Today’s Solutions: September 21, 2024

Politics

Having a difficult time finding positive news about national and global politics? Search no further! From public policy to positive leadership to democracy efforts, find the latest good news stories in the world of politics at The Optimist Daily.

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...

Female Truck driver

More women take the wheel in the trucking industry

Truck driving is a steady-paying career that offers job security, and now trucking firms are trying to incentivize more hires with employee benefits amid driver shortages. It is an intense job with long hours, but the role of truckers has become more important than ever in the Pandemic and with Read More...

People talking at work

4 strategies for talking politics at work

It used to be expected that people would leave their political views at the door when they came to work. Times have changed. According to a survey carried out by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), over half of the American workforce have heard more political talk in the office Read More...

Traffic free London

Ultra-Low Emissions Zone extended to all of London

The Optimist Daily has followed the progress of London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) since the beginning when mayor Sadiq Khan planned to reduce the city’s air pollution and introduce a charge on the most polluting vehicles in the city. In 2019, ULEZ was enacted, charging motorists £12.50 Read More...

Teachers with students

New Mexico makes a major investment in education

Education is vital for the continued prosperity of our society, and we believe it’s important that those educating our future citizens should be compensated fairly.  At an elementary school in Santa Fe on Monday, surrounded by teachers and schoolchildren, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham of Read More...

weather app displaying hot temperatures for the week

Oregon Senate is getting ahead of the next heat wave

Last summer, in June, western North America experienced an unprecedented heatwave that killed more than 500 people across Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Canada. To prevent this tragedy from repeating itself this year, lawmakers in Oregon are preparing themselves for another scorching summer Read More...

Bees pollinating

Colorado drafts bill to save its bees

Did you know that bees and other insects like them pollinate nearly three-quarters of the plants that produce 90 percent of the world’s food? Bees are a small insect that play a big role in their environments. They work to improve plant life, biodiversity, and even our own food supply.  A Read More...

Plastic pollution globe

This is the UN plan to tackle plastic pollution

The Optimist Daily very much likes writing about plastic cleanup in the oceans. So, we were ecstatic when we learned about the beginnings of a treaty on par with the Paris Climate Accords to clean up plastics. The Paris Climate Accords made history as an international effort of 192 countries to Read More...