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.
Alternative transportation is included in the rent at this car-free community
We first wrote about the plans to establish Culdesac Tempe, the US’ first community built on a zero-driving model, back in 2019. Now, the $170 million residential development located just outside Phoenix, Arizona, is getting ready to welcome its first residents in July 2022. When construction is Read More...
The Optimist View: The Green Divide
"Neither cities nor places in them are unordered, unplanned; the question is only whose order, whose planning, for what purpose?” - Peter Marcuse BY Amelia Buckley If you stand outside in the heat of summer, you’ll notice that things are considerably less comfortable on concrete or Read More...
MooLoo mitigates the climate impact of cattle with potty training
Farming cattle is known to be a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions due to their methane-releasing belches and farts. On top of that, their urine and feces combine to produce ammonia, which is converted into nitrous oxide by microbes in the soil. To mitigate some of the climate impacts Read More...
This giant wind turbine can be recycled at the end of its life
While wind turbines are an essential part of our journey towards a fossil fuel-free future, they still leave a footprint on the environment. This is because, though they last as long as 25 years, turbine blades are incredibly difficult to recycle, which means that they’re bound to pile up in Read More...
Winter is coming! How to protect your garden soil over the coldest months
Warm weather is coming to an end, but that doesn’t have to be bad news for your garden soil. Over the winter months, soil can become waterlogged or compacted, especially during the wettest periods, so it’s important to keep it protected so that it’s ready for you once springtime Read More...
Good news for our oceans: tuna species no longer on brink of extinction
In 2011, most tuna species were considered at serious risk of extinction, following decades of relentless commercial fishing. Thankfully, some of these species are on the way to recovery, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) which recently released an update of its Read More...
Indigenous resistance has prevented a shocking amount of emissions
Indigenous communities have been at the forefront of many climate action and conservation initiatives. While some, like protesting and blocking the Dakota Access Pipeline, are well known, others, like stopping the Mountain Valley Gas Pipeline and installing renewable energy grids on Tribal lands, Read More...
These eco-friendly crafts use supplies right from your garden
Autumn colors and cooler weather inspire creativity in many of us. Tap into the natural resources of your own backyard this fall and put your creative juices to use with these fun, eco-friendly crafts. Pruned wood rounds and pyrography If you find yourself with larger branches after pruning trees Read More...
New California bill aims to bring reality to recycling logos
If you look around at just about everything made of plastic in your home, as well as most paper products and anything that contains just about anything, the odds are you’ll see that ubiquitous three arrow triangle on the item’s label or embossed somewhere. Now, many of us think this is just a Read More...
Filterless air purification system turns captured pollution into building tiles
India is home to 22 of the world's 30 most polluted cities, contributing to high levels of lung and heart disease. Growing up in Mumbai, Angad Daryani experienced the negative health consequences of smog in the form of childhood asthma. Seeking a solution, he came up with the idea to take soot and Read More...