That's wicked...

• Lencia Kebede just made history as the first Black actor to play Elphaba full-time in Wicked on Broadway, making her historic debut alongside Jenna Bainbridge, the first ambulatory-wheelchair user to play Nessarose in the stage show’s history.
• Across the pond, more women are making history: Women now make up about 43% of the boards of directors of Britain’s 350 biggest public companies — significant progress over previous years.

Environment

For the first time, a river in England has been granted legal rights as a living entity

Two years ago, a district council in England decided to give the River Ouse legal rights — and now, thanks to a newly established charter, it officially has them.

Officially recognized as a living entity, the Universal Declaration of River Rights gives the waterway eight rights, including the right to flow, to be pollution-free, to have native biodiversity, and to undergo regeneration and restoration.

The River Ouse is “an essential part of the region’s ecosystem and cultural heritage,” and this sets an important precedent for enacting similar protections for other rivers, too.

Why is this good news? Currently, the river faces challenges like pollution, climate change, overuse, and development — with this legal recognition, the river’s “voice” will be represented in decisions that impact it. While the first in England, the River Ouse joins a growing movement of regions giving legal rights to nature.

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More Good News

​A Denver barbershop is helping formerly incarcerated people make a career — and meet their neighbors. R&R Head Labs is built around the idea of helping people regain and sustain their footing as they reintegrate into society, with an understanding of the requirements often placed on people recently released from prison.

​New wind turbine blades in the U.K. will be painted black to help prevent bird deaths. While the country is committed to boosting clean energy sources, it’s also home to large populations of seabirds, and the new trial will build on studies that suggest black blades can reduce bird collisions by 70%.

​Key initiatives in Mexico are working to strengthen paths to citizenship for trans migrants. Between 2012 and 2017, a study estimated that 11,400 asylum applications were filed by LGBTQ individuals, with nearly 4,000 of them seeking asylum due to fear of persecution based on their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Housing & clean energy

Featuring a 56-panel ‘solar skin,’ a net-zero tiny home in Japan generates almost double the energy it uses

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People doing good

NFL star Travis Kelce transformed a $3.3 million mansion into transitional housing for homeless youth

Earlier this year, NFL star Travis Kelce purchased a $3.3 million mansion in Kansas City — it’s not for himself, though. Kelce transformed it into transitional housing for homeless youth.

And now, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has officially donated the house to Foster Love, a nonprofit organization that supports children and young adults navigating the foster care system.

Kelce’s donation will specifically help young people who are unable to secure permanent housing during the “transitional ages” of 18 to 24 — a uniquely challenging time for those who grew up in foster care.

Foster Love said that Kelce also took a multi-pronged approach to his donation, by bundling free housing with mentorship opportunities and educational resources to “give these youth the tools they need to move toward independence” and “break the cycle of homelessness.”

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More Good bits

💔 A new study found a leading cause of homelessness … and it might surprise you.​

🍦 We’ll all be kids again when this ice cream truck rolls through the neighborhood.

🌱 Our new dream superlative: Greenest rooftop.​

🪩 It’s Scott’s Tots … in real life! (Instagram)

🌎 We’ve got some things to learn from one of the forefathers of environmental justice.

What’s good?

Transparently, I’m feeling more overwhelmed than usual by the not-so-good headlines — and I imagine I’m not alone.

What are you feeling overwhelmed by right now?

Reply and let me know (so I know what stories of hope and progress I should be on the lookout for)!

— Megan