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Life on a Sustainable Planet

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Science on Wheels: The Little Bus That Could

Thanks to funding from the Adrienne Arsht Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative, the Q?Bus mobile classroom is back – and with a bigger impact than ever before.

Starting a Summer of Sustainability

Enjoy five summery stories of conservation and sustainability successes from across the Smithsonian.

How to Celebrate Earth Day Every Day

The greenest day of the year is almost here, but our planet could still use some help long after the sun sets on Earth Day

A pair of silhouetted people stargaze

Stars, Seas and Other Scientific Successes

We recap five of our favorite optimistic stories from March, featuring everything from a historic agreement to protect our oceans to a small island working together to save confused puffins

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Bunnies, Bears and Other Stories to Beat the January Blues

Five recent scientific success stories to cheer you up on a dreary day ⛅️

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Five Things That Made Us Optimistic in 2022

Before welcoming 2023, we're looking back at just a few #EarthOptimism highlights from 2022!

Five Spooky Species That Science Brought Back From the Brink

Need some last-minute Halloween costume inspo? These five species narrowly escaped the greatest horror story of our time: extinction.

Illustrator Max Jake Palomino imagines a

Exploring the Social Side of Conservation

A case study demonstrates how incorporating social science into conservation actions can produce more effective, equitable, and lasting change.

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How Conservation Promotes the Synergies of Sustainability

Smithsonian Working Land and Seascapes’ new study unveils conservation’s ability to advance progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals

Pollard swimming near the Placencia Producers Cooperative farm where she sources her seaweed. Photo by Nick Perry, Coastline Studios

Sustaining a Green Business

Belizean eco-entrepreneur Jolie Pollard shares insights into breaking into the green beauty business in this second story of a two-part series.

Belize seaweed farming pioneer Lowell

Seaweed Offers Solutions for Humans, Habitats, and Hair in Belize

In this first part of a two-part series, discover how seaweed is bringing a Belizean community together to explore its potential, from sustaining their local environment and economy to helping them take care of their hair!

People wander a livestock market near the Masai Mara, chatting and examining the sheep and goats. Photo courtesy of Cindy Obath

Bringing the Masai Mara to the National Mall

Kenya's Masai Mara ecosystem is an ancient landscape grappling with very modern challenges. Conservationist Cindy Obath discusses plans to better represent the daily reality of local communities during the Earth Optimism × Folklife Festival.

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Connecting Students Across Oceans for a Shared, Sustainable Future

Students from the U.S., France, and French overseas regions are working together with the support of the Smithsonian and the U.S. Embassy in France to focus on fostering a sustainable future for all.

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How Long Have Sea Cows Thrived in the Arabian Gulf? We Literally Stumbled on a Clue

An overcast stroll on a rocky, oil-stained shoreline is probably not your idea of a day at the beach. It didn’t bother us. We were wandering up and down Qatar’s coast to find the bones of recently dead marine mammals.

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Bandicoots, Jaguars, and Half-Earth in This Week's Earth Optimism

These stories celebrate success, uncover a spark of hope, share a new idea, or might just make you feel good about Planet Earth.

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A Tweeting Tree and Climate Refugia in This Week's Earth Optimism

These stories celebrate success, uncover a spark of hope, share a new idea, or might just make you feel good about Planet Earth.

Sara Cognuck (center) shows the Declaration on Children, Youth and Climate Action.

Nature & Nurture: How Costa Rica's Environmentalism Shaped Sara Cognuck Into a Climate Leader

A childhood rooted in Costa Rica's resplendent nature has given Sara Cognuck a life full of passion for saving our planet – and showing others that they can also be part of the solution.

Oluwaseyi at a Movie screening hosted by her organization in commemoration of Global Recycling Day 2021. Photo courtesy Oluwaseyi Moejoh

How Nigeria's Oluwaseyi Moejoh Is Spreading Conservation Activism Across Africa and Beyond

Member States of the UN have struggled to meet targets set by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted in 2015. A student in Nigeria recognized this dire problem and how it affected her local environment and people in her community. But she didn't just wait for change, she took the initiative, and her solutions and enthusiasm have spread through Africa and beyond. Meet Oluwaseyi Moejoh, founder of U-recycle Initiative Africa, National Geographic Young Explorer, current law student, and all-around force for positive change and a sustainable planet.

Paine uses her background in social work and sustainable development to develop solutions that work for both people and the planet.

Empowering Pastoralists and Hunter-Gatherers for Conservation in Tanzania

Paine Makko is the executive director of the Ujamaa Community Resource Team (UCRT) and a committed advocate for Indigenous Peoples in Tanzania. UCRT is a non-profit environmental and social justice organization that aims to empower Indigenous communities and secure their rights to land and sustainability. Makko combines both her experience as a pastoralist and her educational background in social work and sustainable development to develop solutions that work for both people and the planet. In addition to supporting Indigenous groups as a whole, Makko is also passionate about female empowerment in conservation and Indigenous spaces.

Vatosoa is an award-winning advocate for protecting Madagascar's coastlines and their wealth of resources for the local communities.

Meet the Community-led Conservation Advocate Working to Protect Madagascar's Coasts

Vatosoa Rakotondrazafy is a passionate advocate for conservation and sustainability along Madagascar’s coastline communities. After working on small-scale fisheries research supported by the United Nations Nippon Foundation, Rakotondrazafy joined the Madagascar Locally Managed Marine Area Network (MIHARI), an organization that aims to represent marginalized fishing populations and work with them to create locally managed marine areas (LMMAs). Through these LMMAs, local communities can manage and protect both their own fishery practices and biodiversity by combining their traditional knowledge with the support of conservation practitioners.

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