Every day the Good Good Good team collects the best good news in the world and shares it with our community. Here are the highlights for this week!
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The Best Positive News We’re Celebrating This Week —
Under a new, first-of-its-kind state law, companies that sell packaged products in Oregon are now financially responsible for recycling them
Oregon’s new Plastic Pollution and Recycling Modernization Act will hold companies that sell packaged products in the state financially responsible for helping the state collect and recycle the packaging.
In addition to holding companies responsible for the lifecycle of their products, the new law aims to modernize the state’s recycling system, bring more uniform curbside recycling statewide, add drop-off sites and bins, and expand access.
The RMA is the first in the U.S. to implement an Extended Producer Responsibility policy specifically on packaging, and other states are following its lead, including Minnesota and California.
Why is this good news? While it’s important for each of us to be a conscious consumer, corporations should be conscious producers, too. This law brings some much-needed accountability for companies to consider the full impact of the goods they produce — from the item itself to the packaging it arrives in.
Plus, when recycling rules vary by locality, it makes recycling confusing and people less likely to participate — this will help bring some clarity.
A student’s life-changing injury made him realize how ‘outdated’ fiberglass casts are — so he 3D-printed a better one
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A Wisconsin restaurant exclusively hires teenagers — when its owner fell ill, those teens stepped in to save the business
The Urban Olive & Vine in Hudson, Wisconsin proudly makes a point of exclusively hiring teenagers. For years, owners Chad and Carol Trainor have supported them as they transitioned on to other opportunities.
But when Carol suddenly experienced a grand mal seizure, everything changed for the couple. She spent eight months at the MHealth Fairview hospital in Minneapolis — largely in a coma — and Chad rarely left her side.
Chad considered shutting down the business entirely — but their employees wouldn’t have it. He came to the restaurant at the crack of dawn to work out weekly schedules, but for the rest, their team of 30 teens took over — coming in early for opening, staying late to close up, and more.
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A North Carolina nonprofit is donating hundreds of shoes to middle school students impacted by Hurricane Helene
In anticipation of the back-to-school season, Mountain Hope, a nonprofit in North Carolina, wanted to help students in a part of the state hit hardest by Hurricane Helene.
It held a shoe drive at a local outlet mall to collect 450 pairs of shoes to distribute to students headed back to school at Owen Middle School in Swannanoa. Any monetary donations it received would go toward purchasing shoes in missing sizes.
The nonprofit hoped it could help ease the stress of local families still “working on the basics” and recovering from Helene, almost a year later. It hoped it could help make shoes one less thing families had to consider for the new school year.
Why is this good news? Back-to-school season can cause incredible financial stress on families. For those still making ends meet to recover from the devastation Helene caused, any pressure this shoe drive and initiative can relieve is worth it. Even something as simple as new shoes for a new school year can make a big difference.
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Auction breaks records, raises thousands to cover the cost of emergency medical care through the power of cheese
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A bus driver in Oregon has donated 100 gallons of platelets over 30 years, saving an estimated 400 lives
When he was a young man in the United States Navy, David Schapiro would visit a local blood donation center with his friends in the service and then go out for a beer.
Once he moved to Oregon, he kept up the tradition, donating about every two weeks for nearly three more decades. Now 62 years old and a bus driver in Portland, Schapiro celebrated the donation of his 100th gallon of platelets to the American Red Cross, enough to save over 400 lives.
Schapiro specifically started donating platelets after learning they often help treat cancer patients, which struck a personal cord, since his sister has had cancer three times.
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A new neighborhood in Texas brings 3D-printed affordable housing closer to reality in the U.S.
One of the world’s leading 3D-printing companies, Icon is constructing three new homes in Texas for low-income individuals as part of a larger 3D-printed community in Austin.
With hybrid construction, the first floor will be entirely 3D-printed and combine a living room, dining area, and kitchen, while the second floor will use traditional construction methods and include a bedroom and bathroom.
A $195,000 starting price tag might not sound affordable, but the other 3D-printed homes built nearby are priced around $350,000 and up to $1.3 million.
Why is this good news? While the rollout of this new home-building technology has been slow, its benefits hold true: they are more insulated, helping regulate temperature fluctuations and energy use, are resistant to water, mold, termites, and fire, and when a project finally gets underway, they’re much quicker to construct.
Add in the affordability element, and that’s good progress to celebrate.
