GOOD NEWS
Bifacial solar cell breaks records, AirBnB offers free housing to Afghan refugees, New York gets first female governor
GOOD NEWS
HIV vaccine shows promise in human trial, 1st-ever human tracheal transplant, biodegradable ‘lego’ bricks
GOOD NEWS
City Helps Homeless Find Shelter, Lego Pledges $100m for Refugee Kids, 7 Wins Against Plastic in 2018
As temperatures drop in Sweden, Stockholm is using commercial advertisements to help people get to warmth and shelter; Lego has pledged $100 million to the nonprofit behind Sesame Street to give toys and books to children affected by the Syrian and Rohingya refugee crisis; and this year, humanity made some huge strides in dealing with plastic pollution.
GOOD NEWS
New Solar Panel Molecule, Community-Run Credit Unions, Online Game Offers the Migrant Perspective
Researchers have found a way to use iron for the production of solar panels, replacing so-called rare-earth metals; a network of local credit unions is helping marginalized in the US communities thrive; an online game aims at helping people understand the challenges faced by migrants.
GOOD NEWS
Christmas Gifts for Refugees, Tree-To-Bar Chocolate in Brasil, UK Reboots Carbon Capture Project
A pop-up shop set up by Help Refugees and Glimpse allows Londoners to buy Christmas gifts for refugees; an agroforestry system gives cocoa farmers in Brasil more autonomy and helps preserve biodiversity; and the UK reboots its carbon capture and storage program.
GOOD NEWS
Improved Access to Contraception, Providing Education to Refugees, Fighting Malnourishment in South Africa
46 million women from the 69 poorest countries have been getting access to contraception over the past six years; UNESCO has praised Chad and Uganda for providing education to refugees; and in South Africa, FoodForward SA is recovering surplus food from the consumer goods supply chain in order to provide children with healthy meals.
GOOD NEWS
World Leader in Ocean Protection, Ending Homelessness with Coffee, Solar Powered Refugee Aid
The Isle of Man is showing the world how working together as a community can result in eliminating plastic from local beaches in just a decade; coffee company Change Please is hiring and training homeless people to become baristas; and in the world’s largest refugee camp solar energy is helping the HOPE Foundation for Women and Children of Bangladesh be more efficient in delivering aid to Rohingya refugees.
GOOD NEWS
World’s Largest Tropical Forest National Park, Hiring Refugees, ‘Quieter Hour’ for Autistic Shoppers
Colombia’s tropical forest national park Serranía de Chiribiquete is the size of Denmark and has one of the highest biodiversity rates in the northern Amazon; Australian company CERES Fair Food actively hires asylum seekers; and nearly 500 UK supermarkets introduce a ‘quieter hour’ in order to provide a calmer shopping experience for autistic customers.
GOOD NEWS
New Solar Storage Molecule, Giving Refugees a Home, Netherlands Ordered to Cut Emissions
Swedish researchers have created a new molecule that can store solar power for up to 18 years; Guinea-Bissau helps refugees find a new home, offering equality and citizenship; and an appeals court forces the Dutch government to reduce emissions quicker than originally pledged.
