Oh hey, may!

🧠 May is Mental Health Awareness Month! All month long, mental health activists and practitioners work to increase knowledge and end the stigma around mental health — and we can join them. (More below.)

🎉 May is also AAPI Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month — a time to celebrate the heritage and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander community as well as Jewish Americans.

Governments doing good

Despite fears a ‘millionaire’s tax’ would drive people out of the state, Massachusetts now has more wealthy residents

In 2022, Massachusetts voters approved a 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million or more, which was projected to bring in $1 billion in income for the state — but critics feared it would make wealthy people leave the state.

In fact, the opposite happened: Researchers found the number of people making $1 million or more annually has increased by nearly 40% since it the tax went into effect.

Additionally, the number of ultra-wealthy residents — making at least $50 million or more annually — has also grown, from 1,954 in 2022 to 2,642 in 2024. And the added revenue surpassed projections, generating $2.46 billion in 2023 alone.

Why is this good news? In addition to proving that a tax on extraordinarily wealthy individuals doesn’t inevitably lead to “wealth exodus,” the additional revenue from the tax is going to “fund essential programs that expand economic opportunity for all,” like free school lunches and free community college for state residents.

→ Read more

More Good News

​Publisher Penguin Random House dropped a “book ban” clothing line and 100% of the profits will benefit libraries. The “Reading Is A Right” line of socks, sweats, T-shirts, and hats will benefit the American Library Association, which supports libraries and librarians, compiles data on book challenges throughout the U.S., and acts as a watchdog for censorship efforts in public institutions.

​Using breakthrough technology that could save countless lives, scientists are trialing fridge-free vaccines in the UK. Currently, most vaccines must be kept cold or frozen, and this “cold chain” poses a major obstacle to vaccinating people in developing nations where electricity is scarce or unreliable, resulting in around half of all vaccines being discarded each year.

​The world’s first giant 15 megawatt turbine is up and running at Germany’s largest offshore wind farm. A single spin of one of the turbine’s rotors can generate enough electricity to power four households for an entire day, and when the entire wind farm project is finished, it will have 64 of them.

​Previously the world’s largest landfill, a Staten Island park is getting 50k flowers to lure bees and butterflies. Over the next two years, the project will study the impacts of large-scale native violet planting and reintroduce native pollinators to assess the success of the planting project and the challenges posed by global warming and the reduction of air safety regulations.

Must-watch

From the director of ‘My Octopus Teacher,’ critics are raving about ‘Pangolin: Kulu’s Journey’ on Netflix

→ Read more​

be the good

Celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a time when mental health activists and practitioners work to increase knowledge and end the stigma around mental health.

With events, screenings, activities, and more, this month is a catalyst for all of us to learn more, seek help, offer support, and open our hearts and minds to vulnerable conversations.

​Here are some ways to join in celebrating this month:

1. Learn more about your own mental health by taking an online mental health screening, or seeking professional help
2. ​Listen to podcasts, read books, and subscribe to newsletters about mental health
3. Take care of yourself with proactive self-care practices
4. Consume news thoughtfully: Stay informed while keeping your mental health in mind (it’s possible, we swear!)
5. Share mental health resources to help others get the support they need, too.

→ 29 ways to celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month​

EXTRA! EXTRA!

GOOOOAL! A new issue of the Goodnewspaper is here: The Sports Edition.

Sports give us something to root for, to hope for, to cheer on. No matter your game of choice, being a fan — or an athlete — provides an outlet to work towards something bigger than ourselves.

When you’re done reading The Sports Edition, you’ll find yourself a super-fan of sports in general — and itching to get out there and change the game. Play on!

→ Order the new issue (free shipping!)

→ Subscribe & Save (first issue is free!)

More Good bits

🎁 The perfect Mother’s Day gift does exist ... and it supports moms all over the world.

🐢 Diego the tortoise is the savior of his species.

🏈 A drag queen theme song is a college football anthem. (Instagram Reels)

🗑️ We’ve got a global waste problem, and the brightest minds are on it.​

🌿 Music collaborations with nature that benefit nature. (Instagram)

What’s good?

That millionaire’s tax passed narrowly in the state, and it's really encouraging to see it have an even better outcome for the state than even the supporters anticipated!

What do you think of the tax?

Reply and tell me if you'd back it!

— Megan