Good News Notes: “The winter months are especially harsh for the homeless in Russia’s northern city of St. Petersburg, especially for those suffering serious medical problems. “Recuperating from many illnesses in the winter and on the streets is impossible. After release from the hospital, they end up back on the streets in conditions that aren’t…
Month: April 2021
TerraCycle wants to recycle everything in your life
Good News Notes: “Have you ever felt guilty about tossing your old Teva sandals, or Colgate toothbrush, or Etch A Sketch into the trash, where they will clog up a landfill for hundreds of years? I have good news for you. All of those items—and many more—are now recyclable thanks to TerraCycle, a company that…
Get a glimpse of southern Brazil’s paleoburrows — dug by prehistoric animals
Good News Notes: “A “paleoburrow” is a tunnel made by a prehistoric animal, likely an armadillo or an extinct, giant ground sloth, depending on the size of the hole. These extinct sloths were huge, some the size of a modern-day elephant. They dug very large tunnels. Almost 2,000 paleoburrows have been found across South America, mostly in…
Plant-Based Food Companies Going Beyond Meat
Good News Notes: “In 2009, when Ethan Brown started his vegan meat alternative company, Beyond Meat, he had big dreams for it. It’s unlikely though that he — or anyone else — could predict just how successful it would become. As of 2019, Beyond Meat’s products are sold in Whole Foods and at TGI Fridays restaurants around the…
Nampa’s in-school therapy partnerships lead to measurable success
Good News Notes: “Stephanie Lindholm’s usually happy boys were struggling. Her divorce from their father had been traumatic: not just the separation, but the turmoil and restraining orders that followed. The boys were scared, and acting out. Stephanie’s oldest son, 8, struggled to stay on task and didn’t want to engage with family activities. Her…
Why Luxury Brands Are Embracing Upcycling Amid the Pandemic
Good News Notes: “The New York designer Hillary Taymour is something of a fashion rebel. Instead of following the industry norm and enticing fans to buy the latest from her label, Collina Strada, she teaches them the techniques necessary to imitate her trippy tie-dyes on their own, or alter them to their liking, should they…
Milk-free Milo and meatless ‘pork’: Nestlé, Impossible and other brands bet big on plant-based food in Asia
Good News Notes: “Milo chocolate milk has been hugely popular in Southeast Asia for decades. Now the breakfast and teatime favorite is about to get shaken up — the cocoa powder will be offered as a dairy-free, ready-made beverage. The product is one of Nestlé’s newest plant-based inventions, and it will be launched in the region…
19-year-old Crossroads graduate launches app to fight food insecurity and waste
Good News Notes: “Fed up by the high rates of food insecurity and food waste in L.A. County, 19-year-old Theo Goldstine came up with a truly GenZ solution — an app that connects individuals with surplus food with those around them who could use that food. Goldstine took a gap year after graduating from Crossroads…
Million-tree mission hopes to fix reforestation flaws
Good News Notes: “It’s an environmental policy embraced by heads of state, multinational businesses and even leading climate sceptic Donald Trump: plant more trees to help the planet and slow global warming. But experts claim some recent mass tree-planting schemes have failed to reduce greenhouse gases when not done properly, and even harmed the environment….
We found methane-eating bacteria living in a common Australian tree. It could be a game changer for curbing greenhouse gases
Good News Notes: “Trees are the Earth’s lungs – it’s well understood they drawdown and lock up vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. But emerging research is showing trees can also emit methane, and it’s currently unknown just how much. This could be a major problem, given methane is a greenhouse gas about…