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.
This British town became plastic-free 6 months ago, now 330 towns are following
Last year, Penzance became the first town in Britain to receive “plastic-free” status from Surfers Against Sewage (SAS). The former single-issue movement, founded in Cornwall in 1990, has become a national marine conservation charity with plastics in its sights. But, rather than target Read More...
Global warming and a healthy planet: It’s not your car, it’s your diet
The largest human source of carbon dioxide emissions is from the combustion of fossil fuels. At least, that is what we have been told. A new report forecasts that that is rapidly changing. The meat and dairy sector could be responsible for 80 percent of the greenhouse gases by 2050. It may not be Read More...
This tiny fern has helped humanity before—it could do so again
This fern is one of the fastest-growing plants on the planet. It has the potential to be a significant carbon sink. And the fern provides multiple additional benefits: it is a great source of biofuel am fertilizer and it acts as insect and pest repellent… and the plant saved life on the planet Read More...
If you want to save on carbon emissions, travel by cargo ship
Many people are concerned about the carbon footprint of their air travel. A round-trip trans-Atlantic flight can easily gobble up a ton of carbon dioxide per passenger—about half the annual emissions an individual should aim for if we’re to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius. If you are Read More...
Collecting bottles: is Norway presenting the solution to the plastic crisis?
Norway has a successful deposit-return scheme for plastic bottles and cans. Its success is unarguable – 97 percent of all plastic drink bottles in Norway are recycled, 92 percent to such a high standard that they are turned back into drink bottles. Some of the material has been recycled more than Read More...
Ireland as the world's first country plans to sell all its fossil fuel shares
The Republic of Ireland will become the world’s first country to sell off its investments in fossil fuel companies, after a bill was passed with all-party support in the lower house of Read More...
In this county, all the bees are treated like queens
While farmers throughout the West have plowed up the ground where alkali bees nest in order to grow crops, farmers in Walla Walla County in Washington State have welcomed the alkali bee with open arms. In fact, if you’re driving in Walla Walla County, you might come across a sign that tells you Read More...
This is how serious China is taking their “war on pollution”
President XI Jinping is taking China’s “war on pollution” to another level. Central government inspectors started re-examining thousands of violations uncovered during the nationwide environmental audit last year and found that many of the problems had yet to be properly resolved. As a Read More...
The majority of krill companies are putting an end to fishing in the Antarctic
Krill may be at the bottom of the food chain, but that doesn’t mean they’re not important. Just the opposite. Krill are precisely important because whales, penguins, seals, and squid all rely on the tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans for food. Plus they remove greenhouse gasses from the atmosphere. Read More...
Despite the war, tens of thousands of trees are being planted in northern Syria
In northern Syria, widespread deforestation is only one tool used by successive generations of the Assad dynasty to press the Kurdish people. The area now seems impossibly arid, but it used to be green and living. In a bid to restore the region’s fertility and stability, a movement is underway to Read More...