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.
The National Trust of Great Britain has pulled its funds from fossil fuels
As Europe’s largest conservation group, The National Trust of the UK is a powerful organization with loads of wealth. The organization holds up to £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in assets, with a large chunk dedicated towards fossil fuel companies including BP, Shell, and Total. In the past, the Read More...
Meet the ‘night minister’ who helps those who need it most in San Francisco
For decades, the Tenderloin has been known as San Francisco’s primary harbor of destitution. More than 4,000 people sleep unsheltered around the area, far more than anywhere else in the city. It’s common to encounter open-air narcotic exchanges, human feces on the sidewalk, and desperate Read More...
Leonardo DiCaprio co-founds new environmental initiative Earth Alliance
Leonardo DiCaprio has recently stepped up his climate activism game by partnering with billionaire investors and philanthropists to create a new non-profit with the main target of battling climate change. Called the Earth Alliance, the organization is essentially joining the resources of the Read More...
Scientists in Zurich are turning light and air into carbon-neutral fuel
Until our transportation systems run entirely on battery-powered engines or hydrogen fuel, cleaner ways of producing fuel are absolutely necessary. In Zurich, scientists have developed a solar plant that produces synthetic fuels that release as much carbon dioxide during their combustion as Read More...
How cities are finally dealing with the emissions that come with consumption
Climate optimists argue that it is possible to reduce our production emissions without substantially changing our lifestyles. (Electric cars are just as good!) But what if those lifestyles — in which consumption is perpetually rising — are driving increases in production emissions elsewhere? Read More...
Oregon is now leading the nation when it comes to affordable housing
When it comes to affordable housing, no state is tackling the issue as aggressively as Oregon. This past week, the Beaver State passed a law that will effectively enact a state-wide ban on single-family zoning, which has come under scrutiny as housing costs have soared and housing shortages have Read More...
The world’s most inspirational climate activists have finally met each other
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg are two of the most visible climate campaigners in the world, spearheading a movement that is forcing those in power to address the climate crisis. And although they both have a very similar agenda, they are also as different as two campaigners can get. Read More...
Mini urban forests are about to make Paris even more beautiful
Earth is home to approximately 3 trillion trees, but most of them are far from urban centers where they’re most needed to cool down pavement and air temperatures. Paris has a plan to change that. The city just announced that it will be planting a series of urban forests as a way to combat Read More...
This photographer is trying to restore some calm amidst the climate crisis
For many years, world-renowned photographer Chris Jordan was focused on the “underbelly of mass consumption”, capturing iconic, yet disturbing photos of birds dying from eating plastic. But recently Jordan has started to change his approach. If people are bombarded with messages about Read More...
How these eco toilets are saving nature and empowering women in rural areas
In many rural parts of the world, people do not have access to any bathroom facilities and therefore must use makeshift bathrooms that are at risk of contaminating the soil or local watershed, which also leave them at risk. That’s why Jenifer Colpas designed a unique toilet that is more than just Read More...