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.
Norwegian cohousing encourages social connection and sustainable living
After the pandemic years of alienation from each other, the downfalls of the once sought-after single-nuclear-family housing are becoming clearer. Not only is it financially impractical and ecologically damaging, but it’s isolating, and discourages the building of strong local communities. With Read More...
Crows help rid this Swedish city's streets of cigarette butts
A startup in the Swedish city of Södertälje, which is located near Stockholm, has recruited the help of local crows to pick up discarded cigarette butts from the city’s streets and public spaces. In fact, there’s a movement afoot in places as varied as California and the Netherlands to ban Read More...
Zimbabwe's endangered black rhinos are finally making a comeback
Rhinoceros populations are beginning to recover in the species' native Zimbabwe, indicating that conservation efforts are bearing fruit, according to animal conservationists. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission's African Rhino Specialist Read More...
Ingenious chemical process turns non-recyclable PVC into useful materials
Chemical advances continue to bring new materials into the domain of recyclability, and new research from a team at the University of Michigan has targeted one of the most difficult to reuse. The researchers created a method for transforming scrap PVC (polyvinyl chloride) into useable items, which Read More...
The Domino effect: pizza place splurges on electric delivery fleet
Domino's Pizza is investing in a fleet of 800 electric Chevrolet Bolts painted in Domino's livery to supplement its understaffed driving crew. As the world's largest pizza company, Domino's investment in EVs represents a particularly high-profile adoption of electric transportation by the fast Read More...
6 ways to have a positive impact while holiday shopping this year
Making sure your practices align with your values can be tricky all year round, but this is especially true during the holiday season. Here are six great ways to make a positive impact while going about your festivities this year. Support indie bookshops Even though bookshops have experienced a Read More...
These innovative solar panels stalk the sun across the sky
In order to get the most out of its energy, a Portuguese company's sustainable solution stalks the Sun as it journeys across the sky. SolarisFloat has created an innovative floating solar system that is unlike the many others that are currently stationed in bodies of water across the world. The Read More...
Detroit’s two new EV-charging roads will let drivers power up on the go
Last year, The Optimist Daily wrote an article about how the state government in Indiana was testing roads that could charge EV vehicles while they were being driven. Now, it seems this technology is leaping forward in Detroit. Inductive charging technology is being connected to two short Read More...
How tiger sharks help researchers map the world’s largest seagrass system
Tiger sharks have a symbiotic connection with seagrass habitats, acting as the apex predator to prevent overgrazing by other species while patrolling the underwater meadows for food. Using cameras affixed to their backs, scientists investigating these species have used their free-roaming Read More...
Are egg whites the missing ingredient for cheap effective water filtration?
As microplastic contamination and the lack of drinkable water worsen, finding efficient technologies to filter and desalinate seawater becomes increasingly vital. A novel airgel, fabricated from egg whites, shows great promise. An egg-citing concept Professor Craig Arnold of Princeton University Read More...