Today’s Solutions: January 10, 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.

Electric bike

More people are buying electric bikes

High gas prices are driving some commuters away from the pump and toward alternative means of transportation. Some might consider using public transportation or even buying an electric vehicle, as this offers more than a few energy solutions. There are many that are even turning to electric Read More...

Two Ukrainian boy refugees in Chisinau, Moldova, at a refugee shelter

How to help Ukrainian refugees in Moldova

Since it began on the 24th of February, the war in Ukraine has forced millions of people to leave their homes. According to the UNHCR, more than 3 million people have already fled, and many more are expected to leave as the situation escalates. A great number of these people have sought refuge in Read More...

Green hydrogen take off

How green hydrogen is taking off

Hydrogen is key to a major energy shift in our society. Many sectors of the economy and the power grid can decarbonize by switching to green hydrogen.  The market for hydrogen is expected to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2050, and many industries, such as air travel, see the writing on the wall. Read More...

Person holding pile of brightly colored patterned pillows.

Check out these Black-owned home decor brands to liven up your space

The Optimist Daily has regularly tried to draw positive attention toward black-black-owned businesses. Being mindful where you spend your money and choosing racial minority owned stores can help close the racial wealth gap, celebrate black culture, promote representation, and create jobs. With Read More...

Drive slowly

To save money and gas, driving slower helps

Many of us take the speed limits on the side of the road as, well, more of a suggestion than a hard line never to cross. Whether on the highway or in midtown, many of us feel we’re losing time or just plain bored if we’re not in the fast lane. Gas prices are rising, though, and even when we Read More...

Honduras

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 solar panels

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...

Nord-Pas de Calais

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...

greenwashing

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...

Humpback Whales in Pacific Ocean

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...