An Optimist's Guide to Sustainability

New study finds we already have the tools we need to fight climate change. Here's how to use them
It may feel like at times we're playing a waiting game in regards to climate change, simply waiting for some new technological advancement to save us at the last minute. There is no time to wait for far-off future solutions to come to fruition — and…
By AJ Dellinger

Eco-friendly products to invest in

Hacks for a sustainable lifestyle

How companies are going green

Eating for the environment

More green news 🌎↓

Not all sustainable straws suck. Here are the 5 best
By Sarah Bricker Hunt
It’s hard to believe the humble drinking straw has become Public Enemy No. 1, but here we are. As it turns out, the permanent existence of billions of disposable-yet-indelible straws is a growing environmental concern. Single-use plastic drinking…
Scientists may have discovered a new way to turn rain into electricity
By Vanessa Taylor
Flooding, droughts, destructive wildfires, and more natural disasters are taking place across the globe, growing more common and extreme with climate change. The climate emergency has heightened the need to change how humans interact with the world,…
7 realistic changes you can make to fight global warming
By Abid Mehmood
If global temperatures are allowed to rise by 2℃, we face creating a “Hothouse Earth” that would shift the planet to an irreversible state, a recent research paper warns. This has provoked a global frenzy in social, news, and print media reminiscent…
Don't even think about throwing apple cores out of your car window
By Tebany Yune
Apple cores tossed out of car windows are ruining native apple trees in Scotland, according to a study by researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. In an article reported by The Telegraph, a team of scientists found that more than half…
The easiest way to trick yourself into conserving water in the shower
By Tebany Yune
There's a very simple way to reduce the amount of time you spend in the shower: Get a clock. The results from a preliminary study — a small study that tests whether a larger study would be practical and affordable — has suggested that being visibly…
Arcadia Earth proves sustainability can be beautiful
By Brittany Vincent
It's tempting to take on a defeatist attitude when it comes to adopting more sustainable habits. The problems facing our planet are so massive that figuring out how to start taking actions toward saving the environment can be difficult. Luckily,…
Does banning plastic bags actually accomplish anything?
By Tebany Yune
Over 23 billion plastic bags are used each year in the state of New York, and officials with the NY Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) are trying to change that. Starting March 1, the Bag Waste Reduction Law will take effect to reduce…
Chipotle’s new tool lets you track the environmental impact of your burrito
By Tebany Yune
On Monday, Chipotle launched a sustainability tracker called Real Foodprint. The tracker calculates the impact of your order based on five metrics: less carbon in the atmosphere, water saved, improved soil health, supported organic land, and…
Meet the designer creating a cleaner Earth by putting an end to single-use products
By Tebany Yune
Designing reusable items is tricky, because so many of our consumption habits are built around the idea of using something once and tossing it in the trash. But that disposable mentality has contributed greatly to the sorry state of affairs in which…
Why this year's wildfire season is particularly catastrophic
By Harry Cheadle
There’s a term Cal Fire, the state agency, uses for what has happened in California in the past few weeks: “lightning siege.” Thousands upon thousands of lightning strikes have landed on dry brush, sparking hundreds of wildfires, including some of…
This easy fix could save thousands of birds from bloody wind turbine death each year
By AJ Dellinger
Donald Trump has said that he "never understood wind." A big part of his confusion about the appeal of the renewable energy source, aside from his unfounded belief that noise from windmills causes cancer, is the fact that the massive turbine blades…
Composting 101: Everything you need to know to get started
By Tebany Yune
Americans throw away nearly 40 percent of food produced in the nation, most of which ends up in landfills, where it emits methane as it degrades. The gas then rises into the air, where it damages the atmosphere and contributes to the acceleration of…
9 apps to make going green easier
By Tebany Yune
Going green takes a lot of organization and discipline. It's harder to remember to use the last of that broccoli before it goes bad — and to compost the scraps — than to just chuck it in the trash once it's rotten. And buying clothes secondhand is…
8 ways you can help save the oceans from home
By Tebany Yune
As the coronavirus continues to ravage the United States, health officials are pleading with people to continue social distancing, avoid groups, and limit trips to public areas as much as possible. While these efforts are essential steps in…
Damaged ecosystems allow diseases like coronavirus to thrive
By AJ Dellinger
We already had a pretty good idea that destroying the environment was bad. But it turns out it’s not just climate change that we have to worry about. According to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, by tearing down natural ecosystems…
Vermont became the first state to legally require composting
By Melissa Pandika
Composting is no longer a crunchy, niche practice — in fact, in one state, it’s the law. Vermont has become the first state to prohibit throwing out food scraps in the trash. Residents, grocery stores, and other businesses must now compost their…
E-waste is a harmful and growing problem. Here's how to recycle your old electronics
By AJ Dellinger
There have been any number of events this year that would make anyone want to throw their phone and computer into a dumpster, Ron Swanson style, just so they don't have to deal with it anymore. Unfortunately, we did too much of exactly that in 2019.…
A new UN report says that extreme weather is creating more "climate refugees"
By Tebany Yune
Climate change is an ever-increasing factor in global migration, as rising sea levels and extreme heat force people out of their homes in search of asylum in safer countries. This has been a known issue for years, but has now been acknowledged by…
This new "self-cleaning" underwear can be worn for weeks, if you're interested in that
By AJ Dellinger
The dirty secret about most of your clothes is that they are far dirtier than they need to be. Over the course of wearing any article of clothing, bacteria begins to build up, and sweat and body oils are trapped by the fabric. This is what results…
The environmental toll of Juuling
By Mike Sheffield
This article is part of 'An Optimist's Guide to the End of the World,' a collection of stories aimed at disproving the idea that humanity is doomed. As a long-term smoker who has tried unsuccessfully to quit cold turkey, one of my biggest victories…