Each day the Good Good Good crew collects the perfect excellent news on the planet and shares it with our neighborhood. Listed here are the highlights for this week!
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The Finest Constructive Information We’re Celebrating This Week —
The UK authorities introduced a ban on single-use, disposable vapes beginning in June
In an effort to each defend the atmosphere and curb the usage of vapes by younger folks, the UK introduced new laws that may ban single-use, disposable vapes beginning in June 2025.
The federal government reported vape utilization in England had grown by greater than 400% from 2012 to 2023 — and notably, the quantity of people that vape, however had by no means smoked cigarettes earlier than elevated, pushed primarily by younger adults.
In 2022, vapes have been discarded containing a complete of greater than 40 tonnes of lithium, which might be sufficient to energy 5,000 electrical automobiles.
Why is that this excellent news? An estimated practically 5 million single-use vapes are thrown away each week, 4 occasions larger than final yr’s estimate. Not solely is it an unbelievable quantity of plastic waste, their batteries can leak dangerous waste into the atmosphere, too. Plus, they trigger a whole bunch of family waste-related fires yearly.
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Over a decade within the making, a deaf engineer debuted an AI mannequin that transcribes signal language to textual content in seconds
Intel software program engineer Adam Munder and his spouse — who’re each Deaf — are sometimes unable to make use of American Signal Language in each day interactions, as an alternative defaulting to texting on a smartphone or passing a pen and paper backwards and forwards with service employees, lecturers, and attorneys.
In Arizona alone (the place Munder lives) there are 1.1 million folks with listening to loss and solely 400 licensed interpreters. Plus, they’re costly, and options like writing or texting pass over emotion and element in conversations.
Following hundreds of irritating interactions and miscommunications — together with one key, pivotal one — Munder set to work creating an AI-powered platform known as Omnibridge.
A “bridge between the Deaf world and the listening to world,” Omnibridge is engineered to transcribe spoken English and interpret signal language on display in seconds.
Saved by a grassroots letter-writing marketing campaign, a midwestern U.S. wildlife refuge is now celebrating 100 years of habitat safety
In 1922, the U.S. Division of Agriculture set plans in movement to empty wetlands alongside 300 miles of the Mississippi River.
Figuring out the vital significance of the wetlands, an area conservation group led a grassroots effort to safeguard the land as a wildlife refuge as an alternative. After two years of campaigning, Congress handed the “Higher Mississippi River Wild Life and Fish Refuge Act.”
At present, that refuge stretches throughout 261 river miles from Minnesota to Illinois and protects greater than 240,000 acres of Mississippi River floodplain. It’s dwelling to 518 distinct species, together with 306 kinds of birds, 119 fish, 51 mammals, and 42 freshwater mussels.
Why is that this excellent news? Other than defending vital habitat for numerous wildlife species, the refuge can also be a migration hall for hundreds of thousands of birds annually, together with 60% of all North American birds, and 40% of all North American waterfowl.
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The Arctic continues to be melting quickly, however slowing ocean currents present hope — and time
A person in Brazil has planted over 41,000 timber in Sao Paolo over the past 20 years, single-handedly making a park
Retired enterprise government Helio da Silva single-handedly constructed a 3.2-kilometer-long and 100-meter-wide park referred to as Tiquatira Linear Park.
He did it by planting greater than 41,000 timber over the course of 20 years to show what was a dilapidated space of Sao Paolo right into a strip of inexperienced area nestled between two of town’s busiest roads.
His work began in 2002 with a mission to remodel the banks of the Tiquatira River right into a “inexperienced oasis” for his neighbors. And for each 12 timber, one is fruit-bearing to draw birds and animals — an effort that additionally paid off as there at the moment are 45 completely different birds within the park.
In simply the primary 4 years, da Silva had planted 5,000 timber — a feat that impressed town a lot, it acknowledged his efforts and acknowledged the world as the primary linear park in Sao Paolo.
The NPS launched new templates for its annual pumpkin carving problem — together with an necessary security message
The Nationwide Park Service launched a brand new slew of pumpkin carving templates for Halloween festivities as part of its annual pumpkin carving problem.
