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.
A Vietnamese man is creating biodegradable straws out of wild grass
As the world becomes increasingly aware of the plastic crisis, more and more people are saying no to plastic straws. After all, you don't really need a straw to enjoy a drink. Still, some people are insistent on drinking out of a straw, so innovators around the world are scrambling to find Read More...
Nature is our most valuable ally in the fight against climate change
There is a wonderful but largely overlooked approach to averting the worst case scenario of climate change while defending the living world: natural climate solutions. By defending, restoring, and re-establishing sea beds and other crucial ecosystems, large amounts of carbon can be removed from the Read More...
A Swiss startup claims to have made a battery with more than 600 miles of range
City dwellers tend to make up the great proportion of electric car buyers, but if the range of EVs were to improve, those of us living in more rural areas would be more tempted to buy one. The good news is a Swiss startup by the name of Innolith says it has developed new high-density lithium-ion Read More...
This aid agency is helping women in refugee camps thrive through permaculture
Although aid agencies have come to Sub-Saharan Africa with good intentions to help refugees, very few have made their desired impact. But one agency by the name of African Women Rising (AWR) is having startling success. The organization educates women and girls in Northern Uganda, schooling them in Read More...
Toyota is offering royalty-free access to 24,000 patents related to EVs
In a move rarely seen by major corporations, Toyota has announced it will allow royalty-free access to its nearly 24,000 patents for hybrid and other vehicles using electrification technology in a bid to expand competition in the market as the industry adopts stricter emissions regulations. Read More...
Volkswagen’s electric self-driving cars are hitting the streets of Hamburg
Anyone who truly cares about the environment probably shudders a little at the mention of Volkswagen. Nonetheless, Volkswagen has a goal of making automated driving a practical reality by 2025, and is hustling to make that happen. The German Automaker is now testing self-driving versions of its Read More...
African nations are building wall of their own, and it’s made out of trees
While the president is busy trying to build a wall at the southern US border, locals, environmentalists, and scientists from more than 20 African nations are building a wall of trees at the southern edge of the Sahara Desert to fight the effects of climate change. The tree-planting project, which Read More...
Germany saw a big drop in carbon emissions in 2018
As the biggest economy in all of Europe, Germany is also a major emitter of greenhouse gasses. This past year, however, Germany released 38 million tons of carbon dioxide less than it had the previous years, signifying a 4.2 percent drop in total emission. The reason for this drop is not as Read More...
Norway sets record as it sells more electric vehicles than gas and diesel ones
The EV revolution is blossoming and Norway is here to prove it. In a symbolic first, electric cars outsold fossil fuel-powered ones in the Scandinavian country last month. The country set a record in March when 58.4 percent of new cars sold in the country were battery-powered. To achieve such Read More...
A photographer caught a rare glimpse of a “golden” zebra in Tanzania
People who make the journey through Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park are already very fortunate if they spot a pack of zebras from nearby. That's’ why photographer Sergio Pitamitz couldn’t believe his luck when he came across one of the rarest creatures in the animal kingdom: a “golden” Read More...