NASA has renamed its headquarters after its first black female engineer, Mary Jackson, whose work contributed to America’s early space programs.

She achieved success in the face of racial discrimination, despite black employees being forced to use different canteens and bathrooms. When Jackson applied for engineering training, she needed permission to take classes with her white peers. She went on to gain NASA’s highest engineering title in 1979. In 2019, NASA renamed its address to Hidden Figures Way, following a movie of the same name, which tells Jackson’s story. 

What part of your business or brand could you rename to honor a person or cause? It’s the quickest way to appeal to the next generation of customers looking for brands with broader social meaning.

Singapore has an innovative way of putting nature at the heart of construction that can make us happier, healthier and closer to the natural world.

It’s called biophilic design, and it replaces walls, windows, columns, signs and neon, with leaves, bark, birds and insects. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital is the most biophilic hospital in Asia with more than 700 species of native plants growing on the site. Users feel a greater sense of calm with lower stress levels, and patients take fewer strong doses of painkillers.

“As humans we evolved in nature, surrounded by the natural world,” says Richard Hassell, cofounder of WOHA, an architectural firm that focuses on the integration of the environment at every stage of design. If you feel helpless watching the destruction of natural resources on a grand scale, think of what you can change — properties and land that you control.

Have you noticed how many young people have been pushing for change this past year? Maybe it’s time to start listening.

They are the consumers, customers, and business owners of the future, and they’re giving us clues today about the business opportunities of tomorrow. “Young people are now coming to discussions as contributors and not just listeners,” says Vladislav Kaim, a youth advisor to the U.N. secretary-general, “and they are asking tough questions.”

There is a heightened awareness of environmental and social issues among today’s youth that will translate into the next few decades’ consumer markets. Late last year, a statement was negotiated by youth from more than 140 countries during an online “Mock COP,” held instead of 2020 U.N. climate talks. The statement was presented to the respective governments of the participants. “We have things to propose… and we are here to stay,” says Kaim from Moldova. Inviting young people to sit on your company advisory board may just be the best investment you ever make.

Some people spend their lives deciding on a career, but for 20-year-old Alyssa Carson, the goal has been clear since she was three years old: Be among the first humans to explore Mars.

Carson has spent most of her life preparing to go to Mars by attending space camps and advanced preparation programs, building a presence on social media, and meeting with former female astronauts. “When I was nine, I met Sandy Magnus at a Sally Ride Festival, a local festival they used to have in the Louisiana area,” Carson explained.

“Sandy told me that she had decided at the age of nine to become an astronaut, but at the time it was very difficult for women to become an astronaut. She eventually succeeded and went to space three times. “For her deciding at nine and me being nine, it really showed me that you can start young, and you can decide what you want to be when you are younger and then eventually grow up to realize your dream. It can become a reality.”

In 2013, at age 13, she was recognized by NASA for visiting all 14 NASA Visitor Centers in the United States and sat on the NASA Mer 10 panel at age 12 discussing future missions to Mars in the 2030s. Today, Alyssa has her rocket license, advanced scuba certification, pilot license, skydiving class A license, and is a certified Aquanaut.

Worldwide, millions of people are forced to sleep outside in the cold. That number is growing by the minute.

Poverty, mental illness, unexpected loss of jobs, natural disasters, and wars are the top causes of homelessness around the world. The Sheltersuit, developed by Bas Timmer (above, right) in the Netherlands, is a wind- and waterproof coat that can be transformed into a sleeping bag.

After losing the father of a friend to hypothermia, who died while living on the streets, Timmer decided that something had to be done. At the time, he had started his own line of clothing after finishing at a fashion academy in the Netherlands. But it didn’t feel right to him to sell fashionable clothing at a high price when so many people couldn’t afford protective clothing to survive.

The Sheltersuit is free to homeless people and refugees, and since starting in 2014, has kept more than 12,500 people warm. Upcycled sleeping bags and tent materials are turned into a Sheltersuit by homeless people in Europe, South Africa and the United States, helping to solve another problem — unemployment.