Good News Tuesday for February 7, 2023: Niger Reduces Maternal Deaths, Washington DC Making Bus Rides Free, Solar and Wind to the Rescue in the EU, and Paper-Thin Solar Cells, Plus Update: Human Chain Guides Dolphin

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Niger Significantly Reduces Maternal Deaths

“Researchers working with Niger’s health ministry say they have managed to more than halve the number of women who bleed to death after giving birth in health facilities.” BBC News has details.

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Washington Is Making Buses Free Forever

The Washington DC council decided to make public buses permanently free to ride starting this summer. The council also agreed to expand bus service to 24 hours on 12 major routes downtown. Fortune has details HERE.

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Wind and Solar supplied more EU electricity than any other power source in 2022.

For the first time, wind and solar power combined supplied more electricity for the EU than any other power source in 2022. Contributing factors included Russia’s restrictions on energy exports and dips in available hydro and nuclear power. “Around 83% (of the hydro/nuclear) gap was met by wind and solar generation – and a fall in electricity demand. CarbonBrief has additional details.

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Paper-Thin, Light Weight Solar Cells are on the Way

Researchers at MIT are developing paper-thin, lightweight solar cells. Each sheet can generate 370 watts/kg. Take a look:

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Bonus Video: Biologists Make Human Chain to Guide Dolphin

Biologist formed a human chain to guide a dolphin out of creek to a canal to leading to the ocean.

Got Good News?

I know today’s video was more intellectual than my usual closing videos.

The video originally planned for today went to next week’s draft

where I’m collecting stories about different kinds of love for February 14th.

Then I remembered the dolphin video. Enjoy!

Feel free to share a link about your good news in the comments!

Good News Tuesday for February 1, 2022: Japan’s Zero Waste Center, South Australia Goes 100% Renewable for One Week, No-Kill Strategies for Wolves, and Monarch Butterflies Rebound

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

New Zero Waste Center in Japan

The new Kamikatsu Zero Waste Center in southern Japan was constructed with recycled materials including 700 donated windows. The center will help with collection and sorting to aid in the town’s goal of achieving 100% zero waste. Learn more from CNN.

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South Australia “Smashes Renewable Record” Going 100% Renewable for One Week

The territory of South Australia, with a population of around 1.7 million people, broke records by spending the last week of December generating 100% of its power from wind and solar. The Good News Network has details.

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Alberta Rancher Uses No-Kill Strategies to Protect Cattle from Wolves

A Cattle rancher in Alberta Canada is having success with no-kill methods of protecting livestock from wolves. Ranch manager Joe Engelhart uses strategies based on prey and predator behavior, reducing stress to keep the herd together, and spending a lot of time on the range. His methods are being studied by the University of Wisconsin. Read more about the research and strategies from CBC/Canada Radio.

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Monarch Butterfly Population Observed to Rebound in the US

A significant increase in western monarch butterflies has been observed in the US compared to recent years. This CNN article gives details and includes suggestions such as planting milkweed and reducing use of pesticides. The following video reports that the total population of western monarchs is estimated to be 100,000 this year compared to only 2000 last year.

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Feel free to share your good news or GNT link in the comments!

Good News Tuesday for July 13, 2021: Free School Lunch & Breakfast, Phasing Out Plastic, Extraordinary Black Women, Hopes for Equality in Chile, and The Carters Celebrate 75 Years of Marriage

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

California Public Schools Offer Free Breakfast and Lunch to All Students

“In the newly adopted state budget, all public school students in California will receive free breakfast and lunch, no questions asked.” From NBC Los Angeles

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New Zealand Phasing Out Single Use Plastics by 2025

Between 2022 and 2025, New Zealand will be phasing in bans on single use plastics. Here’s more from The Guardian.

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Three Accomplished Black Women: The Spelling Bee Winner, “The Solar Woman,” and The Black Mermaid of South Africa

A lot of Black women have been in the good news lately. Here are three who’ve made extraordinary accomplishments:

Zaila Avant-garde, age 14, is the first African American to win the Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee. She has also set three world records in basketball. Read more about Zaila in this article from Good News Network.

Kristal Hansley is the first Black woman to launch a community solar program for low and moderate income households in Maryland. Read more about this remarkable woman and her company, WeSolar, in this article from Vogue Magazine.

Zandile Ndhlovu organizes ocean exploration programs for Black children across the country of South Africa– many of whom have never seen the ocean. Here’s her story from CNN with a beautiful video.

