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.
Playtime & puppets help refugee children and families through the pandemic
Before the pandemic hit in early March of 2020, you would have found refugee children living in Rohingya, the largest refugee camp in recorded history, laughing, jumping, and playing in a BRAC Humanitarian Play Lab (HPL), a colorful and welcoming structure, its floors padded with embroidered mats Read More...
How to be a better ally to people with disabilities
July is Disability Pride Month, a month to celebrate disabled people and remind everyone that being disabled isn’t a bad thing. Too often disability is met with pity, but this response is often triggered by the assumption that disability is synonymous with something negative. “This annual Read More...
Tattooed mummies allow Indigenous peoples to reclaim lost traditions
Thanks to advances in infrared photography, scientists are just beginning to learn about the significance and history of the age-old human practice of ornamenting ourselves with ink. These discoveries are allowing modern-day communities to recover aspects of their Indigenous cultures that have been Read More...
A Second U Foundation is empowering the previously incarcerated
For the formerly incarcerated, starting again can be an immense challenge. However, Hector Guadalupe, who was only 23 when his 10-year prison sentence began, found a way to help himself and others rediscover who they are and how to begin again. “When I was serving my time, throughout the Read More...
Pawsitive Change enhances rehabilitation for inmates and shelter dogs
Last year, we wrote about how incarcerated individuals in Florida comfort shelter dogs during Fourth of July firework displays, but this isn’t the only program allowing incarcerated individuals and canines to collaborate. Pawsitive Change, a pup, and inmate rehabilitation program, pairs Read More...
Apple co-founder advocates for right to repair policies
In Europe, right to repair laws are ensuring that customers don’t have to buy new goods when something breaks 一 saving them money and reducing waste. Many environmentalists and consumer advocates are urging the US and other countries to adopt similar measures, and want companies to step up to Read More...
This startup makes petrochemicals from captured CO2
Petrochemicals, chemicals made from fossil fuels, are present in an estimated 6,000 products (and probably more), but Bay Area startup Twelve thinks there is a better way to produce these chemicals. And maybe even help the planet while they’re at it. Rather than sourcing petrochemicals from Read More...
This simple app supports both local restaurants and food insecure individuals
You may have never heard of Bento, but you might have seen it in action at a local restaurant without even realizing it. Created during the pandemic by Not Impossible Labs, Bento is a program that pulls together restaurants, individuals who are food insecure, and those wishing to make a difference Read More...
Study: Unions play a big role in reducing poverty
Labor unions changed the landscape of the American workplace at the height of industrialization. Collective action offered fair wages, safe working conditions, and the 40-hour workweek, but how do labor unions affect workers in the 21st century? Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the Read More...
IMO moves to make shipping companies pay a price for emissions
As the volume of goods traded across the world continues to increase, emissions from container ships are becoming a more prevalent source of pollution. In an effort to transition to industry towards a greener future, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has proposed a regulation that would Read More...