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 of Tesla’s seat options are now vegan
Overnight, Tesla made some changes to their available options, making some options standard, and notably eliminating one thing: leather seats. As of now, Tesla only sells vegan seats. While this lack of leather is not made explicit on the Tesla configuration page, any mention of leather Read More...
Plastic-plucking robots are the future of recycling
We are living in the Age of Plastic. In 2015, the world's industries created 448 million tons of it -- twice as much as it did in 1998. -- and the rate of production is only accelerating. However, our recycling efforts have not matched pace. In fact, according to the EPA, barely 14 percent of Read More...
Caltech scientists speed up carbon sequestration process by 500 times
Carbon sequestration, or removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it long-term, could help us fight climate change. It’s a complex chemical reaction, but a team of six scientists led by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) just made a breakthrough in speeding up a slow Read More...
Key to speeding up carbon sequestration discovered
Scientists at Caltech and USC have discovered a way to speed up the slow part of the chemical reaction that ultimately helps the earth to safely lock away, or sequester, carbon dioxide into the ocean. Simply adding a common enzyme to the mix, the researchers have found, can make that rate-limiting Read More...
New Zealand: fight for 'sacred mountain' after discovery of significant gold seam
A bitter stand-off between a local community and miners has emerged after a significant seam of gold was found on protected conservation land in New Zealand’s North Island. Last week New Talisman Gold Mines reported they had found a large vein of gold in the Karangahake Gorge in the North Read More...
Indian Railways fights air pollution with first train with solar-powered coaches
To reduce the air pollution that has become a plague in many cities in India, the Indian Railways has introduced their first train outfitted with rooftop solar panels. The solar panels will completely power fans, lighting, and display systems in the coaches. In the past, a diesel-fueled generator Read More...
This self-fuelling boat just set off on an epic 6-year global voyage
A hi-tech French vessel is undertaking a 6-year journey across the globe without emitting a single molecule of carbon. Named the Energy Observer, this catamaran runs on solar power harnessed from extensive paneling on top of the vessel, in addition to two large wind turbines at the rear of the Read More...
Fish processors can make a buck and save the environment by using of fish waste
A team of researchers at the Ocean Frontier Institute are finding ways to turn waste from all kinds of fish into valuable products such as fuel, road salts and even nail polish. The researchers say they have found a way to extract high-quality oil from finfish guts and used the waste from that Read More...
This is the best thing you can do with your old Amazon shipping boxes
If you took part in Amazon’s Prime Day, here’s what you should do with all those shipping boxes you have lying around. Fill them up with unwanted clothes, household items, and other goods you no longer need. Then, log onto GiveBackBox.com, enter your zip code and email address to generate a Read More...
The eco guide to animal welfare
Animal welfare is one of the UK’s most successful exports. When the late Peter Roberts, a Hampshire dairy farmer, founded the charity Compassion in World Farming (ciwf.org.uk) 50 years ago, he rightly feared that industrialised farming would wreak havoc on animals and the planet. Even he Read More...