Whereas most templates are largely simply festive depictions of wildlife, one design depicts a vacationer being tossed within the air by a frightened bison, impressed by plenty of viral movies depicting irresponsible guests getting too shut for consolation.
Together with the design, known as “Shut Encounter,” NPS shared a hyperlink to wildlife security suggestions, encouraging guests to have “unscary” wildlife encounters on park websites.
Much more good: All of this yr’s designs include an necessary security reminder, academic materials, assets to be taught extra about iconic species like bats and bears, and extra.
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Life expectancy is returning to pre-pandemic ranges worldwide
From 2020 to 2021, life expectancy at delivery dropped considerably all throughout the globe because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, there have been round 5 million extra deaths than in 2019, and in 2021, there have been one other 10 million extra.
Because of this, life expectancy dropped globally. However now, based mostly on the most recent knowledge from the United Nations, life expectancy charges are returning to pre-pandemic ranges — and that’s true globally.
Globally life expectancy had already matched the 2019 determine in 2022 at 72.6 years previous, and it elevated to 73.2 years in 2023.
Whereas individuals are nonetheless being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, this life expectancy restoration is a hopeful enchancment.
The Teal Pumpkin Mission helps properties make Halloween extra inclusive for trick-or-treaters with meals allergy symptoms
Tonight, children throughout the nation will take part in a beloved Halloween custom, however for youngsters with meals allergy symptoms, trick-or-treating may be life-threatening.
However they need to take part too — so the Teal Pumpkin Mission was launched to assist. Teal is the colour of meals allergy consciousness, so neighbors set out a plastic or painted teal pumpkin to let trick-or-treating households know that their home is secure to cease at on Halloween night time.
This system conjures up neighbors to supply meals options like toys, trinkets, and video games at hand out on Halloween.
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Extra scary excellent news:
A minimum of 16 U.S. states enacted legal guidelines limiting the usage of “eternally chemical compounds” in merchandise thus far this yr
There was a historic quantity of regulation handed to restrict the usage of poisonous “eternally chemical compounds” in states throughout the U.S. — with no less than 16 adopting 22 PFAS-related measures.
Since 2007, 30 states have accredited 155 PFAS-related insurance policies — the overwhelming majority have occurred within the final 5 years.
Often known as “eternally chemical compounds” as a result of they don’t naturally break down, PFAS are discovered within the blood of 97% of People. They’ve been discovered to hurt the immune system, enhance most cancers danger, and reduce fertility.
To curb their impression, the EPA launched new requirements to restrict PFAS in consuming water this yr, scientists are working create options to take away PFAS from water (and much more options) — these legislative efforts to limit their additional use are good progress to stop them from turning into much more pervasive.
The College of Chicago simply opened a “groundbreaking,” first-of-its-kind local weather institute
The College of Chicago simply unveiled the first-of-its-kind institute devoted to local weather change in larger schooling: the Institute for Local weather and Sustainable Progress.
The “groundbreaking” institute “will produce new and deeper understandings of the local weather problem, in addition to sensible, efficient options,” and can embrace plenty of new diploma packages for undergraduate and graduate college students.
The Institute additionally plans to rent 20 new college members over the following 5 years, in interdisciplinary fields like legislation, political science, economics, supplies engineering, and AI.
Why is that this excellent news? Local weather change impacts each space of human life — and whereas universities world wide have carried out it into their curriculum, this devoted institute will make investments an unprecedented period of time, assets, and examine in areas like markets and coverage, vitality tech, engineering, and extra.
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Actress Anna Kendrick donated her earnings from her “Lady of the Hour” film to sexual violence survivors
Along with appearing within the movie, Anna Kendrick makes her directorial debut in “Lady of the Hour,” a true-crime thriller about ‘The Relationship Sport Killer’ Rodney Alcala’s victims and survivors.
When it got here time for the film to earn money, Kendrick mentioned she “felt gross” being paid for a film with this subject material. As an alternative, she donated the cash to RAINN and the Nationwide Middle for Victims of Violent Crime, which was “the least that I ought to do.”
