May we suggest one resolution for this new year? Cut back on sugar!
If you want to make one lifestyle change to invest in your health this year, cutting back on your sugar consumption may very well be your best bet. In his new book “The Case Against Sugar” Gary Taubes convincingly argues that sugar is at the root of all “the diseases of westernization,” Read More...
MIT: 3,000 ride-sharing cars can replace all 13,000 cabs in New York City
Here’s a good example of how the sharing economy can reduce traffic congestion, pollution, and carbon emissions. According to a new MIT study, 3,000 ride-sharing cars—if used exclusively for carpooling—could replace all 13,000 taxis in New York City. The researchers calculated that 3,000 Read More...
Solar panels on your roof? Here you can find out whether it makes sense for you
Solar energy is quickly spreading around the world and will soon be the most popular option for green energy. However, it can be challenging to figure out whether solar panels make sense for your home. Between usable sunlight hours, tax incentives and regulations you can lose your way—and Read More...
To fight poverty, hunger and climate change, green agriculture must go global
How can we transform the way crops are grown on hundreds of millions of farms, from the largest plantations to the tiniest smallholder plots? The Paris Climate Agreement went into force on November 4, less than a year after 190 governments signed the landmark, legally binding international treaty. Read More...
The clowns bringing laughter to refugee camps: ‘Happiness matters like food’
An adorable six-year-old in a pink top reaches up to me, her bright green eyes pleading for a hug. Next to her a slightly older girl, with curly brown hair and laughing dark eyes also reaches up. I lift the first child on to my back and bounce her around for a few moments before gently setting her Read More...
Businesses no longer have an excuse not to disclose their climate risks
It is vitally important for investors to understand the risks that climate change may pose to the businesses they have invested in – and the opportunities in transitioning to a low-carbon economy. It’s not an easy task. Climate change may be one of the world’s best-modeled processes in Read More...
Here are some of the self-driving startups to watch in 2017
2016 was the year of many things. For the auto and tech industries, it was the year the companies that already placed their bets on self-driving technology began showing their hands. Auto giants — some of which were increasingly aware that they were moving into relatively uncharted territory Read More...
Blockchain app helps migrant workers send money home
Migrant workers often send at least half of their pay to their families in their home countries. In the process, they have to pay for transfer fees and currency exchange rates which may run above 10 percent of the transaction amount. Everex is a startup aimed at solving that problem. Everex is Read More...
How investing in preschool beats the stock market, hands down
Sending a child to pre-school beats investing on the stock market. That's the conclusion from a new study. Children of mostly lower-income families were followed from preschool education all the way into adulthood. The research shows that children who attended preschool programs in the past had Read More...
Better cotton: It’s not perfect but it’s a major step in the right direction
Perfect is the enemy of good. That’s a challenge The Optimist Daily often faces. Cotton, the most widely used natural fiber, is the world’s dirtiest crop. It uses 17.5 percent of global insecticide sales. That’s why fashion business leaders like Patagonia and Eileen Fisher are using organic Read More...