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.
Italian fisherman uses underwater sculptures to stop trawling
Italian fisherman Paolo Fanciulli had been fishing the waters of the Maremma coastline for almost 40 years. These sea habitats near Tuscany, and Fanciulli’s livelihood, came under threat, however, in the form of illegal trawling, dragging huge nets through the water to catch large amounts of Read More...
Canada outlines plan to ban single-use plastic
Canada has now become a world leader in environmental policy. On Monday, it laid out its final plans and regulations on how it intends to ban single-use plastics. Federal health minister Jean-Yves Duclos said the country recycles “only 8 percent of the plastic [Canada] throws away” and Read More...
Helping the environment and fertilizing crops by upcycling pee
Here’s something you probably never thought you’d hear: the price of urine per 25 liters has risen from $1 to $6 since the start of the War in Ukraine. This is because there’s now a shortage of agricultural chemicals, and farmers and providers have turned to human urine as an abundant source Read More...
New electrolyzer improves green hydrogen production
Green hydrogen continues to gain momentum in funding and research. The hydrogen market is projected to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2050. "Green" hydrogen is hydrogen fuel made using energy from zero-carbon renewable sources through a method called electrolysis. As the world seeks to limit its carbon Read More...
Explorers in China find prehistoric forest hidden in giant sinkhole
At a time when the entire world is concerned with the far-reaching effects of years and years of unchecked deforestation, the astounding discovery of an ancient forest inside an enormous sinkhole in China is welcome news. In May of 2022, cave explorers from the Institute of Karst Geology of the Read More...
Fast-acting enzyme breaks down plastics and changes recycling game
We’ve all wondered when we take out the recycling just how much of it will be recycled, remade, and repurposed into a new product as we hope. Sadly, only 10 percent of plastics globally are successfully recycled, and there’s a lot of work to do to ensure everything we put in the recycling bin Read More...
Okra: the surprising hero in the fight against microplastics
According to new research from scientists at Tarleton State University in Texas, okra — you know, the green, finger-shaped pod that is often added to delicious dishes like gumbo and soup — is a valuable weapon in the fight to get microplastics out of our drinking water. What are Read More...
World’s most endangered wolf gives birth at Rhode Island zoo
A Rhode Island zoo recently announced the rare birth of an endangered red wolf, bringing new hope for the species’ survival. The red wolf is the world’s most endangered canid, which is why the birth of the pup, on May 5th, is such a remarkable conservation moment. Only about 15-20 red wolves Read More...
Researchers discover more than 200 freshwater fish species
There always seems to be a lot more talk surrounding species that we have lost to human habitat encroachment, over-hunting, and the ripple effects of pollution. Though, an encouraging discovery in 2022, reminded us that our world is still so full of wonder, where scientists - from the conservation Read More...
Formerly "extinct" woodpecker still alive and pecking in Louisiana forests
Last year, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FSW) declared the ivory-billed woodpecker extinct. That, however, proved to be a premature move. That’s according to a team of researchers, bringing a new glimmer of hope for the bird’s existential status after reporting the woodpecker alive and Read More...