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.
This former quarry is now a vital habitat for endangered UK birds
About a third of the bird species inhabiting the British Isles are considered endangered. Among them is the secretive bittern, which was until 2015 on the UK’s Red list of most-threatened species. Today however, the thickset heron is among dozens of other endangered bird species whose population Read More...
This startup fights deforestation with tree-planting drones
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, our planet loses 70,000 square kilometers of forested area every year. Since trees play a key role in combating the effects of climate change, it’s always reassuring to come across innovative projects that aim to restore green areas around Read More...
Rare fossils found at ancient Australian site
In Australia a number of rare and fragile fossils have been recently excavated by paleontologists. This region in New South Wales was famously called the “dead heart of Australia” over 100 years ago, due to the numerous fossil sites of ancient species found all over the area. The results of Read More...
7 storage strategies for your leftover soup
When the winter cold is chilling you to the bone, there’s nothing more comforting than a tasty and nourishing soup. Yes, it’s soup season, and fortunately, most soup recipes yield quite large serving sizes, which means that you can have your soup now and store it away for an easy snack that Read More...
The Litterlotto app gamifies litter picking to trade trash for cash
Gamification is proving to be an effective strategy for mobilizing communities to build healthier, safer, and greener habits. We’ve shared stories about how gamification has been implemented to reduce traffic emissions, and how it’s being used to plant millions of real trees. Now, there’s Read More...
Floating communities can help us rise to the challenge of climate change
It’s no secret—climate change is already upon us, and we have no choice but to adapt to it if we want to survive. While some regions of the world combat increasingly dangerous wildfires or droughts, other places, like the Netherlands, must learn to live with worsening floods while dealing with Read More...
Cheetahs to be reintroduced into India after more than 70 years
The population of cheetahs in India once numbered in the tens of thousands. But following the animal’s extensive capture, the graceful feline eventually became extinct in 1952. Seventy years later, the world’s fastest land animal is now expected to make a comeback in the South Asian Read More...
Study: Scientists successfully distinguish zoo animals from airborne DNA
Earlier last year, a team of scientists demonstrated that animal DNA can be collected from the air — a breakthrough expected to significantly improve conservation efforts, and even potentially revolutionize forensics and epidemiology. Now, scientists decided to take it a step further by Read More...
European cities could see a lot less cars on the roads in the near future
As local governments are finally coming to the realization that prioritizing cycling and walking over driving can tremendously benefit their residents, many are considering implementing permanent policies to tackle car-centric city development. In a bid to accelerate the adoption of such policies, Read More...
Modular facade can be installed onto old buildings to cut their emissions
Heating and cooling our buildings comes with a hefty environmental footprint. In the US alone, heating and cooling systems account for 38 percent of greenhouse gas emissions of residential housing. Coming up with more sustainable ways to maintain a favorable temperature within our homes is thus key Read More...