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.
Paris just opened a cemetery dedicated to green burials
In a 2017 study, the City of Paris discovered something rather shocking about traditional burial practices: the average burial generates, on average, 833 kilograms (or almost 1 ton) of carbon dioxide, which is nearly the equivalent of a round-trip flight between Paris and New York. Part of those Read More...
Turns out painting the streets white doesn’t make cities cooler
At The Optimist Daily, we’re here to bring you solutions. It’s what we do. But when we offer solutions and they don’t pan out like expected, we recognize the importance of relaying that information. The following is one of those cases. Many cities in warmer climates have been painting Read More...
How land protection can actually promote employment—especially in rural areas
There’s a debate about whether or not land conservation can also help local economies. On the one hand, some worry that land protection inhibits economic growth by restricting local resource use or building opportunities. On the other hand, there are those who say land protection can support Read More...
MIT scientists have figured out how to make cement without emissions
The production of cement currently accounts for about 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, leading to calls for architects to stop using it. That’s a hard sell, considering cement is such useful material. Fortunately, researchers at MIT have demonstrated an experimental way of Read More...
Apple partners with Conservation International to restore degraded grasslands in Africa
Despite growing interest in the potential of forests and other ecosystems to help address global warming, conservation organizations are still struggling to find the money to fund these natural solutions to climate change. In a bid to ease these efforts, Apple has recently partnered up with Read More...
Kickstarter campaign repurposes plastic to spruce up chain link fences
Sead Pods is a new startup with a green vision for the chain-link fences of the world. What Sead (which stands for sustainable ecology adaptive design) has created is a hangable container made out of recycled plastic that is large enough to house one plant. When hung on fences, these pods give old Read More...
Coca-Cola reveals first bottle made from low-grade ocean plastic
Using breakthrough technology in plastic recycling methods, Coca Cola has revealed a new bottle made from previously low-quality marine waste plastic. The new bottle prototype is the first-ever plastic bottle made using marine plastic that has been successfully recycled from food and drink Read More...
Can hospitals function without using so much plastic?
At the Optimist Daily, we have highlighted time and time again how plastic is harmful to the environment. We’ve also reported on the bans being brought across the world on single-use plastics and how companies are mobilizing their supply chain to reduce the use and production of plastic. One Read More...
This washing machine cleans your clothes AND filters micro-plastic from the water
In the age of synthetic fabrics, 60% of our garments are made of oil-based fabrics which release microfibers when they’re washed. These microfibers make their way into our water systems, fish populations, and even our own bodies. Rethinking our shopping habits is one way to cut down on these Read More...
Britain’s push to take the plastic out of period products
Sanitary products are the fifth most common item found on Europe’s beaches, more widespread than single-use coffee cups, cutlery or straws. In fact, it’s estimated that 700,000 panty liners, 2.5m tampons, and 1.4m sanitary towels are flushed down the toilet every day in the UK alone. To stop Read More...