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.
Beyond price: More consumers are buying based on brand values
More and more companies are adopting mission-oriented approaches to business and while it’s great that companies are using their voice and products to support the planet and promote inclusivity, there are definite financial benefits to good business as well. A new study from Washington University Read More...
Dancers fight to rid the ballet of harmful Asian stereotypes
Inflamed by racist stereotypes during the pandemic, cases of hate crimes against people from Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are on the rise. This bubbling over of racist attitudes hasn’t just appeared out of nowhere but is an indication of how the undercurrent of one-dimensional Read More...
LEGO unveils its first LGBTQ+ toy set titled ‘Everyone Is Awesome’
Among other things, toy-maker LEGO stands out as a role-model company when it comes to inclusivity and environmental action. Now, the company decided to also celebrate diversity — and inspire others to do so — by unveiling its inaugural LGBTQ+ set, titled 'Everyone Is Awesome.' The 346-piece Read More...
New bill aims to reduce recidivism rates with expanded resources
Introduced by bipartisan lawmakers this week, the One Stop Shop Community Reentry Program Act aims to tackle recidivism rates in the US. According to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the rate of crime after leaving prison, also known as a recidivism rate, is 49.3 percent during the eight-year period Read More...
Thought Leader Series: Improving Black student college graduation rates
The percentage of first-time, full-time undergraduate students who complete their bachelor’s degree in six years or less is 61 percent. This statistic isn’t great, but for Black students, the rate is even more alarming. Only 42 percent of first-time, full-time Black undergraduates complete a Read More...
Oakland to launch alternative response program for nonviolent 911 calls
Following successful alternative policing programs in Denver and Newark, Oakland, California is the latest city to adopt such a program with an initiative to redirect nonviolent, noncriminal calls to mobile teams of civilians. Projected to launch this fall, the program is called Mobile Read More...
New version of "The Oregon Trail" finally portrays Indigenous perspectives
When it was first launched in 1971 as a computer game, “The Oregon Trail” told the story of white settlers traveling across the American West in 1848 and let players assume the roles of wagon leaders whose mission was to keep people and cattle alive while facing starvation and other threats. A Read More...
Jaden Smith's free vegan food truck is a restaurant for the homeless
For his 21st birthday back in 2019, Jaden Smith, son of famed actor Will Smith, decided to celebrate with the launch of his series of 'I Love You' vegan food trucks that provide free, healthy, and sustainable meals to the homeless community of Skid Row in Los Angeles. Now, 22-year-old Smith Read More...
Major firms sign ambitious deal to cut plastic waste in the Pacific
Every year, more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic waste in Australia end up in landfills or the environment, contributing to an already toxic plastic soup that’s threatening marine ecosystems all across the world. In the coming years, that number is expected to decrease significantly thanks to a Read More...
Degree Inclusive is the first deodorant designed for people with disabilities
'Inclusivity.' It’s a term that is coming up more and more frequently as humanity strives towards a more equitable playing field that addresses the historic exclusion of marginalized and minority voices and needs. On the topic of diversity, most discussion circles around race and class, Read More...