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.
This electric 'urban sled' is a model for zero-emissions parcel delivery
A growing urban challenge created by delivery vans is that, when they stop for deliveries in crowded cities, they tend to block lanes and cause traffic. One way to alleviate this problem is to replace delivery trucks with electric cargo bikes (aka trikes), which can fit on bike lanes and also help Read More...
This social enterprise in Zambia puts sustainability and community first
As the business sector comes to grips with the fact that it needs to shift away from business-as-usual and contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world, impact-driven social enterprises serve as a source of inspiration for how to achieve that. Take Tribal Textiles, for example. The Zambian Read More...
GameStop investors have raised over $200K for gorilla conservation
Reddit’s WallStreetBets community, which was responsible for sparking the massive stock rise of video game retailer GameStop, is now looking to put their newfound money to good use: supporting gorilla conservation nonprofit. The philanthropic movement was initiated by a member of the Read More...
This startup is repurposing wastewater one flush at a time
Water conservation is a pillar of environmentalism and critical for protecting the Earth's dwindling fresh water supply. We've featured desalination solutions that are aiding in this effort, but today we're focusing on localized water treatment as a path to water security. Startup Epic Read More...
Athens is tackling urban air pollution and heat stress with "pocket parks"
Adding greenery to urban areas can do wonders for the liveability of a city. On top of providing shade and a cooling effect, trees, and shrubs also remove pollution from the air. That’s why Greece’s capital, Athens, has embarked on a mission to green up the city by creating “pocket parks” Read More...
CityLoops is a grand experiment on the scalability of circularity
If you sit on a bench in the city of Musicon, about 30 kilometers from Denmark’s capital of Copenhagen, you’ll likely be sitting on a slab of concrete recycled from a nearby demolition site. Musicon is one of seven cities around Europe selected for experimentation by CityLoops, a project Read More...
Cultivate a more sustainable closet with these green fashion tips
We recently shared three strategies for buying clothes more eco-consciously. In addition to shopping with sustainability in mind, taking a deeper look at your clothing habits, in general, can help you develop an environmentally-friendly closet and ditch fast fashion for good. Here are five Read More...
UGG launches new carbon-neutral vegan shoe line
We recently shared a guide to making more eco-conscious clothing choices. Part of this includes buying from brands that value sustainability and durability. One such company making their goods a bit greener is UGG. The popular shoe brand just launched their Plant Power Collection which features Read More...
This startup turns captured carbon into stone
Addressing climate change means finding new strategies for carbon capture. Many of these, like kelp farming, focus on absorbing carbon back into our natural environment. Icelandic startup Carbfix is taking on this same challenge, but rather than use plants, it's putting carbon back into the ground Read More...
Hermès is the latest brand to offer mushroom-based leather products
Mushroom-derived leather holds real potential for revolutionizing the fashion industry and pushing it towards more sustainable practices. This potential has been particularly reflected in recent partnerships between major brands and biotechnology startups looking to replace animal-sourced leather Read More...