Because the movie’s director, Kendrick additionally dealt with the subject material extra thoughtfully than comparable movies have prior to now, opting to make use of a “descending scale of violence” — and in some circumstances, not exhibiting it in any respect.
Extra excellent news of the week —
In a world-first, researchers created a photo voltaic cell design that may convert 60% of daylight into vitality. We want extra photo voltaic panels in additional components of the world to satisfy rising international vitality demand, however a photo voltaic cell like this might additionally assist make electrical energy technology extra environment friendly.
Saving them from landfills, AI robots are serving to recuperate recyclables from Chicago’s waste stream. The robots use an “optical scanner” educated to identify aluminum inside 10-15 milliseconds, sending a robotic arm to seize it from the stream of trash.
A Colorado program is offering free tuition for college kids in in-demand fields. The state invested $40 million totally free tuition at virtually 20 neighborhood and technical schools within the state for fields together with forestry, building, schooling, early childhood schooling, firefighting, legislation enforcement and nursing.
Up to now 4 years, the U.S. energy grid has added battery capability equal to twenty nuclear reactors. Serving to keep renewable vitality when the climate interferes with photo voltaic and wind technology, the batteries are already beginning to assist stop energy blackouts.
President Biden apologized for the federal government’s position in operating abusive Native American boarding colleges for greater than 150 years. A latest investigation discovered that no less than 973 youngsters died within the colleges, and this marks the primary formal apology from a U.S. president.
A physician helps folks in Ukraine proceed to obtain their fertility therapies — serving folks within the army totally free. Members of the army can protect their reproductive cells totally free, since, along with the chance of loss of life, stress, excessive climate, and chemical compounds on the battlefield can impression these cells.
Because of Olympian Allyson Felix, mother and father throughout the U.S. can get free youngster care to vote on Election Day. Lack of entry to childcare, particularly for Black mother and father in underresourced communities, is a serious barrier to voting for many individuals — Felix partnered with Chamber of Moms to reimburse childcare prices.
With a purpose of vaccinating over 45 million youngsters, a week-long anti-polio drive is now underway in Pakistan. Pakistan has recorded 41 polio circumstances this yr, including new fears to the deepening disaster in one among solely two nations, together with Afghanistan, the place polio stays endemic.
The Biden-Harris administration introduced $2 billion in funding to strengthen the U.S. electrical grid in opposition to excessive climate. Supplied by way of a $10.5 billion initiative included within the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation, the funding will go to 38 initiatives in 42 states.
Seven years after Hurricane María devastated Puerto Rico, FEMA introduced new assist for essential nonprofits. Islands all through the Caribbean have been impacted by the storm, however Puerto Rico was hit the toughest — accounting for a staggering 97% of the three,059 complete deaths.
Empty Airbnbs will likely be used to deal with home abuse survivors within the UK freed from cost as a part of a brand new pilot program. Greater than half of home abuse survivors presently face homelessness after being turned away from conventional shelters resulting from a power nationwide scarcity of areas.
The world’s largest geothermal venture was simply accredited within the U.S. — it would produce sufficient energy for two million properties. Geothermal is an ample clear vitality useful resource, and this new venture will assist the U.S. get nearer to attaining its purpose of a carbon-free energy sector by 2035.
Extra restrooms within the U.S. have adult-sized altering tables for folks with disabilities who want them. A brand new nationwide effort is underway to make public loos extra accessible in locations like airports, parks, arenas, and fuel stations.
The U.S. is investing $428 million to develop clear vitality initiatives in former coal communities. One of many downsides of the clear vitality transition is the lack of jobs for these working within the fossil gasoline trade — however funding like this helps revitalize these communities and assist folks maintain working.
NASA is utilizing new instruments to detect methane and carbon dioxide “super-emitters” and stop leaks. Initially meant for an additional use, the EMIT mission has additionally recognized greater than 50 “super-emitters” in Central Asia, the Center East, and the Southwestern United States that emit methane at excessive charges.
