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.
How Olay could lead other beauty companies to start use refillable packaging
While skincare products may be a good way to keep your body beautiful, the way they’re packaged is only making the world a dirtier place. The good news is that the beauty label Olay is becoming the first major global skincare brand to test refillable packaging in an attempt to reduce plastic Read More...
A United flight just used a biofuel blend. That’s a big deal
The aviation industry may be one of the world’s most polluting industries, but at the very least there are a number of developments underway to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. Yesterday we wrote about one taking place in the Netherlands where aerospace engineers are designing a Read More...
Amsterdam is eliminating thousands of parking spaces—and people love it
Taking away thousands of parking spaces each year in a major city in America would be an unimaginable prospect. In Amsterdam, it’s becoming the norm. Earlier this year, local leaders announced plans to scale back parking in Amsterdam’s core by about 1,500 spaces per year. The Dutch capital Read More...
Baltimore is leading the nation when it comes urban forests
Few amenities better reveal the overall vigor of a city than its canopy: the mix of trees that line streets, envelop parks, and shade homes. A good canopy can reduce the urban heat island, and instill true health and wellness to a community. Yet despite those benefits, America’s metropolitan Read More...
Vermont passes bill restricting the use of pollinator-killing pesticides
Pesticides are one of the main reasons why bee populations have plummeted at an incredible rate in the past couple of years. In Vermont, for example, beekeepers reported losing an average of 57 percent of their hives from 2017 to 2018, and that’s even higher than the national average of 40 Read More...
Here’s why you should use cold water in your cleaning machines
At some point in your life, you were probably told that hot water cleans better than cold water when you’re using the dishwasher or washing machine. We’re here to tell you that’s not the case. According to a senior scientist for sustainability at Seventh Generation (a cleaning company), Read More...
IKEA launches new collection made of leftover rice straw to reduce smog in India
Once the rice is harvested in India, the straw is commonly burnt by small-scale rural farmers to make way for the new crop. This smoke contributes to the smog peaks that cause numerous health problems for the population of northern India, where nine out of 10 of the world's most polluted cities are Read More...
Chile just made a pledge to eradicate coal by 2040
Although Chile represents a mere 0.25% of global emissions, the country is one of the 10 most vulnerable nations to climate change. It doesn’t help that Chile’s economy is heavily dependent on coal. But now with the annual UN climate talks coming to Chile this December, the South American Read More...
Actor Robert Downey Jr. wants to solve the climate crisis with nanotech
Celebrity activism often has a pejorative connotation, but it is actually one of the most effective ways to draw attention to social problems and, in some cases, to even raise efforts to solve them. Take, for instance, actor Robert Downey Jr of ‘Iron Man’ who has recently announced the Read More...
Costa Rica has doubled its forest cover in the past 30 years
Long committed to the environment, Costa Rica has often been praised for its successful efforts in sustainability, biodiversity, and other protections. More recently, the nation has made headlines by pledging to go entirely fossil-free by 2050. In an interview with The New York Times, the Read More...