Nancy Knowlton

Condors nesting for first time in 100 years in Northern California Breaking news from the Yurok Tribe: Strong evidence suggests the birds may be incubating an egg in an old-growth redwood tree.

Some days make it hard to focus on good news, and sometimes I refrain altogether. But #condors nesting are my news to me good news for Mar 2 #EarthOptimism earthhope.substack.com/p/condors-ne...

Successful seagrass restoration on #WorldSeagrassDay is my news to me good news for Mar 1 #OceanOptimism #EarthOptimism

Kicking off March by celebrating #WorldSeagrassDay!

And where is one of the largest seagrass fields?

🌿Saya de Malha is a rare example of seagrass meadows in the High Seas and the largest submerged ocean bank in the world.

Reframing Energy for the Age of Electricity | Ember We need to count energy from the perspective of the consumer in order to understand the changes sweeping the energy sector. There are four battles in the energy system and electrotech is set to win th...

Oh hey @ember-energy.org & @mliebreich.bsky.social, love the new report on modernizing Sankey diagrams. What do you think about further subdividing 'Useful Energy' into 'Life Support' and 'Other' (or similar names)? Basically, distinguishing energy that keeps people safe and healthy from other uses.

Meanwhile, Reform want to send us back to the 1970's.

— producing a combined output of 74 megawatts from 18 floating turbines, sufficient to power the entire city of Inverness (population 65,000) continuously and indefinitely from tidal energy alone.

While we sit around to find out how bad exactly it all is, a bit of cheer: the best baguette of Paris competition was won by a Sri Lankan who appears to have started as a dish washer in restaurants and eventually trained as a Boulanger.

www.paris.fr/pages/la-mei...

Helsinki just went a full year without a single traffic death The capital city is Finnish’ed with car-related fatalities.

“Helsinki hasn’t registered a single traffic-related fatality in the past year…Citing data that shows the risk of pedestrian fatality is cut in half by reducing a car’s speed from 40 to 30km/hr, city officials imposed the lower limit in most of Helsinki’s residential areas and city center in 2021.”

*SO* thrilled yesterday to see the first screening of An Irish Atlantic Rainforest, the film about my 17-year journey rewilding a West Cork farm.

It went far and away beyond my hopes: a mesmerisingly lovely, immersive piece of work, almost dreamlike in parts, but grounded in ecology and daily life.

Cambios en la generación eléctrica en China y EE.UU. entre 2024 y 2025. Un solo año.

Por cierto, detalle, al margen de lo obvio. China es el país del mundo con una apuesta más fuerte por la nuclear.

TU Delft Campus makes switch to geothermal energy After years of preparation, research and construction, the moment has arrived: the geothermal well on TU Delft Campus has officially been put into operation. The well supplies sustainable heat to the ...

TU Delft Campus makes switch to geothermal energy www.tudelft.nl/en/2026/tu-d...
As a result, CO₂ emissions from building heating will decrease significantly, with reductions expected to reach approximately 80% by 2027.

China's policies to advance vehicle remanufacturing Targeted subsidies, industrial zones and funding are propelling the vehicle remanufacturing sector

China adopted the circular economy
as a national priority since 2009 recognising it can generate growth decoupled from resource use. This case study covers growth in the vehicle remanufacturing sector. www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/circular-exa...

Germany tops two million battery-electric cars in circulation - electrive.com Germany has passed the two-million mark for electric cars on its roads. As of 1 January 2026, a total of 2,034,260 battery-electric vehicles were registered

A Alemanya ja hi ha 2 milions de cotxes elèctrics circulant per les seves carreteres!

Malgrat les traves que hi tenen (sobretot els preus desorbitats a les electrolineres)

www.electrive.com/2026/02/27/g...

ReJoule’s second-life electric vehicle battery energy storage system gives used batteries a powerful second act that outlasts many new utility-scale storage systems.

EPIC is funded by California utility customers under the auspices of the @californiapuc.bsky.social.

CONTD.

'Birdbrain' benefits: How being an expert birdwatcher may boost cognition New research shows that seasoned birders — including older adults — had denser tissue in parts of the brain tied to attention and perception.

For all you #birders out there (including me) -
'Birdbrain' benefits: new research shows that seasoned birders had denser tissue in parts of the brain tied to working memory, spatial awareness & object recognition. #BirdBrain

Link for more information: www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Despite significant federal headwinds, US renewables just had a record year.

Notably, 93% of new generation capacity expected to be added to the US grid this year is projected to come from wind, solar and batteries.

