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.
All medals at the 2020 Olympics to be made out of recycled materials
With a little ingenuity, there's a lot you can do with old electronic waste. That was shown at the 2016 Olympics in Rio where 30 percent of the silver and bronze in medals came from recycled electronic devices. Now organizers of the 2020 edition in Japan are looking to one up Rio by forging all Read More...
Pakistan is pushing to recover mafia-encroached land and transform it into forests
Pakistan's Prime Minister has been an advocate for environmental conservation for a long time. Before becoming Prime Minister, he oversaw the planting of a billion trees in the province where he was in power. Now he has launched an even more ambitious project dubbed the "10 Billion Tree Tsunami" in Read More...
Newborn island in the South Pacific is now nurturing birds and flowers
Four years ago a volcanic eruption gave birth to one of the world’s youngest islands. But what was thought to be just another short-lived island that submarine volcanic eruptions tend to uplift now has its own flora and fauna. Dazzling pink flowering plants, sooty tern birds, and even barn owls Read More...
Rhode Island to prohibit restaurants from offering plastic straws
Movements condemning the use of single-use plastics are growing stronger, with plastic straws being singled out as one of the main culprits that pollute our oceans. And for good reason: In the US alone, over 500 million plastic straws are used every day, with the majority of those ending up in Read More...
Volunteers saved thousands of baby flamingos in drought-stricken South Africa
Years of severe drought brought the capital of South Africa dangerously close to becoming the first major city in the modern era to face the threat of running out of water, and while such a scenario was fortunately averted, the drought did cause a reservoir that hosts one of southern Africa's Read More...
Treat yourself to a visual feast of birds with these stunning photos
At the Optimist Daily, we’re constantly delivering stories for you to read. But every now and again, there’s something wonderful to be gained by simply taking in the stunning beauty of our world and the animals that inhabit it. If you follow the link below, you will be treated to a visual feast Read More...
Scientists are creating a plant that thrives on guzzling carbon dioxide
The institute that developed the first safe polio vaccine is now off to tackle another life-threatening problem: climate change. To do so, they are attempting to create the “Ideal Plant”—one that thrives on consuming lots of carbon dioxide and storing it in its roots. The scientists behind Read More...
This company is turning avocado seeds into 100% biodegradable plastics
Unless you live under a rock, you’re probably aware that single-use plastic items such as disposable cutlery and straws are falling out of favor. In fact, cities around the world such as Seattle and Paris have already issued bans on straws. But what will come in its place? The answer may possibly Read More...
Scotland’s Isle of Arran becomes first British community to go plastic-free
The Isle of Arran in Scotland attracts over 400,000 visitors a year, and is often referred to as ‘Scotland in miniature’. Now it can also be referred to as Scotland’s first plastic-free community. The island received the Plastic Free Community accreditation from Surfers Against Sewage, an Read More...
Personal care products are especially wasteful. This company wants to solve that
When entrepreneur Brian Bushell found out that a third of all the single-use plastic products in landfills are personal care products, he decided to launch a new line of personal care products called Humankind aimed at eliminating single-use packaging. A deodorant from the brand will come in a Read More...