States are putting guardrails around artificial intelligence, despite a lack of federal regulation
→ Here’s how
Death rates from cardiovascular disease have fallen dramatically in recent decades
While still the leading cause of death worldwide, the risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases has declined dramatically since 1950. In just the U.S., for people of the same age, the annual risk of dying from cardiovascular disease is now one-quarter what it was then.
Cardiovascular diseases refer to conditions that impact the heart and blood vessels, like heart disease and stroke.
This incredible progress is thanks to critical research, surgical advances, public health efforts, and lifestyle changes that have led to far fewer people dying from strokes or heart attacks. That decline is also seen across all age groups.
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One of the world’s most plastic-polluted cities has now banned single-use plastics
Lagos, Nigeria is one of the world’s most plastic-polluted cities, contributing 870,000 tons of the world’s 57 million tons of plastic waste in 2024. And with its lack of a proper waste management system, much of it ends up in waterways, clogging canals and contributing to devastating flooding.
In an effort to tackle its plastic pollution crisis, last month the city implemented a new law banning the use of single-use plastics like cutlery, plates, and straws, with offenders at risk of having their businesses shut down.
What’s the nuance? Residents say that weak enforcement and a lack of affordable alternatives have weakened the effectiveness of the ban. Activists also say the city must pair the ban with “meaningful improvements in the city’s overwhelmed waste management systems.”
Still, the new law joins other efforts to manage pollution in the city, with a rise in private waste managers and sustainability groups stepping up to help, too.
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4 out of 5 US troops surveyed understand their duty to disobey illegal orders, researchers find
Homophobic attitudes have declined dramatically in the U.S. and Western Europe
In 1984, one in three Dutch people believed homosexuality was “never or rarely justified” — in 2022, it was one in 16. In the U.S., that homophobic attitude dropped from a massive three-quarters of people to less than one-quarter.
Everyone should be free to decide for themselves who they love and are attracted to — and the data shows that a vast and growing majority of people agree with that assertion.
As Our World in Data notes, even using the word “justified” sounds strange today — and while keeping phrasing consistent helps render more accurate data, that it even sounds outdated further illustrates how much things have changed.
Rocky Mountain National Park just became the latest park to offer free all-terrain wheelchairs for disabled visitors
About 28 national park sites currently offer adaptive equipment and mobility devices for visitors to check out for free when they visit. But one especially popular location, Rocky Mountain National Park, recently announced an expansion of its accommodations.
Park upgrades include new accessible picnic tables, an accessible bus to transport visitors across the park, and free all-terrain wheelchairs. In the face of federal funding cuts, these changes were made possible by the support of the Rocky Mountain Conservancy, the nonprofit arm of this NPS site.
With the three additional wheelchairs, disabled visitors will be able “to experience Rocky in a way that would not be possible without them.”
Why is this good news? Disabled national park-goers have often been left behind when it comes to outdoor excursions — but national parks are for everyone. Parks like Rocky Mountain aren’t satisfied with meeting the bare minimum for accessibility; they’re constantly looking for ways to improve their offerings to be a welcoming place for all visitors.
Philadelphia is using AI cameras to keep bus lanes clear — fairness, trust, and transparency could make them even more effective
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Amid growing health concerns, a record-low 54% of Americans say they drink alcohol
The percentage of U.S. adults who say they consume alcohol has fallen to a historic low of 54%, the lowest level in the nearly 90 years Gallup has been collecting the data.
Between 1997 and 2023, at least 60% of Americans reported drinking alcohol, and the previous low was recorded in 1958, when 55% reported drinking alcohol. The highest rate ever recorded was 71%, between 1976-1978.
This trend coincides with a growing belief among Americans that moderate alcohol consumption is bad for your health, reaching a majority at 53% for the first time ever recorded. Even those who do drink reported drinking less, less frequently.
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More good news of the week —
To combat the city’s homelessness crisis, Seattle announced a plan to build 100 tiny homes. The city has already seen success with tiny home communities in various neighborhoods, so it’s investing even further in the initiative, with two new villages planned to open this fall that will add more units to the city’s shelter system.
New York City Public Schools and No Kid Hungry have been distributing free summer meals in all five boroughs. Food insecurity is a major problem in communities all across the U.S., whether or not school is in session. Some students depend on school meals as their only source of nutrient-dense food for the day — and that can’t end once the school year does.
A Tucson, Arizona zoo launched a cell phone recycling program that will help protect flamingos. In partnership with ECO-CEL, the zoo is now accepting used cell phones, tablets, and chargers with the goal of reducing the demand for new lithium mining, which threatens ecosystems where Chilean flamingos live.
