Politics
Having a difficult time finding positive news about national and global politics? Search no further! From public policy to positive leadership to democracy efforts, find the latest good news stories in the world of politics at The Optimist Daily.
Honduras puts a stop to open-pit mining
What is open-pit mining? Open-pit mining is one of the most common and also most harmful methods of extracting minerals from the Earth. Many countries and organizations are trying to do away with this practice because it involves enormous displacement of soil and causes a great deal of damage to Read More...
China pledges to build large solar and wind farms in Gobi Desert
China is, by far, the biggest consumer of coal power in the world. While at the moment its energy consumption is 70 percent coal-based — other industrialized nations average around 30 percent, the United States being 25 percent — China apparently sees the value in switching to renewable Read More...
Once a French coal-mining zone, now a green tourism hub
Once upon a time, Nord-Pas-de-Calais supplied half of France’s coal. This region in the north of the country is distinguished by the giant pyramid-like black cones of slag which are a result of three centuries of environmental and economic hardship. Now, when you get close to the slag cones, Read More...
UK cracks down on greenwashing
As is so often and tragically the case, commerce can adapt more quickly than policy. We’re seeing this right now in what’s known as greenwashing. This is where companies label their products as “eco-friendly,” “greener,” or “sustainable” to appeal to environmentally conscious Read More...
The New Symbiosis: Living with Wildlife
“We’re animals. We’re born like every other mammal and we live our whole lives around disguised animal thoughts.” - Barbara Kingsolver By Oliver Kammeyer Human society developed an idea over time that it is separate from nature, that we exist apart from it, or in spite of it. Perhaps it Read More...
More women take the wheel in the trucking industry
Truck driving is a steady-paying career that offers job security, and now trucking firms are trying to incentivize more hires with employee benefits amid driver shortages. It is an intense job with long hours, but the role of truckers has become more important than ever in the Pandemic and with Read More...
4 strategies for talking politics at work
It used to be expected that people would leave their political views at the door when they came to work. Times have changed. According to a survey carried out by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), over half of the American workforce have heard more political talk in the office Read More...
Ultra-Low Emissions Zone extended to all of London
The Optimist Daily has followed the progress of London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) since the beginning when mayor Sadiq Khan planned to reduce the city’s air pollution and introduce a charge on the most polluting vehicles in the city. In 2019, ULEZ was enacted, charging motorists £12.50 Read More...
New Mexico makes a major investment in education
Education is vital for the continued prosperity of our society, and we believe it’s important that those educating our future citizens should be compensated fairly. At an elementary school in Santa Fe on Monday, surrounded by teachers and schoolchildren, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of Read More...
Oregon Senate is getting ahead of the next heat wave
Last summer, in June, western North America experienced an unprecedented heatwave that killed more than 500 people across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Canada. To prevent this tragedy from repeating itself this year, lawmakers in Oregon are preparing themselves for another scorching summer Read More...