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.
Madison becomes first in America to make its bike share program 100% electric
The city of Madison in Wisconsin is set to become the first city in America to go 100 percent electric for its bike star program. The reason: E-bikes are simply easier for people to ride and will motivate more people to ditch their cars. The extra push from a motor makes previously unconquerable Read More...
Five strategies that will help you do less laundry
If it feels like you constantly have a load of laundry to do, then your approach to laundry might be all wrong. The truth is running your clothes through the washing machine shortens the lifespan of your clothes, and beyond this, running the washing machine is an energy-intensive process that uses Read More...
Wow. Pope Francis convinced a room full of big oil CEOs to act on climate change
Say what you will about the Vatican, but it has become an advocate of some incredibly progressive ideas since Pope Francis became head of the papal state. Most importantly, though, Francis is using his immense influence to make the world more environmentally-conscious. Just this week, the Pope Read More...
How a dying Swedish town went from industrial powerhouse to recycling empire
The city of Eskilstuna in Sweden was once a steel-producing powerhouse, but as the industry declined rapidly throughout the 1970s, so did the town. It now has an unemployment rate that is almost double the national average of 8%. But the town has come up with an answer: recycling! Far from the Read More...
Costa Rica is giving Styrofoam containers the boot
From making incredible progress in curbing deforestation to setting some of the most ambitious carbon goals, Costa Rica has long been on the forefront in the fight against climate change. Now, the country has made yet another bold step towards protecting the environment by passing legislation Read More...
Vermont just passed the most comprehensive ban on single-use plastics in the US
If $7,500 isn’t enough to motivate you to move to Vermont (see yesterday’s main story), then maybe this will: Vermont just joined the growing list of states swearing off single-use plastics by adopting the nation’s broadest restrictions yet on shopping bags, straws, drink stirrers, and foam Read More...
Transformation and Turbulence: Dr. Nick Haddad on his quest to Save a Rare and Vanishing Creature
“We should care about butterflies because they are a part of the web of life…and they are the ‘canaries in the coal mine’ of ecosystem health.” - Nick Haddad By Kristy Jansen & Amelia Buckley Chaos theory implies that if a butterfly flaps its wings in Brazil, it can cause a Read More...
This brewery is working with Kellogg’s to turn bad cereal into beer
Turning food waste into something valuable. That’s something we love at the Optimist Daily. Just last week, we wrote about a brewery in Brooklyn turning old bagels into delicious craft beer. Today, we present to you a brewery in England that is turning another wasted breakfast ingredient into Read More...
Restoring native prairies is becoming profitable for farmers in the Great Plains
Often agricultural and environmental interests can be at odds. On the northern Great Plains, though, ranchers increasingly find that restoring native grasslands can benefit cattle and wildlife alike—simultaneously boosting profit and the environment. What we’re seeing in the Great Plains is Read More...
Eco-friendly bike tires made from dandelion rubber to feature at Tour de France
The Tour de France may be a much more sustainable racing competition than NASCAR, but it still generates a whole lot of waste in the form of used bike tires. In an effort to clean up cycling’s biggest event, Continental has developed new road bike tires made using rubber derived from dandelion Read More...