Education
Great minds lead to great solutions. Our education section features solutions and innovations directed at strengthening educational systems around the world.
Wild Motherhood: Meet some of the coolest mothers in the animal kingdom
Happy Mother’s Day 2022! They care for us, teach us, and shape our relationship with each other and with the world. For better or worse, each of us owes a lot of who we are to our moms! And as much as we all love to celebrate motherhood on this holiday, there is one mother that is ever-present Read More...
ACTV therapy model reduces recidivism for domestic abuse
There is a growing trend in the United States to reduce crime and recidivism by educating, treating, and reforming individuals rather than punishing them with harsh sentences. This takes on many forms. The First Step Act, for instance, seeks to reduce existing sentences and reincarceration through Read More...
Fashion Week Minnesota highlights AAPI and Indigenous designers
This spring, Fashion Week Minnesota features new shows that showcase local designers and creatives that are underrepresented in mainstream fashion, giving voice to their collections and cultures. Fashion designers from Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, and people of color Read More...
What is the difference between poisonous and venomous snakes?
Snakes are often associated with danger due to their sharp fangs and potentially lethal bite. Often when somebody sees any snake at all they jump for fear that it could be lethal. However, there isn't always a need for fear, as many snakes are just venomous and not poisonous. What does poisonous Read More...
Insects and lab-grown meat could reduce environmental impact by 80 percent
We at The Optimist Daily have written a lot before about the environmental benefits of lab-grown meat and insects as an alternative protein source, and the body of research for this cultural and scientific protein shift keeps growing. A new study published in Nature Food found that replacing Read More...
How to be an ally part I: performative allyship
In recent years, and especially in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police officer Derek Chauvin in May 2020, social advocacy and activism around the world have evolved and continue to evolve at an admirable pace. The emergence of activism in the era of social media, which, whether we like Read More...
How to be an ally part II: effective allyship
Welcome to part two of this two-part series on allyship --- click here to read part one --- one of the neologisms born out of contemporary English-language social justice activism. More specifically, this piece will discuss what it takes to move from performative allyship to effective allyship, Read More...
The formula of “flow”: how we get in the zone at work
We’ve all experienced the fulfilling experience of “flow.” This is the immersive and usually elating state of mind we reach when we are creatively moving from one sentence to another deep into a writing project, reacting thoughtlessly and rapidly in a basketball game, or even operating at Read More...
5 cities celebrating the earth by “plogging”
If case you haven’t heard, “plogging” combines physical exercise and cleaning up your town and environment. It started in Sweden — “plogging” being a portmanteau of the Swedish phrase “plocka upp,” meaning to “pick up,” and jogging — and the craze has caught on around the Read More...
Six ways to encourage pollinating bees in your garden
Bees are the most prolific pollinators on the planet and every gardener’s best friend. The majority of flowering plants in the world need the help of pollinating animals like bees to reproduce, and they pleasantly add a gentle buzz to the air. So how do you make sure that your local bee Read More...