Recycled bottles transformed into luxury store’s stunning green facade

Good News Notes: “MVRDV’s stunning facade for Bulgari’s flagship store in Shanghai, China, is designed to look like the building has a luxurious jade finish, however the glowing green exterior actually has far humbler origins: the firm created it using recycled glass bottles. Bulgari Shanghai (the name is stylized Bvlgari) is located in a major…

Why Michelin-Starred Chef Marco Pierre White Is Serving Whole-Cut Vegan Lamb

Good News Notes: “Chef Marco Pierre White—known as the first British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars—just added whole-cut vegan lamb and beef to the menu of his 22 steakhouses in the United Kingdom. Made by Israeli company Redefine Meat, the vegan meat (dubbed “New-Meat”) is made using a range of proprietary and patented…

The moral case for destroying fossil fuel infrastructure

Good News Notes: “Take France, whose president poses as the most enlightened climate diplomat. The largest private company headquartered in that nation, Total, will this year commence construction of the East Africa Crude Oil Pipeline, slated to be the longest in the world, cross 230 rivers, bisect 12 forest reserves and drive 100,000 people from their…

Popcorn used to create an eco-friendly alternative to polystyrene foam

Good News Notes: “Expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is a problematic material, in that it’s cheap and lightweight but also non-biodegradable and difficult to recycle. German scientists have developed a possible alternative, though – foam made out of popcorn. Georg August University’s Prof. Alireza Kharazipour first got the idea over 10 years ago, when he bought…

Newly Discovered Symbiosis Could Power Carbon Removal in The Sea

Good News Notes: “Tropical rainforests are often called the lungs of our planet, sucking vast amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and puffing out oxygen in exchange. As it turns out, however, there are even bigger lungs in our oceans. Seagrass meadows are vast fields of underwater plants capable of capturing carbon 35 times faster than tropical…

France offers state-funded therapy, tackles mental health

Good News Notes: “Treatment for psychological problems will be funded by France‘s government starting next year, the president announced Tuesday, amid growing awareness and concern about mental health. State health care systems in Britain, Germany and some other countries already fund therapy sessions. French health professionals say a national effort to improve access is long overdue, especially as the coronavirus pandemic…

A purrfect match! Animal shelter puts lonely pets on Tinder

Good News Notes: “A German animal shelter is trying a new approach to find homes for abandoned pets: it is posting their profiles on dating app Tinder in the hope that lonely humans looking for love might also settle for the company of a cat or a dog. The Munich Animal Welfare Association got an…