COVID-19 has been eliminated in New Zealand as country eases restrictions
It was just a couple of days ago that we published a story in praise of New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Guiding a country through a pandemic is a high-stress task for any political leader, but Ardern has shown the world how to stay calm with her clear, personable style of leading, which Read More...
Britain has now gone over 18 days without using coal energy
Coal’s daily share of Britain’s power has faded away rapidly over the past few years. Whereas coal produced at least 50 percent of Britain’s energy most days of the year in 2012, coal has hardly contributed to the grid this year. In fact, the UK has gone without coal-fired power generation Read More...
Tired of virtual meetings? Here’s how to overcome ‘Zoom fatigue’
If you’re anything like us at the Optimist Daily, you’re probably feeling exhausted by virtual meetings. We spoke about it amongst ourselves while on Zoom and decided to look around to see if others were feeling the same. Apparently, we’re not alone. In an article for National Read More...
How animal rescue groups are finding homes for dogs via virtual adoptions
While much of the country is under orders to shelter at home, pet rescue groups across the country have reported skyrocketing interest in adoption and fostering. But considering that in most cities pounds and rescue groups are deemed nonessential businesses, the organizations have had to get Read More...
Robots are already making contact-free deliveries in some American cities
You might not see many people walking down the sidewalk in downtown Fairfax, Virginia, during the pandemic, but it’s possible that you’ll see a robot. The city is the latest to partner with Starship Technologies, a company that makes small delivery robots and now operates a fleet of 20 in Read More...
How the coronavirus is forcing us to reconsider how we measure productivity
Since the period of the industrial revolution, we’ve used one primary scale to measure productivity: hours. But is this really an effective way to gauge actual performance or output? Not exactly. Measuring productivity in hours alone can discourage workers from being more efficient with their Read More...
Scuba divers are using ocean plastic to make face masks
While some people are heading outside in snorkeling masks as makeshift protection, a group of scuba divers is using their social distancing time to help people and the oceans. They're making face masks from plastic water bottles recovered from the oceans, as CNN reported. The masks are made by Read More...
A 6-year-old is running a jokes stand to keep his neighbors laughing
In Canada, a six-year-old by the name of Callaghan McLaughlin has taken to heart the old wisdom that laughter is the best medicine. For the past week, the youngster has been running a joke stand at the end of his driveway, offering free laughs to his neighbors and passersby. Through his jokes Read More...
California will be the first state to pay restaurants to feed seniors
As we all know by now, the coronavirus pandemic has been devastating for the service industry, causing restaurants to close their doors and lay off workers. In a novel attempt to get restaurants rehiring workers right away, California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced a new aid program in which Read More...
Pakistan’s Billion Tree project is bringing the bees and honey back
In 2018, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan announced the Billion Tree project, a lofty country-wide effort to plant 10 billion trees over a 5-year span. The project has already led to the planting of hundreds of thousands of trees, resulting in a huge boost in bee populations. Apparently, Read More...