In the headlines...

🌤️ In the face of steep funding cuts for climate and weather research and forecasting under the Trump administration, scientists are livestreaming presentations for 100 straight hours to share their work and why it’s so valuable for the American people.

📚 Almost all 381 books that the Naval Academy removed from its libraries have been returned to shelves after the Pentagon reviewed the military branch’s DEI book ban.

Governments doing good

California approved $59.5 million in grant funding to preserve some of the state’s most ecologically significant habitats

In the face of federal funding cuts for some of the country’s critical habitats for rare plants and animals, California’s Wildlife Conservation Board just approved $59.5 million in grant funding to ensure they’re protected.

The funding will preserve nearly 23,000 acres of some of the state’s most ecologically important habitats, like the Salton Sea, which is at risk of drying out and releasing toxic dust if left unattended. It’s crucial wetland habitat for the endangered desert pupfish as well as several migratory bird species.

A $14.75 million grant will acquire nearly 6,500 acres of land known as Rancho Cañada Larga, which is home to at least 20 special-status species, including the California red-legged frog and the Southern California steelhead.

Why is this good news? While incredibly good news for Californians, the reality is that protecting critical ecosystems is good for the entire country (and the world) — each of us depends on healthy, thriving ecosystems for our survival, too.

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More Good News

​In a “historic day,” Italy’s high court ruled that same-sex female couples who whose IVF abroad can both be legally recognized as parents. The court found that denying legal recognition to the non-biological mother violates constitutional principles of equality and personal identity and violates the child’s rights to care, education, and emotional continuit from both parents.

​Colorado’s governor signed a bill to protect wild bison by classifying them as big game wildlife. The bison would migrate to Colorado from states where they do have protections, so the new law ensures they stay protected across state lines.

​Beekeepers in North Carolina are helping revive honeybee populations in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. It’s estimated that 70% to 90% of working beehives in the mountains were destroyed by Helene, so 10-12 beekeeping groups from around the state came together, each took a county, and started working to restore hives.

​A clean energy workforce training program at a community college in Central Illinois is creating jobs and investing in underresourced communities. Long known for its Caterpillar, Firestone Tire, and other factories, Decatur, Illinois was funded as a clean energy workforce hub under the state’s 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act — and it’s been incredibly successful.

People doing good

Woman transforms clothing waste into building materials to solve ‘global south housing crisis’

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be the good

A runner invented a sustainable, reusable alternative to the thousands of disposable water cups used at races

While running the California International Marathon in 2019 and grabbing cups of water along the route to stay hydrated, Kristina Smithe was quietly tallying how much waste these events produce.

She did the math on the way home, estimating that around 150,000 single-use cups were used per event. Even if they’re made of paper, these cups usually have a plastic lining that makes them difficult to biodegrade.

So, she also came up with an alternative solution: a lightweight silicone cup that could be used over and over. After testing them at a race in 2021, her business, Hiccup Earth, now has 70,000 cups it rents out to races to replace single-use cups.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

😠 A new frog species was not thrilled to be discovered.

🐝 Good thing plants respond differently to the sound of bees than we do.

🌃 A new Times Square statue challenges who gets memorialized. (Instagram)

🌎 Young people are making a career out of saving the planet.

🦝 The world’s largest wildlife crossing reached an exciting milestone!​

What’s good?

Everyone on my social media feed is doing a May highlights roundup, so I’d love to know...

What’s one good thing that happened to/for you this month?

Pull up your camera roll if you need a refresher (I did) and let me know!

— Megan