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.
Networks of recycled waste heat to help keep UK homes warm
The heating of homes in the UK accounts for almost a third of the country’s total carbon emissions. This means that finding greener ways to heat homes is key to achieving the government’s goal of bringing emissions down to net-zero by 2050. In an effort to reach that ambitious target, UK Read More...
These ultra-low-cost batteries use CO2 to store renewable energy
While the price for lithium-ion batteries has dropped significantly in recent years, the technology is still a tad too expensive to be the best solution for the long-term storage of renewable energy, most of which is weather-dependent. As such, innovators are looking beyond lithium-based batteries Read More...
Monarch conservation coalition launches huge milkweed planting initiative
Although monarch butterfly populations showed signs of recovery in recent years, these orange beauties are still highly threatened. The species’ numbers have fallen 99 percent since the 1980s, but a new collaboration between conservation groups, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Read More...
Golden eagles hatch chicks in Orkney after almost 40 years
The golden eagle was once a common occurrence in the skies above the Orkney Islands in Scotland. By 1848, however, only a single pair remained in the area. The country had to wait until 1966 to see the return of the first pair of breeding golden eagles, one of which died in 1982. Now, Read More...
Resilient coral can be transplanted to help regenerate degraded reefs
It’s no secret that coral reefs around the world are at risk due to human-caused climate change and pollutants. However, scientists at the University of Pennsylvania figured out a way to potentially limit our damage on coral reefs by taking coral species that were strong enough to survive severe Read More...
Sustainability is taking over our lives. Sex lives included.
Sustainability is (and should be) taking over all aspects of our lives—including our sex lives. The global sex toy and lubricant market may not be the first industry you think of when the term “sustainable” is brought up, but the fact is that it’s an industry that relies heavily on plastic Read More...
This map lets you trace the path of any waterway across the US
River Runner, a new map developed by data analyst Sam Learner, lets you trace the origins of water throughout the entire United States. Users can click on any location or enter any address and the map will show them where the water in that area is likely to flow to. If, for instance, you click Read More...
Maldives is building a floating city to adapt to climate change
With more than 80 percent of the country’s land area lying less than one meter above sea level, Maldives is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The archipelago, hosting 25 low-lying atolls in the Indian Ocean, is also the lowest-lying nation in the world — which means that Read More...
Want to go green but feel overwhelmed? There's an app for that
We all want to live more sustainably, but with all the avenues for reducing waste and emissions, it's not always easy to know where to start. New platform BrightAction is here to help you navigate through the mountain of information that is linked to leading a sustainable life and will make Read More...
Big oil continues to take hits as green energy activists join ExxonMobil board
We recently wrote about how a monumental court ruling has ordered Shell to cut emissions by 45 percent by 2030. Later that very same day, another climate victory occurred as shareholders voted to elect two green energy activists to the ExxonMobil board. The shift took place thanks to an Read More...