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Hope for Equality in Chile

Last Sunday in Chile, 155 elected delegates assembled to begin work on “the world’s first constitution to be drafted by an equal number of women and men.” 77 Women and 78 men met with many women wearing purple and green scarves bearing the slogan: “Nunca más sin nosotras,” meaning “Never again without us.” The Constitutional assembly also hopes to give more power to indigenous groups and focus on climate change issues. This article from NBC gives details including historical perspectives and significance.

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Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter Celebrated 75 Years of Marriage

Happy Anniversary to Jimmy and Rosalyn Carter who celebrated 75 Years of Marriage last week. At 96, Jimmy Carter is the longest living person to have served as US President. The Carters have the longest marriage of any US President.

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Good News Tuesday for March 2, 2021: Helper Drives from NJ to Texas, Weed-eating Goats, and Solar Power for Light and Clean Water in Chile

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Plumber Drives 22 Hours with Family to Help after Texas Snowstorm

Andrew Mitchell drove from New Jersey to Texas with his wife, Kisha Pinnock, their 2-year-old son Blake, and Kisha’s brother, Isaiah to help make plumbing repairs after the unusual snowstorm in Texas. Read more about it from CNN.

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Sustainable Farm Uses Goats instead of Herbicide

A sustainable farm in Tom’s Creek, Australia uses goats instead of toxic herbicides to control unwanted weeds. Read about it here.

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An Ingenious Invention Brings Light and Water

People living along Chile’s coastline have a shortage of affordable electricity and fresh water. A designer in New Zealand invented a system to work with what they have: an abundance of salt water and sunshine. Here’s the fascinating story:

You can read more about the design project and designer Henry Glogau, from this story in the Good News Network.

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(In my personal good news, I have 95% recovered from Moderna vaccine # 2. It was a rough couple of days, but I’m thankful to have such a strong, active immune system.)

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Please add your story or post in the comments!

Good News Tuesday for Nov. 10, 2020: Vaccine Progress, Hope for Whales, Solar Success, and Political Civility

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

Progress on COVID -19 Vaccine

Though more safety data is still needed, Pfizer reports the COVID 19 vaccine they’ve been working on has shown to be 90% effective in early phase 3 tests. Proving safety and going through FDA approvals could take up to four weeks. Here’s more from Good Morning America

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Good News for Whales from Iceland

“…..commercial whaling may be one step closer to a permanent end in Iceland and possibly the world. For the second year in a row, Iceland, one of three remaining whaling nations, will not hunt any whales.” Source: National Geographic

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Solar Energy Success

In October, South Australia met 100% of its electricity demands with solar energy with most of it coming from rooftop panels. This article from the Good News Network has details including that “Solar is now the cheapest electricity in history.”

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Political Civility

NBC’s Today Show reports on two candidates who ran for governor of Utah. Together they released a short video about civility and working together. The good news within the good news is that their video has gone viral. I believe that’s because people are getting tired of rudeness and hungry for civility and cooperation.

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Please share in the comments!

Good News Tuesday for Sept. 15, 2020: Firefighters, Canada’s Progress, Dog Rescue, Water from Air, and Music for Plants

Seeking Balance One Tuesday at a Time

California Legislature Passes Bill to Allow Ex-Inmates to Become Firefighters

California lawmakers passed a bill last month that would allow former inmates to pursue careers as firefighters after their incarcerations…….The bill gives nonviolent offenders who have spent time fighting fires the opportunity to have their records expunged so they can become firefighters….inmates are only paid between $2 – $5 a day, and an additional $1 per hour while fighting fires. (Source)

 The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom to be signed. 

Here’s more from Spectrum News.

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Canada Reported No New Covid Deaths

In Canada, deaths from COVID started to plateau after July. This article from CBS reports on a day of no new deaths and Canada’s progress in fighting the coronavirus. Good job, Canada!

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Oil Rig Worker Rescues Dog from Ocean

Vitisak Payalaw was first to spot a dog swimming 135 miles off the coast of Thailand. He and his coworkers rescued the exhausted dog who was later transported to a shelter. Vitiskak had to work ten more days on the rig, then went back to adopt the dog they named Boonrod. The Good News Network has the story with a sweet video.

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Water From Air

In Arizona, solar-powered hydropanels are getting water from the air for 15 Navajo households who previously had no basic access to water. According Zero Mass Water CEO who manages the demonstration project with Navajo Power and Public Benefit Corporation, “A standard, two-panel array, produces 4-10 liters of water each day…” Read more from The Good News Network.

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Music for Plants

When Spain lifted it’s state of emergency, they still weren’t ready for large gatherings, so a Barcelona opera house opened with a concert for plants. Over 2000 plants were brought in with each plant having its own seat to listen to a string quartet. After the concert, the plants were given in gratitude to health care workers.

