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.
New business in Vietnam helps farmers grow mushrooms on rice straw waste
Rice cultivation is deeply rooted in the Vietnamese culture. And so is the habit to burn the rice plant waste after every harvest. In Vietnam about 20 million tons of rice straw go up in smoke each year. That’s bad news for the environment, because the burning releases toxic greenhouse gases, but Read More...
Don’t burn the straw!
Minh Vu, a Vietnamese farmer, has the same problem after every harvest of her rice paddy: What to do with the stems of the rice plants after the threshing of the rice? Usually she chooses to burn them. And because that’s what most of her colleagues do as well, it means in Vietnam about 20 million Read More...
Green spaces bring in big bucks for US
When the national parks were set up in the 2nd half of the 1800s they faced strong opposition—many policy makers couldn’t understand how undeveloped areas would make money. Fast-forward to our times and the US National Park system is as lucrative as any business model. In 2013 alone the Read More...
Dr. Pepper Snapple Group takes hardline to minimize waste
So far the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (DPS) has met and exceeded all the recycling targets it has set. But now the soft drink company is looking to push waste reduction even lower. DPS has announced initiatives that will reduce fuel use by 20 percent per gallon, conserve and protect water sources by Read More...
Kellogg’s sets greenhouse gas reduction targets for entire supply chain
In an effort do its part to combat global warming, Kellogg’s has announced a new emissions policy for its entire supply chain. All key suppliers must publicly disclose current emissions as well as reduction targets. The new policy should have a significant impact on greenhouse gases emitted by Read More...
Women and millennial leaders expedite corporate growth
If your business isn’t growing as quickly or dramatically as you’d like it to, perhaps it’s time to reevaluate who should receive the next promotion. A recent study reveals that those we do not stereotypically see in positions of power are actually the ones who should be given those Read More...
Jet fuel made from tobacco will green up air travel
On the heels of last week’s reports of a tobacco-based Ebola medicine, is the announcement of a partnership between Boeing and Africa Airways to develop a jet fuel made from a type of tobacco plant. The plant is called Solaris and is essentially a modified tobacco plant that doesn’t produce any Read More...
Beyond the social network
In August 2013 Facebook launched Internet.org, a partnership between Facebook and Airtel Africa, a leading telecom provider, that aims to bring free Internet to those without connectivity in developing countries. The first Internet.org app has just been released for a trial run in Zambia, and Read More...
Pepsi leads partnership to fight plastic pollution
Most Americans throw away about 185 pounds of plastic a year—of that only about 42% is recycled. All the plastic that’s wasted ends up in waterways, oceans and landfills. A new partnership of PepsiCo and The Nature Conservatory addresses this challenge. The joint initiative will place recycling Read More...
Plants in the office increase productivity
You want to increase the productivity in your organization? Put some plants in the office. Norwegian scientists discovered that plants in the office increase concentration. Another study from the University of Technology in Sydney shows that office plants reduce anger by 44 percent, anxiety by 37 Read More...