Read More...
4 simple ways to reduce your everyday waste
We all want to reduce our personal footprints, and a big part of this is reducing the amount of waste we produce at home. Today we bring you four strategies for reducing waste in commonly-wasteful areas of your life: Electronics, food, bedding, and the garden. Is it repairable? A high Read More...
Machine vision software reveals how spiders weave their web
How does a spider make a web? You’ve probably accidentally wandered into a spider web and wondered how they make these creations right under your nose without you noticing. This is because most spiders do their web weaving at night, away from prying human eyes. However, research from scientists Read More...