Involuntary parks: Human conflict is creating unintended refuges for wildlife Few locations on Earth are as haunting or deeply ironic as so-called involuntary parks — places too toxic, dangerous, or otherwise made off-limits for human habitation, but which have paradoxically an...

File under silver lining - my news to me good news for Feb 23. #EarthOptimism news.mongabay.com/2026/01/invo...

Kashmir’s Lotus Stems Rise Again The return of the essential crop is preserving an age-old way of life as farmers learn to work with water rather than force it away.

reasonstobecheerful.world/kashmir-lotu...

Street transformation from car space to street willed with people including kids

It’s not just about what you remove (cars, noise, dirty air). It’s about what you add (people walking, a lot of bike parking, trees, outdoor dining, and room for kids to play safely). Amsterdam: 1986 and today.

Streets for people.

HT @hackneycyclist.bsky.social for the great before-and-after

Where giant kangaroo rats — and other critters — thrive - High Country News Thanks to environmental groups’ efforts to protect and restore habitat in the Carrizo Plain, native species such as the giant kangaroo rat are recovering from near-extinction.

Rodent rebound (I know, but bear with me) is my news to me good news for Feb 22. #EarthOptimism www.hcn.org/issues/58-2/...

This City Turned Its Rooftops into a Climate Shield As cities struggle with heat, Zürich offers a masterclass in using vegetation to cool streets, manage stormwater and restore biodiversity.

Swiss ingenuity - my news to me good news for Feb 21 #earthOptimism reasonstobecheerful.world/zurich-turne...

Farmer, 86, Rejects $15 Million Offer to Sell His Land to Data Center Developers: ‘Not Interested in Destroying My Farms’ Mervin Raudabaugh, an 86-year-old Pennsylvania man, is making headlines for turning down an offer of more than $15 million to sell his farmland to data center developers. He sold development rights to...

Farmer, 86, Rejects $15 Million Offer to Sell His Land to Data Center Developers: ‘Not Interested in Destroying My Farms’

Pennsylvania farmer Mervin Raudabaugh sold development rights to a land trust for $1.9 million instead.

WATCH: Victory! Mountain Lions in California Gain State Endangered Species Protection

Victory for #MountainLions in #California! Thanks to your support, the California Fish & Game Commission has voted to protect these iconic big cats under the state's #EndangeredSpeciesAct. #EndangeredSpecies #WildlifeProtection

bit.ly/3OQnJ7M

French government urges citizens to ‘limit’ meat consumption to fight climate change France has updated its National Strategy for Food, Nutrition and Climate, urging citizens to cut back on meat to reduce emissions.View on euronews

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French government urges citizens to 'limit' meat consumption to fight climate change

We need to take urgent #ClimateAction right now to avoid the worst of Climate Change!

Find out more: sg.news.yahoo.com/french-go...
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Lion DNA convicts poachers in world first Investigators reveal how they were able to identify a missing animal using a database of lions in Zimbabwe.

CSI Zimbabwe

How ‘smog capital of Poland’ saved 6,000 lives by cutting soot levels Kraków’s ban on burning solid fuels plus subsidies for cleaner heating has led to clearer air and better health

10 years ago I worked with Polish colleagues to phase out coal heating.

Clean heating policies worked – Poland’s air is cleaner today.

Clear rules and support for households cut pollution and saved thousands of lives.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

No trees, no food, shot for fun … yet Serbia’s imperial eagles are making an improbable return Less than a decade ago, the Balkan country had just one breeding pair of the eastern imperial species of raptor left. Now things are changing, thanks to the dogged work of conservationists

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Things I learned today - language in the Clean Air Act explicitly defines "air pollutant" to include anything with adverse effects on weather and climate
www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/...

A new law requires Illinois high schoolers to learn about climate change. It was written by two local teens Two high schoolers themselves were foundational in efforts to mandate climate curriculum in Illinois high schools.

A wonderful story on so many levels - teens write bill mandating climate education in Illinois high schools - my news to me good news for Feb. 19 #EarthOptimism www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/ill...

Wisconsin group finds flood solutions upstream » Yale Climate Connections The Wisconsin Wetlands Association is helping communities restore wetlands, with the goal of protecting roads, bridges, and buildings downstream.

helping wetlands to help people yaleclimateconnections.org/2026/02/wisc...

Chester Zoo | 'Extinct' snail officially saved with help from Chester Zoo conservationists

www.chesterzoo.org/news/extinct...