✝️ The body of the late Pope Francis will be moved to lie in state at St. Peter’s Basilica today, allowing people to pay their respects — and no doubt reflect on the ways he made the world a better place.
Animals & Environment
Photo: Sam Farkas/NOAA
A federal judge ordered Florida to address water pollution that led to a record number of manatee deaths
In 2021 and 2022, nearly 2,000 manatees died in the state of Florida, a two-year record caused by widespread water quality problems that killed seagrass, starving the “sea cows.”
Now, a federal judge has ruled that Florida’s wastewater discharge regulations violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to control nutrient pollution in the Indian River Lagoon, one of the most biodiverse estuaries on the continent.
The ruling instructs the state to develop a plan to address the pollution that caused the unprecedented die-off of manatees and restore the ecosystem.
Why is this good news? Accountability for law-breaking matters, and this precedent helps make sure that would-be polluters know there will be consequences for it. It also puts the responsibility for cleaning up the mess where it belongs: on the original perpetrator.
Plus, protecting critical ecosystems that support threatened species like manatees is important, and letting them — or worse, causing them to — suffer, negatively impacts all of us.
Photo: via OregonDOT / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
A teen invented an app that slashes DMV wait times and increases access to ‘essential services’ — it saved people 10 years of wait time in just 3 months
Reaffirming her commitment to the rights of children, Ms. Rachel donated 2 million meals to the World Food Program
Earlier this month, the Trump administration ended millions of dollars in funding to the United Nations World Food Program, specifically targeting programs that keep millions of people fed — and alive — around the world.
Amounting to “a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation,” one notable public figure is doing her part to close those funding gaps and make sure children and families have food to eat.
Children’s entertainer, educator, and activist Rachel Accurso — or as she’s more commonly known, Ms. Rachel — and her husband, Aron, donated $1 million to the UNWFP, helping it “provide 2 million lifesaving meals to those who need it most.”
⚾️ Lots of sports teams are changing their Native American-inspired team names — but not this one.(Instagram Reels)
What’s good?
While the state has said it’s taken steps to restore that estuary, I’m glad to see some legally binding accountability for manatees and waterways in my home state!
Need help? Contact us for assistance. We’ve got your back.
You received this email because you signed up for the Goodnewsletter from Good Good Good — or because you followed a recommendation from another newsletter or ordered a Goodnewspaper.
To stop receiving The Goodnewsletter, unsubscribe. To opt in or out of other emails from Good Good Good, manage your email settings. To stop receiving all emails from Good Good Good — which may potentially include paid subscriber-exclusive content — you can opt out entirely.
