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Life on a Sustainable Planet

© Cristina Mittermeier

Framing Hope Through A Photographer's Lens

Following the 2020 Earth Optimism Digital Summit, photographer Cristina Mittermeier tells us how she is able to portray optimism in her images.

The Smithsonian's Earth Optimism Summit was a 3-day global live-streamed event that took place on the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, April 22, 2020, through April 24.

Positivity Has a Voice in Science

A reflection on the 2020 Earth Optimism Digital Summit.

Catch Bill's 90-minute special on Saturday April 25, 2020 on CNN.

Bill Weir's Road to Optimism

CNN's Climate Correspondent Bill Weir talks finding optimism in a contentious climate.

Scientists from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (including Nick Pyenson, left) and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute collect a fossil dolphin from the Caribbean coast of Panama. The fossil is encased in a white plaster jacket, and recovered as the tide rushed in. © Aaron O'Dea / Smithsonian Institution

Digging Into the Past to Find Optimism for the Future

We know that story of what will happen in the coming decades and centuries... what's different about where we're going has to do with the rate of these changes and the biodiversity at hand.

In the Peruvian Amazon, drones like this one are being used to monitor and prevent future destruction of the rainforest from artisanal gold mining. Photo by Guy Loftus for Conservation X Labs.

Innovating Modern Solutions to Conservation Problems

Smithsonian's Earth Optimism and Conseervation X Labs have collaborated since the first Earth Optimism Summit.

Good news is out there – if you look for it. For instance, just this month scientists announced that we are on our way to recovering oceans by 2050.

Here’s How to Find Optimism in This Moment of Fear and Uncertainty

Earth Optimism Summit will now stream online starting this Earth Day for everyone to tune in and be inspired

Purnima Devi Barman is a member of Women in Nature Network (WINN) and is the honorary director of WINN India. Photo by Carla Rhodes.

Building An All-Women Army for Conservation In India

Earth Optimism Speaker Interview with Purnima Devi Barman.

Many bird species of conservation concern rely on the really short grass that large grazers, such as bison, leave behind. (Andy Boyce)

Understanding Bisons’ Eating Habits Could Help Bird Conservation

A partnership between the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) and the American Prairie Reserve (APR) aims to understand how different grazing animals and grazing regimes, whether with cows or bison, impact the distribution and abundance of grassland birds in Montana.

Dr. Grant Connette trains participants on best practices in setting up wildlife cameras to ensure that high-quality data is collected.

Smithsonian scientists help put endangered Myanmar species on the map

The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) is developing animal distribution maps as part of the Smithsonian Conservation Commons’ Working Landscapes initiative in Myanmar, helping stakeholders and decision makers make better choices regarding landscape management.

The red siskin or cardenalito is inextricably linked with Venezuela’s identity, yet it is now rare in its natural habitat.

Coffee and Chocolate Could Help Preserve Endangered Birds in Venezuela

The Smithsonian Institution and Piedra de Cachimbo coffee farmers in northern Venezuela are committing to the conservation of 400 hectares of forest for traditional shade-grown organic coffee, seeking Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification of their beans. This will help protect the habitat of the red siskin, an endangered red and black finch.

Snail kites' migratory behavior may be driven primarily by precipitation, as the species feeds mainly on Apple snails, which in turn rely on persistent bodies of water.

The Next Frontier: Unraveling the Mysteries of Tropical Bird Migration

Scientists have started to notice that, like their counterparts breeding in temperate latitudes, tropical birds exhibit migratory behaviors. Now Peter Marra, director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s (SCBI) Migratory Bird Center, and Brandt Ryder, a research ecologist at SCBI are trying to understand why, by tracking two species of Neotropical birds in Brazil: Bare-throated bellbirds and Snail kites.

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