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.
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...
Seals reveal that the River Thames is healthier than people think
Despite the brown color of London's River Thames, marine biologists are happy to report that the river is actually healthier than people think. In the 1950s, researchers had proclaimed the river “biologically dead,” but these days, the stable seal population suggests that the river is Read More...
Rotterdam becomes home to the world’s largest floating office
While Rotterdam is typically known for hosting Europe’s biggest port, the second largest Dutch city is also famous as a forerunning innovator in climate adaptability. This reputation is reflected by (among other things) a floating dairy farm located near the port, as well as by the more recently Read More...
SF Bay will launch US’ first hydrogen-powered commercial ferry this year
The US’ first hydrogen-powered commercial ferry is slated to begin operating in the San Francisco Bay by the end of the year. The Sea Change is a 70-foot, 75-passenger vessel built by All American Marine, and holds enough compressed hydrogen to travel 300 nautical miles at a cruising speed of Read More...
Watch and listen to millions of monarch butterflies take flight together
Every winter, monarch butterflies fly thousands of miles from the US and Canada where they breed, all the way down to the forests of central Mexico where they wait out the cold before heading back home in the spring. While this phenomenon by itself is one of the most impressive things in the Read More...
Harvard University will divest from fossil fuels
Back in 2019, we reported that a group of activists was working to reduce Harvard University’s investments in fossil fuels. Today, we are happy to report that the school has announced it will divest its nearly $42 billion endowment from fossil fuels. Announced by university president Lawrence Read More...
Collaborative project yields first high-resolution map of the world's coral reefs
Climate change is a huge threat to the world’s coral reefs, but targeted conservation efforts can help buy us time in saving these critical marine ecosystems. To help citizens, scientists, and policymakers better understand the world’s reefs, the Allen Coral Atlas has recently finished the Read More...
Orca is the world's biggest plant built to transform CO2 into rock
To meet the ever-looming and increasingly destructive challenge of climate change, we must curb our carbon emissions drastically. Now, 'Orca' is helping us reverse some of the emissions we've already created. It's the world’s largest plant designed to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and turn Read More...
Spending time with trees boosts children's cognitive development
Trees are nature’s air purifiers—they provide us with oxygen and absorb CO2, which makes them a key component of the global fight against climate change. However, they also have an influence over our individual health, both mentally and physically. A new study published in Nature Read More...