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.
Three ways we can repurpose closed department stores
40 percent of US department stores have closed their doors in the past five years, but the question remains: what do we do with these huge spaces? Many will be demolished, but some communities are turning defunct big-box stores into repurposed useful spaces. Library Department stores and Read More...
France is turning this unusual ingredient into fertilizer
Do you think about what happens to your urine after you’ve flushed it down the toilet? Most people probably don’t dwell on the subject because we think of human waste as simply that: waste. However, there are researchers and innovators who believe that it’s time for us to see that human waste Read More...
This bicycle library boosts inexperienced cyclers' confidence in London
As the gravity of the climate crisis becomes more apparent, governments are setting goals to reduce the carbon emissions of their countries and states through a variety of means. The UK, for instance, aims to have at least half of all journeys in towns and cities be cycled or walked by the year Read More...
Ocean-exploring autonomous robot is inspired by penguins
Though humans have marveled and studied the ocean for thousands of years, much of it remains a mystery to us. One of those mysteries is ocean eddies, small ocean currents that impact the planet’s climate and therefore all life on earth. What we do know is that ocean eddies are responsible for Read More...
Paris lowers the speed limit on most city streets
Pedestrians and cyclists in Paris are welcoming a new policy that will restrict the speed limit on nearly all streets in the French capital to just 30 kph, down from 50 kph. The law is the latest move by the municipality to advance the city closer to its climate targets and transform people’s Read More...
A solution to greener homes could be right underneath our feet
Swiss researchers from the Wood Materials Science Laboratory at the ETH Zürich and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology in Dübendorf are working on an exciting new way to generate energy that requires us to simply move around our own homes and buildings. The Read More...
Potato milk is the newest (and perhaps greenest) plant-based option
Potatoes are highly versatile root vegetables. You can have them as hashbrowns and home fries for breakfast, French fries at lunch, chips and dip for a snack, and roasted, mashed, or baked for dinner—but now potatoes are truly proving their range and versatility by pushing their way into the Read More...
Community-level big data offers a clearer picture of disaster resiliency
Hurricane Ida has demonstrated once again how chaotic the days after a natural disaster can be. Relief organizations are often on the ground right away, but determining the extent of damage and displacement can take time, delaying the delivery of essential supplies. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Read More...
Modified prairie grass cleans up munitions chemical pollution
Military conflict takes a significant toll on human life and local infrastructure, but did you know that munitions chemicals can also leach into soil and groundwater, contaminating ecosystems for generations? One specific explosive chemical, called RDX can cause seizures and possibly cancer when it Read More...
This startup helps build solar panels where they’re most needed
Most of the new solar panels that are being built in the US are located in states where the process is easiest or policies are most favorable, instead of where solar could have the biggest impact on reducing CO2 emissions. A Nashville-based startup, called Clearloop, wants to change that by Read More...