Heartbreak & hope...

💔 Amid the heartbreaking news in Central Texas, where flash flooding has killed more than 80 people, a massive effort involving more than 1,700 emergency responders, bystanders, family members, and volunteers is using drones, horses, and more to search for those still missing. ​One member of the U.S. Coast Guard is credited with saving 165 people from a summer camp. (Gifted link)

⚖️ Last week, a federal judge in Washington, D.C. ruled that the Trump administration cannot deny entry to people crossing the southern border to apply for asylum.

Clean energy

The largest floating solar farm in Europe is now in operation in France

A floating solar farm, called Les Îlots Blandin, is now officially operating at the site of a former 127-hectare gravel extraction pit that shut down in 2020.

With more than 135,000 solar panels, it’s the largest floating solar farm in Europe. It will generate enough power for 37,000 people and prevent 18,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually.

Floating solar panels come with unique benefits like better performance and possibly an expanded life span thanks to the cooler water below. Additionally, they prevent water evaporation, which is especially helpful in areas that experience drought.

Why is this good news? This massive solar installation is a critical step forward in the global clean energy transition. Plus, while floating solar farms work in natural bodies of water, this installation on a former industrial site that was no longer in use means there’s also no impact on marine life.

→ Read more​

More Good News

​Scientists are developing menstrual pads containing nanotechnology to provide Pap-smear-free cervical cancer screening. While a new at-home, self-testing option was recently approved by the FDA, the Canadian researchers believe science can be doing even more to improve comfort and access to help women feel more comfortable, and therefore, more likely to catch cervical cancer before it spreads.

​Sweden is the first country in the world to ensure all egg-laying chickens are cage-free without any laws requiring it. While the country does have stricter legislation when it comes to how many chickens farmers can raise per plot of land, this latest milestone comes on the heels of grassroots activism and public pressure from consumers, not government legislation.

​In an environmental wildlife conservation success, piping plovers have made a dramatic recovery in Maine. In 1981, according to Maine Audubon coastal bird biologist Sophie Garland, the state had 10 pairs of plovers nesting on its beaches. This year, there are 174 pairs.

​Astronomers and conservationists in West Texas are working to protect the world’s largest “dark sky reserve.” Recent research shows the night sky in North America is getting brighter every year — on average, researchers say, you can see about 10% fewer stars than the year before.

People doing good

Billie Eilish pushes music labels to ‘upcycle’ 400,000 unsold T-shirts into new merch — and you can buy some now

→ Read more​

People doing good

After years of advocacy from a survivor, Texas passed a new law that closes a loophole in the state’s sexual assault laws

A sexual assault survivor and advocate, Summer Willis brainstormed ways to raise awareness about sexual assault after realizing how difficult it was to prosecute cases due to a loophole in Texas law.

Lawmakers in the state had been working to pass legislation to fix this flaw, and Willis started running — and crawling — marathons to garner awareness and support.

House Bill 3073, also known as the Summer Willis Act, was officially signed into law last month, amending that loophole and clarifying the definition of consent.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

😴 “Sleep on it” is actually very good advice.​

☔️ Green roofs reduce microplastics in rainfall … by a lot.​

🐧 Seventy years late is still better than never.​

🐘 Elephants “migrated” to Los Angeles.​

😅 Now your house can sweat to keep cool, too.

What’s good?

I love that Billie is doing something about all the excess, unsold tour and band merch that would otherwise be wasted!

Which good news story did you like best today?

Reply to this email and let me know!

— Megan