Today’s Solutions: May 17, 2024

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.

Community garden in Rio de Janeiro

This neighborhood supports one of Latin America’s largest community gardens

The Manguinhos neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro was once a polluted and dangerous area, but thanks to community efforts, the area is now a thriving vegetable garden that feeds 800 families in the city. Made up of 300 beds and the size of four soccer fields, the community garden is one of the Read More...

Two girls watch cartoons on tablet

The Optimist Daily Update Transcript: Mariella Satow & Sign Up

This is an ASL interpretation and transcript of the December 10, 2021 episode of The Optimist Daily Update titled "Mariella Satow: Sign Up." Transcription: Summers: Hello, universe. Welcome to the Optimist Daily Update. I'm Summers McKay. Kristy: And I'm Kristy Jansen, and we are part of the Read More...

Kids on the Nice List

Kids on the Nice List

“If we wish to create a lasting peace we must begin with the children.” - Mahatma Gandhi Christmas is just around the corner, and we heard that even Santa Claus is bidding adieu to coal this year. That’s right, Santa is going green, but we have it on good authority that he’s ditching Read More...

United flight taking off

US logs first commercial flight powered entirely with biofuels

Last week, a United Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 filled with 100 passengers made the journey between Chicago and Washington D.C., but the plane didn’t use traditional aviation fuel. The plane was the first commercial flight to run on 100 percent “sustainable aviation fuel” (SAF). Made up of Read More...

Young LGBTQ woman walks through crowd

Canada fast-tracks bill to ban conversion therapy

A bill that would ban the practice of conversion therapy in Canada has been unanimously adopted by the House of Commons, fast tracking it for approval by the Senate. Bill C-4 bans the practice of conversion therapy, which is a harmful attempt to change an individual’s sexual or gender Read More...

Woman working at her desk

The rise of corporate fertility benefits

In 2015, just five percent of US employers with over 500 employees covered egg freezing costs for employees. In 2020, that number was 19 percent. Pushed by an increase in women in the workforce as well as the pandemic, more and more companies are offering comprehensive fertility assistance in Read More...

The interior of a nap pad with a bed, towel, toilet

Nap pads could prevent hundreds of homeless deaths this year

As the weather gets colder in the UK, the issue of homelessness becomes even more dire. While it is known that hundreds of people without a stable home die each year across the nation, getting an official count has been impossible until recently, thanks to the efforts of the Bureau of Investigative Read More...

Gorilla mother with baby on her back in the Rwanda rainforest

Rwanda’s mountain gorillas represent a successful conservation story

Following years of poaching and habitat destruction, the population of mountain gorillas in Rwanda once numbered under 260 individuals. Now, Rwandan gorillas represent a rare conservation success and a key economic engine for the East African country, reports CBS. "One of, if not the top source, Read More...

Young Indigenous climate activists defend their ancestral lands

Here are 5 Indigenous-led eco-charities you can support today

The climate crisis has caused us to reconsider our consumerist lifestyles and turn to Indigenous peoples to learn from their superior understanding of living in harmony with nature. Here is a list of five organizations and eco-charities you should check out if you are looking to make a difference Read More...

Two people exchange sustainably wrapped gifts

A secondhand gift-giving guide for a more sustainable holiday

Do you want to make the holiday season more sustainable this year by practicing less consumerism, but are unsure of how to navigate giving pre-loved gifts with grace? A survey by online secondhand marketplace Vinted revealed that one in six people are dedicated to giving repurposed presents this Read More...