Business
Looking for positive and inspiring business stories? From green operations to employee rights, from innovative corporate structures to diversity and inclusion, the Business section at The Optimist Daily has got the latest innovative solutions from the corporate sector.
Giant Goldman Sachs will invest $750bn into climate action over next decade
As the private sector is slowly coming to its senses about the urgent need to address climate change, one of Wall Street’s major investment banks has recently revealed its plan to further bring this urgency to the fore. Over the weekend, financial behemoth Goldman Sachs announced its plans to Read More...
This startup wants to turn your garage or backyard into a tiny housing unit
To solve LA’s massive shortage of housing, a new startup is helping people take advantage of the county’s 250,000 underused two-car garages (and its hundreds of thousands of backyards). The startup, United Dwelling, helps homeowners to build a new apartment or living space on their property for Read More...
Tackling the gender wage gap in the gig economy
The global economy is changing. Last week we ran a story about making the most of your job in the gig economy, but how does the rapidly growing gig economy pan out for women? Unfortunately, while the national wage gap hovers around $10,000 per year, a recent analysis found the average female Read More...
Businesses and consumers are pushing for real action at Madrid Climate Summit
While political leaders met this week in Madrid for more negotiations on the 2015 Climate Agreement, some business leaders are arguing that changes aren’t happening fast enough. That's why some companies are taking on roles as the unlikely climate leaders of the future as they recognize that Read More...
A Stanford graduate is on a quest to rid the world of dirt floors
The idea of living on a floor made of dirt may seem completely alien to you, but for more than a billion people in the world, living in homes with dirt floors is the norm. And that’s a problem. Dirt floors are unsanitary and can make people sick, often playing host to bugs such as termites and Read More...
American Eagle is using QR codes to embed the spirit of giving into their clothes
Three days ago marked “giving Tuesday,” an event that gained international attention as organizations, individuals, and companies celebrated the spirit of donating in the wake of a hectic Black Friday shopping weekend. Apparel company American Eagle went one step further by embedding the spirit Read More...
Despite its own emissions, IBM is pushing America to implement a carbon tax
When it comes to lowering carbon emissions in corporate America, momentum is building behind what is often an unpopular word: “tax." This week, tech giant IBM became the latest major U.S. company to publicly advocate for the federal government to levy a carbon tax, pledging to push Congress, Read More...
Move over Amazon: this new service is offering low-emission same-day delivery
Earlier this week we published a piece about the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who called out Amazon in an open letter and demanded they pay for the emissions they produce in the city. We can understand her sentiment: beyond the emissions that come with speedy delivery, Amazon’s trucks also clog Read More...
Schedule autonomy might be key to beating the burnout at work
Even if you’re working at your dream job, it’s all too common to feel burnt out or stressed at work. Laura Vanderkam, a time management expert, says the key to finding sustainable happiness in the workplace may be how you’re working as much as what you’re working on. This means giving Read More...
To solve deep-seated inequality, we must grow poor regions from the bottom up
Concentrated poverty has long been a problem in urban centers and parts of the rural South, but these days it has spread across many parts of the country. Sadly enough, regional inequality has deepened and the middle class has declined—the result of a long history of class and racial division, Read More...