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.
California forest managers are rethinking reforestation patterns to tackle wildfires
When a wildfire tears through a region, the first priority for conservationists is to begin replanting some of the habitat destroyed by the blazes, but in the face of climate change, some forest mangers are rethinking what this planting should look like. In Eldorado National Forest, researchers and Read More...
Cape Cod scientists are mapping out safer waters for sharks and swimmers
For summer beachgoers in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, great white shark sightings are all too common. Shark populations have been rebounding since the 1970s protections prevented sharks and seals from being hunted, so now, lifeguards regularly clear the waters due to a shark or two. But the question Read More...
Austin neighborhood to be transformed into self-sufficient solar town
An Austin neighborhood is getting a green upgrade in an attempt to become a self-sufficient solar-powered town. Through partnering with Tesla and developer Dacra and Brookfield Asset Management, the town plans to equip houses with V3 solar roof tiles, Tesla chargers, and Powerwall Read More...
New Mexico celebrates largest private land donation for conservation
New Mexico is celebrating the state's largest private land donation which adds 15 square miles to the Sabinoso Wilderness Area. The donation, made by the Trust for Public Land, was accepted by U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. It increases the wilderness area by 50 percent and offers both Read More...
This newly-discovered frog gets its name for an unusual reason
A new species of frog, dubbed the “zombie frog,” has been discovered in the Amazon jungle. Fortunately, these frogs are not actually undead, but rather their name was chosen because researchers look like zombies due to the tedious amount of time it takes to dig these little guys up from Read More...
The UN draws up Paris-style strategy with ambitious goals to protect the planet
The UN has set out a Paris-style strategy to halt biodiversity loss. Some of the ambitious goals of this plan, which was drawn up by the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) include eliminating plastic pollution, protecting a minimum of 30 percent of the world’s oceans and land, and Read More...
Maine passes groundbreaking law banning “forever chemicals”
PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as “forever chemicals,” are toxic chemicals found in a wide range of products we consume and use on a daily basis including packaging, cookware, cosmetics, and textiles. These chemicals are being increasingly linked to serious diseases Read More...
C40 cities commit to conquering climate change with urban greenspaces
Concrete jungles are being infiltrated with urban green spaces as 31 major cities, including London, Barcelona, and Milan, have signed a declaration to invest in reintroducing nature to their metropolises. Mayors of each city agreed to strive for the C40 cities network goal of transforming 30 to Read More...
Goats provide natural and effective brush management in New York park
If you’re visiting New York City this summer and head to Riverside Park, you may witness more than just other walkers and picnic-eaters. You may in fact see a whole herd of goats. The park has introduced its second annual weed-slaying goat grazing initiative, and the animals made their way to the Read More...
How controlled burns are bringing back a rare Maryland orchid
The Oxypolis canbyi plant, also known as Canby’s dropwort is an extremely rare orchid which only lives in the Delmarva Bay, part of Maryland’s wetlands. Generations ago, regular wildfires would have swept through this area, clearing out space for the flowers to thrive, but wildfire suppression Read More...