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.
Satellite data can help scientists save endangered shark species
Sharks have patrolled our oceans for more than 400 million years. They survived near-global extinction events and outlived countless other marine species. But according to several studies, shark populations around the world are suffering a serious decline due to human activities like over-fishing, Read More...
Russia to release nearly 100 captured whales back into the wild
After months of international outcry, nearly 100 whales held in cages in Russia’s far east are now to be released back into the wild. Images of 10 orcas and 87 beluga whales kept in cramped enclosures first appeared after they were caught last summer by firms which planned to sell them to marine Read More...
Over 1 million gardeners join efforts to save declining bee populations
Bees and other pollinating insects are responsible for 1 out of 3 bites of the food that we eat every day, and yet pollinators are at a critical point in their own survival. To prevent their declining numbers, the National Pollinator Garden Network set a nationwide call to action in 2015 to Read More...
Scientists have discovered (and climbed) the world’s tallest tropical tree
Here’s another reminder of why nature is so amazing. In the midst of the Borneo rainforest in Malaysia, scientists have discovered a behemoth of a tree, measuring more than 100 meters (328ft) tall. The lofty yellow meranti, as it’s known, is so long that if it were laid along the ground, it Read More...
The New York Yankees just signed onto the Paris Climate Agreement
We know you don’t subscribe to us just to updates about baseball, but here’s some news actually worth discussing: The New York Yankees, arguably the most despised team in America, has just made themselves a little more lovable after becoming the first and only baseball team in the world to Read More...
South Korea could teach us a thing or two about cutting down on food waste
What was once a city where foul-smelling landfills loomed over entire neighborhoods is now one of the cleanest cities on the planet. The city we're talking about is South Korea's capital, Seoul, which managed to clean up its streets thanks in part to one of the most rigorous food waste recycling Read More...
Tips and tricks to make your spring cleaning routine more eco-friendly
When the spring cleaning season comes around, many homeowners turn to their favorite cleaning products to tidy up. Unfortunately, most of these products contain harmful chemicals that get washed down the drain and into the sewage. The majority of these chemicals are filtered out in sewage plants Read More...
This Dutchman drove his electric car from Amsterdam to Sydney
In an attempt to prove to the world that electric cars are perfectly feasible transportation, Dutchman Wiebe Wakker set out on a three-year, 59,000-mile journey from Amsterdam to Sydney, Australia back in 2016. This past week, the “world’s largest electric car trip” came to a close after Read More...
These floating wetlands harness nature’s power to clean up pollution
Wetlands are a crucial part of our ecosystems. In addition to providing habitats for aquatic species, wetlands pull greenhouse gasses from the air, protect areas from flooding, and purify water. That’s why it’s an absolute shame that the planet has lost up to 71 percent of its global wetlands Read More...
London just launched an ultra-low emissions zone for its city center
Global cities around the world are starting to take drastic measures to reduce road transport emissions. In New York City, a new law is being put in place that will charge drivers well over $10 to drive n the busiest parts of Manhattan to reduce congestion and lower air pollution. Meanwhile, in Read More...