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.
Last month, wind and solar made up 18 percent of US energy
With the War in Ukraine and unfair demands from Russia for its gas, many western nations are feeling the need to switch to renewable energy now more so than ever. The good news is that nations are getting closer to 100 percent renewables and energy independence every day. Wind and solar have Read More...
This ancient enzyme can boost photosynthesis and crop yield
Photosynthesis - turning carbon dioxide, water, and light into oxygen and sugars - is the natural process by which plants sustain themselves. It's what has allowed life to flourish on this earth by transforming the atmosphere into an oxygen-rich environment. Besides pumping out oxygen, these Read More...
Washington State passes all-electric heating mandate for new buildings
Washington passed a mandate requiring all newly constructed buildings to have all-electric heating, making it the first state in the US to do so. The mandate restricting the use of natural gas in multifamily housing complexes and commercial buildings by requiring the installation of electric Read More...
This group helps Indigenous people protect the world's tropical forests
Looking after more than 80 percent of the planet’s biodiversity, Indigenous peoples are the world’s most knowledgeable and effective conservationists. Despite growing scientific evidence that they know better than others how to protect our natural heritage, their land and forest rights are Read More...
Living in green space could greatly help your brain health
Your life is one long equation adding up to different results over your life. The factors in the equation could be your time spent with loved ones over time spent at work used to calculate the result of your overall happiness. Researchers from Boston University’s School of Public Health have Read More...
Captain Fanplastic teaches young pirates about plastic pollution
“Why do you think pirates are called pirates? Because they ‘aRRRRRe!’” This is the joke that forms the basis of the “Captain Fanplastic” initiative—a primary school program aimed at teaching young children in South Africa and the Netherlands about plastic waste and the “R’s” Read More...
MIT develops desalination system no bigger than a suitcase
One of the great opportunities in desalination research is developing a new way to bring drinkable water to disadvantaged people with limited resources. Engineers and researchers make this possible in many ways, such as innovating less expensive parts or powering their systems with renewable Read More...
Wind turbine components to be 3D printed on-site soon
When it comes to the design of wind turbines, the bigger they are, the better — at least in terms of cost savings and energy efficiency. However, one of the hurdles of building larger wind turbines is the challenging task of transporting these giant pieces of machinery to the site of Read More...
The Table to Farm Movement: Anthony Myint on Regenerative Agriculture
Shifting the world’s food production to a regenerative system has been a frequent solution we’ve written about here at The Optimist Daily. In May 2021, Kristy and Summers sat down with award-winning chef Anthony Myint to discuss Zero Foodprint, his project to expand regenerative Read More...
Coping with climate anxiety through connection
“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one destiny, affects all indirectly.” — Martin Luther King Jr. Constant news updates are inescapable. Wildfires Read More...