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.
How a beekeeping business revived this little Russian village
Guzel Sanzhapova couldn’t bare seeing the Russian village where her grandmother was born to lose all its inhabitants. That’s why she launched a series of crowdfunding campaigns in 2014 to raise enough money to get a honey-making business off the ground that could employ people in the region who Read More...
The plastic-free businesses are thriving amid the global environmental crisis
While many consumers are changing their personal relationships with single use plastics, bringing a reusable bag to the grocery store can feel futiIe in the face of the globe's consumption of 300 million metric tons of plastic each year. In the wake of the global anxiety about climate change, an Read More...
Microsoft is spending half a billion dollars to make Seattle housing more affordable
The software giant has announced that it will spend $500 million in order to make housing in Seattle and its surrounding suburbs more affordable for people in the community. The Seattle area has long seen rocketing housing prices due to the demand from high-paid employees from Microsoft and Amazon, Read More...
Canadians bring solar power to off-the-grid Africa
Many people dream of building their small business into an international power base, but two Canadian companies in Africa are taking different approaches to spreading the power. Jaza Energy and M-Kopa, both started by Canadians, are bringing small-scale solar energy to communities in Tanzania and, Read More...
Sparkling water made with carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere
Valser, a Swiss sparkling water brand owned by Coca-Cola, will soon sell beverages containing carbon dioxide that comes directly from the atmosphere. Coca-Cola HBC Switzerland, a vendor that makes Valser water, has partnered with Climeworks, which specializes in removing carbon dioxide from the Read More...
Unpaid government workers turn to gig platforms like Fiverr for help
A veteran American diplomat is currently doing two very different jobs. The first is the one she’s trained for and has held for many years: Analyzing the complex political affairs of a strategically important country for the U.S. State Department. The other is reviewing cosmetic Read More...
Bose developed a high-tech noise-cancelling system for cars
Bose, a company best known for its home audio systems and high-quality headphones, has developed a noise-canceling technology for your car. The system is called QuietComfort and works by using algorithms and microphones to measure your vehicle’s vibrations in order to eliminate noise from your Read More...
Japan found an abundant reserve of valuable rare-earth minerals
Japan has found a deposit of rare earth minerals abundant enough to supply the world’s needs for years to come. These elements hold great value because they help make many technologies perform with reduced weight, reduced emissions, and energy consumption, and are integral to our modern lifestyle Read More...
8 makeup brands that are fighting plastic packaging
When you hear about excessive plastic packaging, the focus is usually on the food industry – straws, coffee cups, Styrofoam takeout containers, chip bags, and more. While the food industry is certainly at fault for not coming up with better packaging designs, it's curious that other industries Read More...
How a carpet maker became an unlikely hero of the environmental movement
We encounter carpeting every day, in offices, homes, stores–almost any interior setting. According to the Environmental News Network, carpets and rugs cover 70% of all flooring in the United States, a figure largely credited to the rise of corporate America and the white-collar workforce of the Read More...