Not so prime...

🛍 A certain major online retailer is launching its big annual sale today … but those Prime Day “deals” come with a high cost for people and the planet, and it’s prime time we opt for more ethical alternatives.​

💰 You may spot similar deals at competing retailers like Target and Walmart — but you can opt out of those too with these alternatives!​

Texas Flooding

A group of first responders from Mexico arrived in Texas to help with flood rescue and recovery efforts

Over the Independence Day weekend, catastrophic flooding hit six counties in central Texas, where at least 80 people have been killed. In Kerr County alone, officials have reported 75 deaths.

To aid recovery and relief efforts, more than 20 firefighters from Ciudad Acuña, Mexico and Fundación 911 arrived in the area and got right to work alongside the Mountain Home Fire Department.

In addition to having extra boots on the ground, the first responders are also providing drones and other technology to help locate Texans who are still missing.

Why is this good news? In moments of crisis like this, the more people helping find survivors, the better. These helpers heeded that call, even amid tense political discourse around immigration and the intensifying efforts to detain Mexican migrants in the U.S., the search and rescue team put on full display its belief in “solidarity without borders.”

→ Read more​

There are so many more stories of people stepping in to help Texas following catastrophic, deadly flooding over the weekend. Here are a few more:

❤️ Supermarket chain H-E-B, which started as a little shop in Kerrville, announced its plans to support flood relief in the community — plans that are already in action. (Instagram)

❤️ Animal rescue groups are working to recover and reunite pets lost in the floods.

❤️ From baby skunks to rabbits, Austin Wildlife Rescue has saved around 70 wildlife following the flooding.

❤️ Two counselors at a branch of Camp Mystic helped keep campers safe, calm, and prepared to evacuate. ​

❤️ A veteran-led disaster relief organization is providing rescue and recovery support in Kerr County. (Instagram)

❤️ World Central Kitchen is providing food and much-needed supplies to first responders and people impacted by the floods. (Instagram)

More Good News

​Mexico’s Senate unanimously approved a nationwide ban on dolphin and other marine mammal shows. The legislation was the result of a three-year effort sparked by public concern and outrage over animal welfare violations, and was personally prioritized by President Claudia Sheinbaum, who called it essential to prevent animal abuse.

​Surgeons in the U.S. completed the first-ever fully robotic heart transplant. The patient recovered quickly thanks to reduced surgical trauma and lower risk of infection, and the procedure marks a significant leap in robotic cardiac surgery, offering new hope for patients with advanced heart failure.

​The River Seine in Paris reopened to public swimming for the first time in a century. The long-polluted waterway is finally opening up as a summertime swim spot following a 1.4 billion euro — $1.5 billion — cleanup project that made it suitable for Olympic competitions last year.

People doing good

An 89-year-old celebrated his birthday with a rowing challenge to raise money to help save Britain’s historic rainforests

Lifelong explorer and author Robin Hanbury-Tenison rang in his 89th birthday by rowing 22 miles to help restore Britain’s historic rainforests — land he’s long had a deep, cherished connection to.

He completed his journey, raising a total of £64,030 from nearly 500 supporters for the Thousand Year Trust, a charity dedicated to tripling the amount of temperate rainforests in the United Kingdom.

While short of his goal, Hanbury-Tenison’s “game-changing” amount raised will further the trust’s efforts to restore a 5,000-year-old habitat that is under more threat than tropical rainforests.

→ Read more​

More Good bits

☀️ Solar energy is a source of light … and hope.​

🧾 The risk with handling “toxic” paper receipts is nuanced.​

🚂 Historic train stations are getting the TLC they deserve.​

🧠 Your friends are keeping you sane and healthy.​

🪴 Tariffs could impact food prices. Community gardens provide relief.​

What’s good?

There will no doubt be even more stories of people helping Texas in the days to come.

Which story gave you the most hope? Have you seen or heard about any other helpers?

You can reply right to this email!

— Megan