Cities in Germany are offering subsidized taxi rides at night to improve women’s safety. The initiative comes as violence against women is rising in Germany. In 2023, crimes against females increased in all categories, with sexual offenses surging by more than 6%, reaching 52,330 reported cases countrywide.
Boston Public Library is using AI to make its archive of historically significant government documents more accessible to the public. Currently, the archives can only be accessed in person, but this new digitization project will enable users to search and cross-reference entire texts of documents dating back to the 1800s from anywhere in the world.
The first 3D-printed home made primarily from soil was just constructed in Japan. The housing industry has seen virtually no fundamental innovation in construction methods, materials, or structures for over 50 years, so a Japanese company looked to keep recycling, sustainability, and reduced carbon emissions at the forefront.
A new at-home spit test that measures hormone levels has been certified as a contraceptive and will roll out in Europe. The device from a Berlin-based women’s health tech company has been available as a fertility-monitoring tool, but it can now also be used to prevent pregnancy, after a study showed it was 92% effective, similar to birth control pills.
An animal shelter in Alaska launched a “borrow-a-dog” program to get dogs out of their kennels and into the community. Through Tails on Trails, volunteers can spend 48 hours of quality time with a dog, whether that’s going running, hiking, or just sitting on the couch and watching a movie.
Brad Paisley & Kimberly Williams-Paisley launched a free vet clinic to help Nashville pets and their parents. Veterinary care costs are especially prohibitive to lower-income pet owners, so the two teamed up with The Companion Project to host a pop-up and served over 200 local pets with essential veterinary care.
Boston launched a new pilot program to give young adults facing homelessness $1,200 cash every month for two years. Program participants will also receive two and a half years of supportive services, like a navigator who helps young people identify and access the resources they need, as well as financial coaching — but there will be no penalty for not using them.
Scientists developed a method that trains AI to detect costly invasive plant species more effectively. One invasive, leafy spurge is a noxious weed with small green flowers that can render whole hayfields inedible by crowding out native plants. Researchers estimate that it causes more than $35 million in losses annually in the country’s beef and hay production.
A French architect is creating durable, concrete-free bricks out of textile waste. Clarisse Merlet’s initial inspiration for recycling clothes did not stem from the textile industry’s significant waste but rather from the desire to construct bricks without using carbon-intensive concrete.
Illinois became the first state to block AI apps from diagnosing or giving therapy advice. In addition to placing landmark guardrails on how mental health professionals can use AI to support care, the law also closes a loophole that allows unlicensed persons to advertise themselves as “therapists.”
A Minnesota recycling company is building a facility that turns food waste into energy. Out of all of the trash households tend to throw away, food waste makes up about 24%, making it more than any other single material that ends up in a landfill. When that waste rots, it decays and emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas.
A new heat-resistant plastic can be recycled endlessly without losing quality. In addition to being tested in aerospace circumstances, the material also shows promise in cars with its ability to regain shape after collisions, which could improve passenger safety and reduce the need for part replacements.
India achieved 50% of its installed electricity capacity from non-fossil fuel sources five years ahead of its 2030 target. The country’s renewable power output rose at its fastest pace since 2022 in the first half of 2025, while coal-fired generation declined nearly 3%, and the government is also pushing for battery storage, circularity for solar and wind components, and green hydrogen.
The world’s first large-scale affordable housing development built using 3D printing technology is opening in Texas this year. Houston is known as one of the most affordable major cities in the United States, but home ownership is still out of reach for many, due to a growing gap in what people can afford vs. how much housing actually costs.
An Alaskan nonprofit’s tiny home project is providing transitional housing for people experiencing homelessness. In Our Backyard launched the project to see if the model could work in Anchorage, and it’s been so successful, the city is already working on larger, duplicate projects in other locations.
Switzerland is the first country in the world to ban fur imports. In 2023, Switzerland imported more than $30 million worth of fur apparel and fur skins from around the world, but Human World for Animals says that if the ban is properly implemented, that number should become zero because all fur is produced through animal cruelty.
Scientists discovered an Arctic “lifeline” that could help delay the collapse of key Atlantic currents. A vital ocean current system has been slowing down due to rising temperatures and climate change, but a new study offers a glimmer of hope, suggesting that an unexpected back-up system in the Arctic could help maintain the system’s stability.
