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.
Thailand’s idle taxis find an unusual new purpose during the pandemic
We’ve written a lot about the power of rooftop gardens to boost access to fresh produce in urban areas. Today we’re sharing a story about rooftop gardens, but not the type you might expect. Taxi fleets in Thailand have repurposed the tops of vehicles idled by the pandemic into mini urban garden Read More...
Find joy in your workday again with these four strategies
Most of us have experienced at least one bout of burnout while working through a global pandemic, and when you look into the research surrounding stress and isolation, it’s no surprise that we’re not feeling as fulfilled at work these days. Research has shown that social isolation can Read More...
New York is removing policing from city schools
In the wake of racial justice protests last summer, many schools are rethinking the relationship between educational spaces and policing. Following the removal of armed police officers from 33 school districts around the country, New York City’s school system will follow suit and begin to remove Read More...
FDA Approves new brain protective gear for athletes
Brain injuries for athletes in contact sports have been steadily rising since they began to be recorded, and despite increased awareness of the traumatic and potential long-term effects of these injuries, little has been accomplished to reduce their likelihood. A study released by the American Read More...
Ojai school rebuilds from Thomas Fire using resilient architecture
The Thomas Fire was one of the most destructive in California history and burned a total of 281,000 acres. Among the over 1,000 structures burned by the blaze was the Upper Campus of the Ojai Valley School. In one night, the fire blazed through most of the 195-acre campus. Architect Frederick Read More...
Evangelical Lutheran church installs first openly transgender bishop
The Evangelical Lutheran church accepted seven LGBTQ pastors in 2010 after the ordination of pastors in same-sex relationships was allowed. Now, Rev. Megan Rohrer, one of these seven, has been installed as the first openly transgender bishop during a service at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco last Read More...
This company is on a mission to bring back the woolly mammoth
Harvard Medical School biologist George Church is most famous for inventing ways of reading and editing DNA, but these days, the scientist is on a new mission: bringing back the woolly mammoth. At the helm of a new company, Colossal, and armed with $15 million in initial funding, Church and his Read More...
Lake Tahoe ski resort officially changes derogatory name
Last summer, as many companies and institutions across the US contemplated the legacies of racism in their own cultures, one Northern California ski resort decided it was time to retire their derogatory name in favor of a more inclusive title. After months of discussion and input from Native Read More...
The Optimist View: The Green Divide
"Neither cities nor places in them are unordered, unplanned; the question is only whose order, whose planning, for what purpose?” - Peter Marcuse BY Amelia Buckley If you stand outside in the heat of summer, you’ll notice that things are considerably less comfortable on concrete or Read More...
12 Indigenous-owned sustainable businesses you can support
As the original stewards of the land, Indigenous peoples have long been at the forefront of environmental movements, including community sustainability. One way to help the environment on an individual level is to support native-owned businesses that offer consumers sustainable products. Here are Read More...