Today’s Solutions: December 17, 2025

Lifestyle

Alongside taking care of other people and the planet, make sure you take good care of yourself. The Lifestyle section at the Optimist Daily has solutions for everyday wellbeing on topics like food, beauty, fashion, and the latest trends. Curious about caring for houseplants, eating plant-based, or parenting tips? It’s all in there.

How governments can use the pr

How governments can use the profit motive to make the world a better place

Identifying fake fish, cleaning up polluted canals, improving science education – these are some of the jobs that governments are getting done by mobilising the profit motive. Over the past twenty-five years, partnerships between government and business have grown into an industry worth Read More...

Could Cambridgeshire’s new s

Could Cambridgeshire’s new social enterprise status change our buying habits?

They help tackle homelessness, unemployment, disability, financial exclusion and other challenges. And now Cambridgeshire’s estimated 175 social enterprises have earned the county special status as a hotbed of activity for businesses that generate profit for good causes. Read More...

Fair trade gifts that do good

Fair trade gifts that do good

The holidays are just around the corner!  Time to make your list, check it twice, and start finding gifts for all of the important people in your life.  And while those homemade sweaters you gave out last year were memorable (and even fit a few people), why not make your gifts Fair Trade Read More...

African scientists are embraci

African scientists are embracing R&D, reversing brain drain from the continent

Until recently most of Africa’s best talent left the continent for an education or career abroad. As a result, Africa contributes only a meager one percent of the world’s research output. But the tide is changing and more and more initiatives are successfully launched to stimulate African Read More...

The Unbusy Manifesto: How to s

The Unbusy Manifesto: How to slow down, chill out, and live life more intentionally

When did we stop choosing our lives and begin surrendering to them? Half-living each day as a reaction to the constant barrage of never-ending to-do lists, social obligations, work functions, status updates, and more? Pummeled by reactive, autopilot busyness, rather than living life as an Read More...

People in Düsseldorf are watc

People in Düsseldorf are watching ads for free tram tickets

Imagine instead of paying for the subway or tram, you just watched few ads on your smartphone. In Düsseldorf, Germany, an app called WelectGo is giving people the opportunity to do just that. You watch four advertisements from companies that have partnered with WelectGo, and then the app uses the Read More...

Why it pays to be late (someti

Why it pays to be late (sometimes)

It is no surprise so many people feel fearful or unmoored these days. The three largest forces on the planet – technology, globalisation and climate change – are all accelerating at once. As a result, many aspects of our societies, workplaces and geopolitics are being reshaped and need to be Read More...

At this store, everything you

At this store, everything you buy goes directly to the homeless

In 2015, a new startup launched an online store and pop-up shop in London called Crack & Cider that sells all kinds of essential cold-weather supplies. The only thing is you don’t buy these things for yourself, but rather, for the homeless. Partnered with local homeless shelters, all the Read More...

Scottish homelessness charity

Scottish homelessness charity plans village of low-cost eco homes

The Scottish charity Social Bite, which has attracted celebrity support from the Oscar winners George Clooney and Leonardo DiCaprio, has announced plans to build a row of low-cost, eco-friendly homes to help end the vicious cycle of homelessness. The social enterprise, which runs a chain of Read More...

7 incredible benefits of crypt

7 incredible benefits of cryptocurrency

Over the last couple of years, the term cryptocurrency has been rapidly gaining ground and understanding of its use and value in the public eye. At first it seemed unfamiliar and somewhat scary like the credit card looked to users in its early days. You might be more familiar with terms like Read More...