Corporate Social Responsibility
Keeping up with the latest news in all four corporate social responsibility categories: environment, human rights, philanthropy, and economic responsibility.
How do solar panels break? And how do we fix them?
At the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, Colorado, teams of scientists and researchers spend large parts of their day jumping on, twisting, smashing, and generally coming up with various ways of breaking solar panels. It’s not malice, it’s not incompetence. It's not Read More...
This startup uses a plant-derived material to make roads carbon negative
Similar to building new roads, repairing existing ones is not an environmentally friendly endeavor. One of the main problems is bitumen, a fossil fuel-derived binder that holds asphalt together. A startup in Norway is recycling old roads using a plant-based binder instead, a process that could Read More...
Administration unveils plan to fix bias in home appraisal industry
Three weeks ago, The Optimist Daily wrote a piece about Congress' aims to fix bias and inequality in the home appraisal industry. This is a much-needed change to a systemic problem that has furthered the wealth gap over years and kept families from building intergenerational wealth. On Read More...
The James Dyson Award: a call to young inventors
The Optimist Daily has written about many winners of the James Dyson Award. This is an international design award that celebrates, encourages, and inspires the next generation of design engineers. It is open to current and recent design engineering students and is run by the James Dyson Foundation, Read More...
In win for Earth, new S.E.C. rules would require climate disclosures
On Monday, the top financial regulator of the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), announced new regulations that would require disclosures from public corporations about their climate risks and carbon footprints. This marks a huge step towards acknowledging the reality and Read More...
More people are buying electric bikes
High gas prices are driving some commuters away from the pump and toward alternative means of transportation. Some might consider using public transportation or even buying an electric vehicle, as this offers more than a few energy solutions. There are many that are even turning to electric Read More...
How green hydrogen is taking off
Hydrogen is key to a major energy shift in our society. Many sectors of the economy and the power grid can decarbonize by switching to green hydrogen. The market for hydrogen is expected to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2050, and many industries, such as air travel, see the writing on the wall. Read More...
Check out these Black-owned home decor brands to liven up your space
The Optimist Daily has regularly tried to draw positive attention toward black-black-owned businesses. Being mindful where you spend your money and choosing racial minority owned stores can help close the racial wealth gap, celebrate black culture, promote representation, and create jobs. With Read More...
Honduras puts a stop to open-pit mining
What is open-pit mining? Open-pit mining is one of the most common and also most harmful methods of extracting minerals from the Earth. Many countries and organizations are trying to do away with this practice because it involves enormous displacement of soil and causes a great deal of damage to Read More...
China pledges to build large solar and wind farms in Gobi Desert
China is, by far, the biggest consumer of coal power in the world. While at the moment its energy consumption is 70 percent coal-based — other industrialized nations average around 30 percent, the United States being 25 percent — China apparently sees the value in switching to renewable Read More...