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.
ENLACE uses telenovelas to amplify the voices of queer Latinx youth
Navigating adolescence in itself is a gargantuan hurdle that takes a physical, mental, and emotional toll on budding adults. During this time, queer Latinx youth may find themselves at particularly trying crossroads of isolation and discrimination. According to a 2019 focus group conducted by Read More...
Meet the Sioux Chef who’s putting Native American foods on the menu
Isn’t it ironic that when we think of American cuisine, we rarely, if ever, think of Native American dishes? Sean Sherman, who goes by “The Sioux Chef,” is on a mission to reverse how colonization has erased Native American food from the menu, and instead give it a space to shine. Sherman Read More...
Government lifts ban on federal student aid for incarcerated individuals
Federal student aid, including the Pell grant, is a valuable resource for students pursuing higher education, but since 1994, these funds have been unavailable to incarcerated individuals. Last month, the federal government finally lifted the ban on federal student aid for incarcerated individuals, Read More...
8 Trends from 2021 We’ll Carry to the New Year
“Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.” - Hal Borland It’s the time of year for reflections and projections as we take stock of all that has happened over the last twelve months and peer with hopeful curiosity Read More...
UBI Success: Updates from the case study in Stockton, CA
Back in 2019, we shared how Stockton, California was launching the country’s first universal basic income (UBI) experiment. Spearheaded by former mayor Michael Tubbs, the program was set to run for 24 months from February 2019 to February 2021. Now that the program is nearly complete, we have Read More...
Maine is restructuring the modern recycling system
As much as we like to think that the material we recycle makes its way back into the market as revitalized packaging, the reality is that US recycling systems are frustratingly inefficient. According to the Columbia Climate School, only 66 percent of discarded paper and cardboard, 27 percent of Read More...
Colorado’s reform law shows promise for changing the culture of policing
Following waves of protests in 2020 against systemic racism and police brutality, the city of Denver established a highly successful policing alternative called STAR, where a team of unarmed social workers serves non-dangerous citizens in crisis. This program isn’t the state’s only strategy for Read More...
Washington State bans use of for-profit detention facilities
A few months ago, we reported on a federal initiative to discontinue the use of privately-run for-profit prisons. It turns out Washington State is taking its own steps to halt the use of these unjust institutions with a new bill, approved by the governor, that bans for-profit detention centers in Read More...
One ambitious crew is bringing carbon-neutral shipping to the Hudson River
Many conscious consumers choose to limit their online shopping to reduce their personal footprint, but entrepreneur Sam Merrett is taking sustainable commerce to a new level. After purchasing a 64-foot steel-hulled sailboat on Craigslist in 2015, he launched a “clean shipping” venture which Read More...
This soccer club to become the first in the US with a zero-landfill stadium
Soccer games at the Subaru Park stadium in Philadelphia are about to get a lot greener thanks to a new initiative that aims to divert 100 percent of the waste generated during matches away from landfills. Home to the Philadelphia Union soccer team, the stadium produced more than 570,000 pounds of Read More...