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.
Spray on road treatment cools cities and absorbs exhaust fumes
The heat island effect can make temperatures in cities ten degrees warmer than surrounding rural areas. This is not only uncomfortable for residents but can also have dangerous health impacts during heat waves. To address this issue, Pavement Technology Inc. has created a new treatment for roads Read More...
IMO moves to make shipping companies pay a price for emissions
As the volume of goods traded across the world continues to increase, emissions from container ships are becoming a more prevalent source of pollution. In an effort to transition to industry towards a greener future, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has proposed a regulation that would Read More...
This sleek, zero-waste kitchen design takes a stance against personal waste
A zero-waste kitchen is every eco enthusiast's dream. But, as many of us might know by now, leaving no waste behind when cooking is a daunting, if not seemingly impossible, task. In an effort to make things easier, designer Ivana Steiner has created a sustainable kitchen — made of recycled Read More...
Can this robotic fish save the seas?
From food to fashion, consumers, especially millennials and Gen Z-ers, are leaning towards companies that practice green methods of manufacturing their products and transparency, which is a great thing—but it also leads to lots of greenwashing. How can we confirm that companies follow through Read More...
World’s first underwater farm is growing fruits and veggies once again
While floating farms are already an indication of how agriculture might look like in the future, underwater farms are just getting started. With that said, their prospects to increase food security across the world look promising. Just recently, the world’s first underwater farm started producing Read More...
Birdwatchers in Singapore awestruck by sighting of once extinct bird
Bird enthusiasts, rejoice! A rare sighting of the once extinct green broadbill bird in Singapore has created a stir among bird watchers, who have flocked to the offshore isle of Pulau Ubin to see the emerald green creature. The bird, which gets its name for its highlighter-green plumage, was Read More...
In a world first, a herd of elephants is going from the UK back to the wild
For the first time ever, a herd of elephants will be released from a zoo back into the wild to provide a healthy living space for the animals and rewild part of their native habitat. The 13 elephants in question will travel from Howletts Wild Animal Park in Kent, southern England to a wild space in Read More...
New York introduces mandatory racial impact studies for large developments
New development projects are a fact of life in urban areas, but unfortunately, these developments displace marginalized communities and families of color at a disproportionate rate. Communities that developers feel do not have the resources to advocate for themselves are taken advantage of and Read More...
This culinary program equips restaurants to expand plant-based options
The fact that we can no longer ignore the tell-tale signs of climate change (hello, heatwave!) is motivating people to find ways to reduce their own carbon footprint. Animal agriculture is one of the biggest threats to the environment—it kills over 88 billion animals per year and is estimated to Read More...
The Optimist View: The Doughnut Economy
“Don’t wait for economic growth to reduce inequality—because it won’t. Instead, create an economy that is distributive by design.” - Kate Raworth BY Amelia Buckley Years ago, before I decided that my writing skills were far stronger than my calculus abilities, I sat in an Read More...