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.
Small brick hospital in Bangladesh wins world's best building
This year, the recipient of the renowned Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) international prize for the world’s best building is a small brick hospital situated in rural Bangladesh. The architect, director of Urbana Kashef Chowdhury, managed to create a functional yet elegant Read More...
Rihanna donates $15 million to organizations championing climate justice
The world-famous singer, actress, fashion designer, and businesswoman Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty is donating a grand total of $15 million to organizations in the US and the Caribbean focused on climate justice. This charitable act is in part a response to the devastating hurricanes that have Read More...
High-schooler presents first student-written bill for UK climate education
Youth climate activist Scarlett Westbrook decided that she was fed up with the lack of formal education UK students receive on the devastating climate crisis. At one point during a geography exam, she was even asked to list the benefits of climate change — and while this was disappointing, she Read More...
Make your green thumb even greener by cultivating a zero-waste garden
If the thought that’s keeping you warm through these winter months is looking forward to getting back into your garden, you're surely not alone. We’ve shared many stories that tout the benefits of gardening, not only for the gardeners’ overall health but for the health of our natural Read More...
Recruiting kombucha in the fight for sustainable drinking water
We’ve previously reported about the use of kombucha for a number of innovative reasons. Like stylish compostable shoes, sustainable wood alternatives, and as the key ingredient to boosting your brain and gut health. This time kombucha is helping us humans out in a different walk of life, water Read More...
How sea turtles are helping protect people from cyclones
Tropical cyclones are a recurrent phenomenon on the islands of the southwest Indian Ocean, such as Madagascar, where people expect to be affected by an average of 1.5 cyclones a year. Unfortunately, the most inhabited area are the ones most exposed to these devastating air masses. Predicting Read More...
Fish talk: study confirms that most fish use sound to communicate
While sound may not be the first thing to come to mind when we think of fish, it is actually a key element of communication for the vast majority of fish species. That is according to scientists at Cornell University, who have recently discovered that about two-thirds of all fish species in the Read More...
Better air quality during initial lockdowns saved hundreds of lives
New research suggests that more than 800 lives may have been saved across Europe due to improved air quality during the initial Covid lockdowns. Transportation restrictions meant that there were far fewer cars and transport trucks on the roads, which made the most impact on air quality according Read More...
Fake poop helps tiny endangered owls find new homes
Following decades of human encroachment into California’s grasslands, the once common Western Burrowing Owl is now considered endangered. In an effort to protect the tiny birds from new building developments in US regions like Silicon Valley, local conservationists have been trying for years to Read More...
Over 500 acres of California's redwood forests returned to Native tribes
On the West Coast of the US, there are 523 acres of forest that used to be home to many more ancient redwoods than what we are left with today. Scattered stumps throughout the region are sad reminders of the majestic trees that once grew there—but luckily, there are still 200 acres that are dense Read More...