Ultrathin “honeycomb” solar panels achieve record efficiency

Good News Notes: “One day, cities and hopefully everything else will be powered by renewable resources like wind and solar. To do that, though, we will need to continue to improve on our renewable tech, like creating solar panels that can absorb solar energy in many different levels of sunlight. A new development out of England may…

Burger King Opens a Vegan Location in London with 25 Plant-Based Options

Good News Notes: “On March 14, Burger King’s flagship location in London’s Leicester Square is going entirely vegan. This means the fast-food chain is replacing its regular menu items with all plant-based offerings. The all-vegan Burger King location will be open until April 10, and the one-month trial will help inform the company on whether…

Hero vet braves Ukraine battle zone to rescue animals

Good News Notes: “A veterinarian is being hailed as a hero after he navigated war-torn Ukraine to save animals caught in the crossfire of the rising conflict. Jakub Kotowicz has rescued over 200 cats and 60 dogs from Lviv, across three convoys. The 32-year-old entered the war zone last week as part of a caravan from…

This ‘floating continent’ could collect and recycle plastic from the ocean in future

Good News Notes: “‘The 8th continent’ is an award-winning design that recycles ocean plastic and is completely self-sustainable. Its five-part structure contains everything from greenhouses and living quarters to biodegradable waste collectors. Senior designer at Zaha Hadid Architects in London, Lenka Petráková, developed the idea for her student master thesis a few years ago in Vienna,…

University of Toronto endowment to eliminate fossil-fuel investments

Good News Notes: “The University of Toronto will eliminate fossil-fuel companies from its endowment fund, beginning immediately, according to a news release issued Wednesday. The University of Toronto Asset Management Corp., the investment manager of the C$4 billion ($3.2 billion) endowment fund, said in the release it will divest all direct investments in fossil-fuel firms…

They accidentally found hidden paintings dating back to Renaissance

Good News Notes: “Restorers in England made “the discovery of a lifetime” by accident when they found paintings dating back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Likely dating to sometime between 1540 and 1580, the paintings feature swirls, birds with teeth and tiny men in hats. The paintings were found behind wall plaster being removed during…

New Compostable Film for Sausages

Good News Notes: “Charles Baughan is the third-generation owner of Westaway Sausages Ltd. in England’s southwest county of Devon. His sausages are made the same day the meat arrives at his facility and have a refrigerated shelf life of about 11 days. For the past four years or so, Baughan has been on a mission…