Local community in Gabon succeeds in saving ancestral forest from logging
About a year and a half ago, a community in northeastern Gabon embarked on a first-of-its-kind initiative to request the declassification of a logging concession area. As part of the effort, the villagers sought to instead reclassify it as a protected area to safeguard its ecological and heritage Read More...
England is turning 99,000 hectares of land into nature recovery projects
In recent years, an increasing number of influential scientists have suggested that we reserve half of our planet for protecting nature to make Earth more liveable. In England, a huge conservation project aims to contribute to that goal by turning 99,000 hectares of land into nature reserves. The Read More...
This African country is a guide towards protecting the oceans the right way
In 2010, the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) has set a target that 10 percent of coastal and marine areas across the world should fall under protection by 2020. Two years after the deadline, that target still hasn’t been met today. As safeguarding our oceans’ wellbeing is becoming an Read More...
Nepal opens its first bird sanctuary in a win for endangered species
Good news for endangered bird species around the world as Nepal has just opened the first official bird sanctuary in the country.The protected area is home to about a dozen bird species, including the great hornbill and the Indian spotted eagle. These bird species are globally threatened. In a bid Read More...
Peatlands, a boggy carbon sink absolutely worth saving
For those in the world who have to live with it, you may wonder “what on earth is peat good for?” Peatland is a mossy wet mass that you can’t build on, you can barely walk on, you can’t grow crops on it, and all its stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes which bring Read More...
Italy’s passes new law that makes its constitution greener
Italy’s natural beauty is iconic. Indeed, its rolling green hills, lush forests, and fertile river valleys have made it not only one of the most agriculturally prosperous lands in Europe but also a popular tourist destination. That being the case, environmental groups have long voiced their Read More...
Edible coating keeps fresh produce from quickly spoiling
Removing plastic packaging from fruit and vegetables in supermarkets can help reduce a significant amount of plastic waste. However, if you have a product that tends to spoil rapidly once ripe, such as a banana, you will be faced with another problem: food waste. Swapping plastic packaging for a Read More...
Minimize your food waste with these 5 preservation methods
Here at The Optimist Daily, we love sharing practical ways people can help combat climate change right at home. While the climate crisis may leave us feeling helpless and overwhelmed, there are small actions that we can take that will propel us in the right direction and empower us. Food waste Read More...
Low-energy freezing technology could improve frozen food quality
While conventional freezers are incredibly useful at prolonging the life of our food, they tend to consume a lot of energy. An alternative technology, however, promises to solve that issue, while also improving overall food quality. The process is called isochoric freezing, and its original Read More...
New ‘super-cool’ storing method triples the life of donor organs
After organs are harvested following a donor’s death, there’s a very short window of time in which the transplant can be made. Livers, for example, can only be kept outside of the body for nine hours before irreparable damage is done, and the organ must be discarded. This is because freezing Read More...