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.
Introducing the world’s first ammonia-fueled tractor
Alternative fuel sources are a hot topic these days, with the widespread boycott of Russian oil and gas combined with the dire state of the environment. In terms of reducing the negative impact conventionally powered vehicles have on the planet, there’s been a lot of investment in electric Read More...
Finland is the first country to pass a legally binding carbon negativity act
Many countries are putting forth considerable efforts to fight climate change and reach ambitious targets of net-zero emissions. However, Finland has decided to take it up a notch. Finland’s parliament recently passed a new Climate Change Act which legally binds it to its commitment to Read More...
Stressing out crops could be a good thing
Plants have feelings too. Although they are not conscious, plants release hormones in response to stimuli such as mechanical stimuli - like touch, wind, or rain - light, water, gravity, and nutrients. For example, when you run a knife down a rhubarb stalk, thousands of genes are activated, and a Read More...
California is making composting a statewide practice
Composting is an easy and fun way to cut down on our carbon emissions while making our own fertilizer. Despite this, a lot of green waste like vegetable scraps and lawn trimmings wind up in landfills. Here they rot and release methane, a greenhouse gas far more potent than carbon dioxide. Read More...
5 essential questions for the eco-friendly fashionista
We've all heard by now that fast fashion hurts the Earth, but the question remains: how can we buy clothes that meet our needs and support the needs of the planet? Over the past 20 years in the U.S., the average number of garments purchased per year has more than doubled, with Pandemic boredom Read More...
How fish evolved to generate electricity, and how it can save lives
You’ve heard of electric eels shocking their prey, but did you know they also use their electricity to communicate and recognize other fish? Eels aren’t the only electric fish in the sea. There are several other species of electric fish, and biologists have often wondered about this Read More...
What you need to know about NASA’s new mineral dust detector
Did you know that a billion metric tons of mineral dust - equivalent to 10,000 aircraft carriers - from deserts and dry regions on Earth get carried by strong winds into the atmosphere? Scientists are sure that this dust impacts the environment and climate, but there isn't enough data to determine Read More...
UK surgeons perform first carbon-neutral operation
Healthcare and sustainability have been at the forefront of global discussion lately. Doctors at the UK’s Solihull Hospital in the West Midlands have accomplished something that prioritizes both of these major issues: the world’s first “net-zero” surgery. To take care of patients Read More...
World’s oldest tree may actually live in Chile after all, not California
The Great Basin Bristlecone Pine in California is currently considered the oldest living tree in the world, at 4,853 years old. A cypress tree in Chile, however, now challenges that record. Dr. Jonathan Barichivich, a researcher in Chile, believes that a Patagonian cypress, locally known as the Read More...
Stanford study shows cleaner air leads to more crops
Fertile soil, good seasons, and plentiful water aren’t the only things that affect our crops. Air pollution, and one air pollutant in particular, negatively affect the number of crops we can grow. Using satellite imaging, Stanford researchers discovered just how many nitrogen oxides affect Read More...