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.
Indian safaris saved the Bactrian camel from going extinct
The double-humped Bactrian camel used to carry heavy lands along the rugged terrain of the Silk Road. With the closure of the Silk Road, many were left abandoned in the Nubra Valley in the north of India. Overlooked and uncared for, their numbers dwindled, pushing them to the brink of extinction. Read More...
A massive cleanup of the Great Pacific Ocean Patch is about to get underway
Years ago, a young Dutch entrepreneur designed a system that could effectively clean up tons of plastic in the ocean using the water’s currents. Now that system is actually getting ready to launch a massive cleanup of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch on September 8. The ultimate goal of the Read More...
These three things could help the world solve its air-conditioning problem
Air-conditioning is one of the world’s great overlooked industries. Automobiles and air-conditioners were invented at roughly the same time, and both have had a huge impact on where people live and work. Unlike cars, though, air-conditioners have drawn little criticism for their social impact, Read More...
Conservationists in Louisiana are turning to oysters to save the state’s wetlands
Louisiana’s wetlands play a pivotal role for the state. They underpin Louisiana’s seafood industry and are home to key infrastructures, like pipes that carry oil and gas all the way up to Washington DC. On top of that, the wetlands are a natural barrier against storms and flooding. Read More...
Reebok’s newest sneakers are almost entirely made out of plant-based materials
The shoe industry has a massive carbon footprint. That’s why Reebok is now creating shoes using plant-based materials to clean up both production and post-consumer use in an industry that typically relies on petroleum in manufacturing. In addition to using 100 percent organic cotton for the Read More...
Lionfish are an environmental disaster. This robot could solve the issue.
The lionfish is a major environmental problem. Over a million of the predators infest the warm waters of the Caribbean, Bahamas, and areas of the US south and east coasts. It has a voracious appetite, can lay 30,000 eggs every five days, and has no natural enemies in its invaded waters. Since no Read More...
We have greener alternatives to plastic. We just need to get them out of the lab
Unlike other forms of trash, such as food and paper, most synthetic plastics cannot be easily degraded by live microorganisms or through chemical processes. As a result, a growing plastic waste crisis threatens the health of our planet. In labs around the world, scientists have created greener Read More...
New research could change the way America grows corn for the better
After more than a decade of studies, researchers have concluded that farmers in Oaxaca, Mexico, have been growing corn that creates its own fertilizer for centuries. The corn secretes a sugar-rich gel that provides the corn the nitrogen that regular corn gets from fertilizers. This also limits the Read More...
Researchers say people should not flush their used contacts down the drain
A recent study found that 15 to 20 percent of people in the US who wear contact lenses flick their fiddly lenses down the drain via the bathroom sink or toilet. Considering that around 45 million people wear contacts in the US, that’s a lot of unneeded plastic winding up in our waterways. The Read More...
Why it’s time to switch your shampoo bottle for a bar
Currently, about nine million tons of plastic gets thrown into the ocean annually, which breaks down to one garbage truck full of plastic being dumped into the sea every minute. By using shampoo bars instead of buying shampoo bottles, you can help make a dent in the amount of plastic that winds up Read More...