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.
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...
The city of Boulder is now saving more than half of its trash from the landfill
What had begun as just one yoga brand in Boulder taking greater measures to recycle waste has become a great, green movement across the city. The city passed an ordinance requiring businesses to recycle and compost, and soon businesses were doing even more to sort recyclables from trash. These Read More...
New Caledonia agrees to create protected areas around pristine coral reefs
After years of work, the New Caledonia government has voted to set up marine protected areas surrounding some of the most pristine coral reefs in the world. The move will see 28,000 square kilometers of waters safeguarded from commercial and industrial fishing and other exploitation, helping Read More...
What social inequality looks like from the sky
Although the realities of social inequality are not always visible in our day to day lives, from the skies they are easily distinguishable. Social inequality manifests itself in the physical structure of our cities and nowhere is that more apparent than from above. Using aerial drone photography, Read More...
Penalties to be placed on non-recycled plastics in France next year
When it comes to tackling the world’s plastic problem, France is on the forefront of the environmental battlefield. France has proven that again recently after announcing that it plans to introduce a penalty system that would increase the costs of consumer goods with packaging made of Read More...
Monsanto found guilty in Roundup weedkiller cancer trial
Once it was scientifically-proven that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Monsanto’s weedkiller Roundup, causes cancer, a school groundskeeper from California took Monsanto to court. Lee Johnson was diagnosed with cancer in 2014, following years of mixing and using the weedkiller at his job site Read More...
Youtube is now adding ‘fact checks’ to any video questioning climate change
In attempt to combat misinformation about climate change online, Youtube is adding fact-confirming text below videos about climate change. The text is directly taken from Encyclopedia Britannica and Wikipedia. The fact-checking text makes the videos quite awkward considering a fake-scientist could Read More...
Massive study finds global tree cover has increased 7 percent since 1982
A new global land change analysis has concluded that trees now cover 7% more of the earth’s surface – roughly 2.24 million square kilometers – than they did in 1982. The study, conducted by the University of Maryland, says this increase is due to net gain of trees in the extratropics compared Read More...
This footwear company uses 17 plastic bottles per pair of shoes
The leader in the barefoot shoe industry is rolling out a line of shoes made out of recycled water bottles. Instead of heading to the oceans or a landfill to decompose over 400 years, the material will be reworked into durable, high-performance shoes deployed to mimic and stabilize the anatomy of Read More...