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Feel free to write your own Good News Tuesday Post, to use the sunflower badge and link it back here!

Good News Tuesday: Grandma Prevents Shooting, Solar Powered Airport, A Frugal Carpenter, and Seesaws at the Border

Grandmother Prevents Mass Shooting

The recent mass killings in Texas and Ohio make me feel sick, almost overwhelmed, and asking, what can we do to prevent this?  Joanne Corey at Top of JC’s Mind hopes we can  replace hateful rhetoric with “respectful conversation where people of differing viewpoints actually listen to one another.” She asks us to renew our commitment to respectful dialog.  I renew my commitment to seek respectful dialog and will ask others to speak with respect. It is within our power to ask and to work on own own behavior.

In the midst of fighting off despair, I found the following story about William and his grandmother. William who is 19, called his grandma from a hotel room in Texas where he had an AK47 and ammunition ready for a mass shooting. His grandmother convinced him to go to the hospital instead. What caused William to call his grandmother? Did they have a good relationship? Did it help that he was receiving treatment for depression. I don’t know. There are some things we cannot control, but we can work on keeping communication lines open. We don’t have to accept hateful behavior from toxic people, but we can offer a way back. We can move away from hate and toward love. We can speak with respect and ask for respectful dialog.

You can read more in the Washington Post story about William and his grandmother below:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2019/08/05/texan-planned-mass-shooting-his-grandmother-stopped-it/?noredirect=on

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America’s First Solar Powered Airport

Last month, Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Tennessee became the first American airport entirely powered by solar energy. Read more in this article from Forbes.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandao/2019/07/30/chattanooga-first-solar-powered-american-airport/?fbclid=IwAR12Yo2khFc6FTaHn8gxrL9l4msd5c8yeoOGsq1s1EKtd9iVP-Kzb86izCA#34e3723f7957

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Leaving a Legacy

Thank you to Theresa for this link about the “frugal carpenter” who left millions of dollars to pay for 33 strangers to go to college. https://www.wsbtv.com/news/trending-now/frugal-carpenters-3-million-gift-has-sent-33-kids-to-college/968225075

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Positive Energy at the Border

Two California professors designed pink seesaws so that children and adults on opposite sides of the US/Mexico border could play together. It gives me hope that they were given permission to do this and to build these opportunities for positive connections.

“The wall became a literal fulcrum for US-Mexico relations and children and adults were connected in meaningful ways on both sides with the recognition that the actions that take place on one side have a direct consequence on the other side,” he added.  Ronald Rael via Good News Network

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Got good news? Please feel free to share in the comments! Or write your own Good News Tuesday post on any day of the week, and link it back here!

Good News Tuesday: Free Meals, Pet Friendly Shelter, Solar Progress, and Help for Chimp Haven

Syrian Refugee’s “Nicest Place in America” Gives Free Meals to Government Workers

Yassin’s Falafel House in Knoxville, Tennessee was voted the “Nicest Place in America” by Reader’s Digest. Now they’re  giving away free meals to government workers and their family members affected by the shutdown. If ever I go to Knoxville, I hope to stop in.  (The commercial is short.)

 

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Pet Friendly Shelter at Old Montreal Hospital

Patient rooms at the Royal Victoria Hospital have been converted to provide  80 Beds for homeless people and their animal friends.

 

 

 

 

 

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Solar Progress Around the World

A Navajo Nations Solar Project is producing electricity for 13,000 homes. “The contractor hired and trained about 200 Navajos to build the plant,…” Here’s the story:

http://www.whitewolfpack.com/2017/09/navajo-nations-first-solar-project-now.html

While in India new solar installations planned for 2019 will reach nearly 14 gigawatts (GW), which is about 50% more than the capacity added last year.

Egypt is making significant progress in solar energy.  This hopeful 2018 video reports that Egypt owns the largest solar power plant in the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Anonymous Donation for Chimps

This article from The Good News Network reports that an anonymous $2 million donation made at the end of 2018  will provide sanctuary for chimpanzees who have been living in research facilities.  In the following video,  Jane Goodall shares her observations of Chimp Haven and the importance of choice for these intelligent beings. Fewer Chimps are being used in research today. Maybe some day they will all have a choice.

 

 

 

 

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12 Year Old Gives Out Free Lunches with Love

Liam Hammond of Cambridge, Massachusetts has fed more than  2000 homeless people. Each lunch bag has a positive handwritten message.

 

 

 

 

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Got good news? Feel free to share in the comments!

It can be personal, local, or global.

Bringing a little Balance, one Tuesday at a time.