This Washington town created its own currency to help locals get by
During the darkest days of the Great Depression, the logging city of Tenino, Washington, created a complimentary wooden currency to help locals survive the economic crisis. Now, almost 90 years later, the town is once again “printing money” on postcard-sized sheets of maple to help locals Read More...
Salary history bans and beyond: strategies to close the wage gap
It’s common practice to ask candidates for a job opening how much they’re making in their current position, but when women and candidates of color routinely make less money than their white, male counterparts, this question can work to reinforce pay gaps. Fortunately, salary-history bans, Read More...
Even if small talk is superficial, science says it’s beneficial at work
We often think of small talk at work as superficial and inconsequential, but a new study challenges this view. In fact, a new study found that the trivial, non-work related conversations we have with colleagues are more beneficial than we give them credit for. Promoting well-being: To measure the Read More...
Oaxaca state in Mexico bans sale of junk food to children to curb obesity
Future generations from the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca may steer clear of obesity-related health issues, thanks to a new law passed by state officials, banning the sale of junk food and sugary drinks to children, in an attempt to reduce high obesity and diabetes levels. Oaxaca is the first Read More...
Quality sleep helps ward off Alzheimer’s disease, new research shows
We’re all familiar with the restorative role of sleep for the brain: Pulling an all-nighter or staying awake during a red-eye flight can not only change our mood but also affect our ability to think clearly until, at some point, it practically shuts down on its own. When we don’t get enough Read More...
Graduate students design little robot that cleans up oil spills
A decade after a BP drilling rig exploded in the Gulf of Mexico, sending an estimated 168 million gallons of oil gushing into the water over the course of months, local wildlife is still struggling to recover. Many of the people who worked to clean up the spill are still experiencing health Read More...
New laws will see Germany dim lights at night to save insects
For years, the population of insects in Germany and their diversity has declined greatly. Recognizing the vital importance of insects to the country’s ecosystem, Germany’s environment ministry has drawn up a number of new measures to protect insects, ranging from partially outlawing spotlights Read More...
It’s official: New Guinea has the highest plant diversity of any island
Scientists have explored and studied much of our terrestrial world, but there is one place that remains quite the hidden gem: New Guinea. The “paradise island” has some of the best-preserved ecosystems on the planet, including coastal mangroves, huge expanses of untouched tropical rainforest Read More...
England's first wild beavers for 400 years to keep living on River Otter
Back in February, we wrote about a group of beavers that escaped captivity back in 2013 and were found years later living along a river in Devon, England. Those beavers were originally set to be exterminated, but thanks to the popular outcry, the government agreed to a scientific trial to measure Read More...
The Optimist View: Climate Anxiety Webinar, background and resources
“You can’t really get to the solution, the focus, until you acknowledge people’s anxieties and their ambivalence.” -Dr. Renée Lertzman In January of this year, The Optimist Daily, along with our publishing partner The World Business Academy, got the chance to apply for a grant from Read More...