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.
Nova Scotia will be home to the first whale sanctuary in North America
The Maritime province of Nova Scotia, Canada, will soon be home to the first whale sanctuary in North America. The plans for the sanctuary, which is spearheaded by The Whale Sanctuary Project, commenced after Canada passed the Ending the Captivity of Whales and Dolphins Act, which prevents Read More...
Descendents of native British bees found on Oxfordshire estate
An astonishing discovery has been made in the ancient British woodlands of Blenheim Palace. Bee conservationist Filipe Salbany recently found 50 colonies of bees which are believed to be the descendants of indigenous wild honeybees which used to forage the English countryside. Previously, Read More...
Earth's deepest earthquake finally explained
An earthquake recorded in the Bonin Islands off mainland Japan in 2015 caused a minor aftershock. No damage was done, and no one even noticed its occurrence. Little did residents know the deepest earthquake ever recorded had just happened below. For years after the event, scientists were left Read More...
How inflammation plays a role in our efforts to slow climate change
It really feels like climate change is getting more imminent by the day. With every other headline about how temperature levels are rising, animals are going extinct, and companies aren’t reaching their promised quotas, fear, stress, and anxiety over climate change can be extremely overwhelming Read More...
This ATM helps Kenyans switch from charcoal to eco-friendly fuel
In Kenya, most people use wood or charcoal to cook in small homes without proper ventilation, and exposure to charcoal smoke causes a myriad of health problems for users and their families. On top of the grave health issues, charcoal use is also to blame for deforestation, another contributor to Read More...
This app connects the blind with guides for safer city travel
This month, UK-based startup Travel Hands, a spin-off from digital accessibility company VIP World Services, plans to launch an app designed to help visually impaired people navigate the busy streets of the London metropolitan area. Back in 2013, Travel Hands founder and CEO Ishan Jha was Read More...
US launches first-of-its-kind environmental justice investigation
Public health departments have a responsibility to operate waste management in a safe, uniform, and equitable manner, but for years, sewage overflows have plagued Alabama’s Lowndes County, predominantly affecting Black residents. To address this injustice, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) Read More...
Minimize your food waste with these 5 preservation methods
Here at The Optimist Daily, we love sharing practical ways people can help combat climate change right at home. While the climate crisis may leave us feeling helpless and overwhelmed, there are small actions that we can take that will propel us in the right direction and empower us. Food waste Read More...
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...