Today’s Top Good News Story

Sweden just launched a groundbreaking new childcare law, extending paid parental leave to grandparents

Fifty years after it became the first in the world to introduce paid leave for fathers and not just mothers, Sweden just extended paid leave benefits to include grandparents.

Under a groundbreaking new law, grandparents providing child care can get paid for up to three months of a child’s first year. A two-parent household can transfer 45 days of paid leave to others, while a single parent can transfer 90 days.

This latest move adds to the country’s already generous parental leave benefits, provided to both parents, for about 16 months of a child’s life.

→ Read more

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​More good news for parents:

• A community college in Austin launched a guaranteed income pilot program for student parents to help them afford bills while completing their education.
• Around 50,000 people in 60 countries are volunteering as “stand-in parents” for LGBTQ+ people in need of support for major life events.
• Thanks to mother and track star Allyson Felix, the 2024 Olympics in Paris will be the first-ever Games to include a nursery for athletes with children.​
• Libraries across the U.S. are installing “cubicles” for parents who need to study but can’t find childcare.​

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More Good News

​After a wildfire devastated their numbers, 100+ rare toads were just released back into Yosemite National Park. After the Rim Fire of 2013, the Yosemite toad’s population declined by 50% in its home habitat — it’s been a protected species ever since.

​A new law in Vermont will protect libraries and schools from book bans and censorship. In response to a rise in book bans nationwide, the state says books can no longer be banned or restricted for discussing politics, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, and more.

​Researchers developed a water-based battery with twice the energy density of lithium batteries. The design replaces traditional, combustible components with a safer, more stable water-based electrolyte, resulting in a battery that can pack way more energy into the same space.

Looking for the Helpers

A marine biologist’s infectious optimism has helped fuel record growth for ocean conservation

Sylvia Earle has explored the oceans deeper and longer than any other woman on the planet.

She was the first woman to dive with scuba gear in the early 1950s, the first person to walk on the ocean floor 1250 feet under the surface in 1979, and the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1990.

When she returns to spots that once brimmed with fish and vibrant corals, she often only finds a gray underwater desert. And while about 12% of the land around the world is under some form of protection — less than 3% of the ocean is protected.

She’s been working to change that. In 2009, she started the nonprofit Mission Blue with 19 Hope Spots, defined as “areas critical to ocean health in that they have a significant amount of biodiversity.”

Thanks to her efforts, there are now 158 Hope Spots… and counting.

→ Read more

More Good bits

🚇 You can find quality public transit all over the U.S.

🦠 The glaciers are melting, but it could actually unlock some good.​

🐳 Scientists just caught photos of a rare, camera-shy newborn whale.​

🏅 From fleeing the Taliban to competing on the Olympic Refugee Team.​

🦊 You won’t believe how little land it would take to stop the extinction of thousands of species.

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What’s good?

This week’s most-clicked good news story was the one about the coastal resort town that’s on track to reverse its trashy reputation.​

Which story was your favorite this week?

Hit “reply” and let me know!

— Megan