Lifestyle
Alongside taking care of other people and the planet, make sure you take good care of yourself. The Lifestyle section at the Optimist Daily has solutions for everyday wellbeing on topics like food, beauty, fashion, and the latest trends. Curious about caring for houseplants, eating plant-based, or parenting tips? It’s all in there.
How to be a conscious consumer, even on a budget
Sociologist Joseph Cohen once said, “America is a place where the luxuries are cheap and the necessities are expensive.” While we might feel like our lives are overrun with cheap goods, it can be difficult to shop more sustainably when it feels like the greener options eat away at your Read More...
Next time you need a boost in creativity, try this simple trick
We’ve all been there-you're sitting at your desk, trying to come up with some juicy new idea, only to find your creative pipes clogged. While sometimes we blame it on a lack of caffeine in our bodies, some of the most frustrating roadblocks to creativity can actually stem from being in a static Read More...
Money talks: what's yours saying about the environment?
So you bring your own bag to the grocery store, you carpool to work and are cutting down on your meat consumption. Looking for something more to shrink your personal carbon footprint? Changing the way you manage your money can actually help make your lifestyle more sustainable. Here are eight ways Read More...
FUTURE OF FOOD: The Follies of Food Waste, or How to have your food and eat it too!
Someone may offer you a freshly caught whole large fish, like a salmon or striped bass. Don't panic - take it! - Julia Child BY AMELIA BUCKLEY One evening when I was eight years old, I sat in a small french cafe with my sister and parents when the waiter delivered my father's plate - an Read More...
Do you have any old LEGO bricks? Here’s the best thing you can do with them
Despite being made from plastic, there's something to be said for LEGO bricks. They are exceedingly durable and their historically consistent connecting system makes their design the opposite of planned obsolescence. The Danish company has an impressive record of sustainability – from investments Read More...
Shopping less will boost both your wellbeing and that of the planet
Humans’ overconsumption of resources—from the food and clothes we buy to the methods of transportation we choose—is a leading contributor to global climate change. Therefore, it’s increasingly important to understand the choices consumers make and how those decisions affect the health of a Read More...
Are you a clean freak? Here’s why you should avoid over-sterilizing your home
When it comes to cleaning your home, doing too good of a job is definitely possible. Yes, although killing all bacteria sounds like a good way to keep your house clean and yourself healthy, in reality, having an over-sterilized home poses a threat to your own health. In fact, it’s virtually Read More...
Job interviews: How to explain the short stints on your resume
If you’re truly unhappy at your job, then the decision to quit and move on may seem like a simple one. But if you’ve only had that position at work for a matter of months, the decision to leave gets a bit harder. After all, a short stint at a company can leave a blemish on your resume and make Read More...
California just legalized public banks. That’s amazing for communities
The Standing Rock movement in 2016 brought together Indigenous activists from across the nation to fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. One of the demands of this movement included divestment from Wells Fargo, a bank that was funding the development of the pipeline. This brought into the Read More...
Stockton UBI experiment: recipients are spending money only to cover basic needs
The first results from a Universal Basic Income (UBI) experiment in Stockton, California are in—and guess what? They’re already disproving one of the most popular arguments levied against UBI, which is that recipients will use the money on frivolous purchases. In Stockton, the early results Read More...