Today’s Solutions: January 09, 2025

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.

Green spaces

Get healthy, go to a green space

We decided to revamp a couple of stories on the benefits of green spaces, for which there is an ever-growing body of evidence.  NPR’s Aaron Scott recently spoke with environmental psychologist Ming Kuo on green spaces and why we all seem to feel better walking down a city street lined with Read More...

Beavers

More on beavers and rewilding

We decided to dust off and update this innovative solution to restoring habitats with the most industrious aquatic mammal: beavers.  At The Optimist Daily, we’ve written a great deal about the benefits beavers bring to their environment and the importance of restoring their populations in Read More...

Barcelona Cruise Ship

Barcelona plans to limit docking of cruise ships

You’d think thousands of travelers disembarking from cruise ships in Barcelona would be a good thing for the city. However, these tourists coming in from the many yearly cruise liners don’t book accommodation, don’t spend as much as you’d think, and contribute to city congestion. The huge Read More...

Seattle

Seattle installs EV chargers on utility poles for residents

Electric vehicles are the transportation of the future. In the meantime, cities are struggling to install the infrastructure that we will all need to charge our cars. This is an important issue for EV owners away from a home or office charging port, or if they live in an apartment complex. If Read More...

Hairstylist

Hairdressers against domestic abuse and climate change

We decided to upcycle this older article with a great solution and a little update.  Beauticians against abuse A law in Tennessee harnesses the unique position of beauty professionals to help identify victims of domestic abuse. Enforced on the first day of 2022, the law requires hairstylists Read More...

Industrial torching of steel billets

New steelmaking method could cut industry's gigantic CO2 footprint

The steel industry emits 3 billion tons of CO2 every year. That’s about three times the carbon footprint of the airline industry. A startup called Helios wants to cut this industrial behemoth’s impact on the environment. A cheaper steelmaking process When it comes to steel, its large carbon Read More...

Panama City

Tree cities: regreening and making cities more climate-resilient

We decided to revamp a story about a wonderful solution: tree cities.  At The Optimist Daily, as you’ve probably guessed, we love solutions for urban green spaces. We’ve written quite a bit about these, with their ability to offset carbon emissions, help grow food, and help animals and Read More...

Sponge City

Making spongier and more climate-resilient cities

We decided to revamp a story about a wonderful solution, with a few updates.  The world’s cities and population centers are overwhelmingly located near water. This makes good sense since water is essential for living, and throughout history, people have built their settlements where water is Read More...

Chicago

Chicago will give 500 dollars each to 5,000 households

Sometimes, getting money to those who need it can become a complicated task. Organizations aiming to provide health or living relief can do great work, but not everyone needs help with healthcare or rent. Additionally, organizations that require oversight require staff, and that costs more Read More...

Paris

Lower traffic accidents linked to urban emissions laws

From the 1970s to the mid-1990s, the US and France were more or less the same in traffic fatality rates. In fact, they had both declined by 31 percent from 1979 to 1994. Today, though, people getting around in the US are three times more likely to die than in France. What happened?  Bloomberg Read More...