Nun in Congo overcomes blackouts with homemade hydroelectric plant

Good News Notes: “Sister Alphonsine Ciza spends most of her day in gum boots, white veil tucked under a builder’s hat, manning the micro-hydroelectric plant she built to overcome daily electricity cuts in her town of Miti in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. She works around the clock with a team of nuns and engineers,…

‘Lost’ Bat Rediscovered After 40 Years

Good News Notes: “A bat previously believed extinct is now back from the dead.  Researchers announced March 8 that they had spotted Hill’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hilli) for the first time in 40 years.  “Rediscovering Hill’s horseshoe bat was incredible – it’s astonishing to think that we’re the first people to see this bat in so long,” Bat Conservation…

Better Shelter creates housing for climate crisis refugees

Good News Notes: “Social enterprise Better Shelter creates emergency and temporary sustainable housing for communities displaced by the climate crisis. With pilot sites for its shelters, called ‘Structure’, currently in India, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, and Rwanda, its short-term solutions provide a sustainable response to the climate crisis that has left millions homeless. The company, based in Stockholm, Sweden, delivers modular…

Camera traps in trees reveal a richness of species in Rwandan park

Good News Notes: “Camera traps set high up in trees in Rwanda’s Nyungwe National Park captured 35 different mammal species over a 30-day period, including a rare Central African oyan (Poiana richardsonii), a small catlike mammal that has not previously been seen in the park. Arboreal camera traps are a viable method for conducting mammal…