In Tahiti, women are rocking the boat

Good News Notes: “Put your paddle in deeper and feel the water,” says Hinatea Bernadino, as our outrigger canoe glides effortlessly through the glassy Tahitian lagoon. I can clearly see the bottom six feet below me and the parrotfish darting by us. “You and the canoe are one person.” In an outrigger canoe, called va’a in Tahitian,…

The Ocean Cleanup Deploys Full-Scale System to The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Good News Notes: “The Ocean Cleanup has deployed its first full-scale system designed to clean-up ocean plastics to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The system, known as System002 or “Jenny”, left Victoria, British Columbia last Month on board a Maersk offshore supply vessel. “Jenny” builds on earlier tests conducted 2018 and 2019 and is the first full-scale…

Local Nonprofit Female Empowerment Organization Expands Mentoring Program

Good News Notes: “What Makes You Feel Beautiful, a Maui-based nonprofit female empowerment organization invites Maui County women ages 18 to 35 to sign up for a free, six-month mentoring program.    “We’re looking for young women interested in receiving support in achieving their personal and professional goals in life,” said Monica Marrow, Executive Director of…

Jetty Is Turning Recycled Plastic and Oyster Shells Into Clothing

Good News Notes: “Surf Culture in the U.S. is often skewed towards the West Coast and Hawaii. California is of course the center of the surf industry. And Hawaii is the birthplace and unofficial home of high-performance. Well, what about the East Coast? It’s arguably kicked out more champions (see Kelly Slater, Lisa Anderson, Caroline Marks). It’s…

The VA Is Testing an Implant That Could Allow Paralyzed Veterans to Walk Again

Good News Notes: “Five years ago, Marine Lance Cpl. Joshua Burch became the first paralyzed service member to walk to his own promotion ceremony, wearing an exoskeleton that helped him walk and stand to receive his corporal chevrons. Now medically retired, Burch, 26, hopes again to be a trailblazer — the first Department of Veterans Affairs patient…

Solectrac donates electric tractor to Jack Johnson’s nonprofit in Hawaii

Good News Notes: “Electric tractor manufacturer Solectrac announced it has delivered its first Compact Electric Tractor (CET) in Oahu, Hawaii. The fully-electric tractor was donated to the Kōkua Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by musician Jack Johnson and his wife, Kim, that supports environmental education in the schools and communities of Hawaii. Solectrac was founded…

11 Most Innovative Sustainable Packaging Ideas

Good News Notes: “Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging that’s recyclable, reusable, and made from rapidly renewable resources or materials. This practice reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint of consumer product waste. There’s been a bounty out on packaging ever since Keep America Beautiful released its notorious 1971 “Crying Indian” PSA. The…