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 —
In a landmark move, 185 countries adopted stronger protections for 70+ species of sharks and rays
Conservationists have worked for “20 to 30 years” to protect “keystone predators in marine ecosystems” like sharks and rays — and at a convention on international trade, they got them.
The new agreement ensures stronger international protections for over 70 species of sharks and rays — like whale sharks, manta rays, devil rays, and more — that are widely hunted for commercial products like makeup and culinary delicacies.
Whale sharks, which are classified as endangered, in particular have seen their populations decline by 50% over the past 75 years, despite being even more valuable for tourism.
Why is this good news? More than 37% of shark and ray species around the world are threatened with extinction — including many that were just added to the list of protections.
→ Read more (Gifted link)
This pig makes delicious bacon. And she didn’t have to die for it to get to your plate
A Louisiana prison held its first-ever ‘father-daughter dance,’ reuniting inmates with their daughters
For some of those incarcerated at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, they hadn’t seen their daughters in months or years. That is, until the prison held its first “Father Daughter Dance” this month.
The prison isn’t the first to hold this kind of event — one in Washington, D.C. was featured in a documentary called “Daughters” last year — and says it could become a tradition. It also hosts the country’s last remaining prison rodeo.
Officials at the prison hope the dance would bring hope in a place where it can often be elusive — and to rebuild relationships, heal wounds, and be seen as a “dad” first and foremost.
Drag queen Pattie Gonia is hiking 100 miles in full drag to raise $1M for eight nonprofits
Beloved drag queen, performer, and environmentalist Pattie Gonia has long used her platforms to advocate both for the planet and for diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoor industry.
Now, her heels are taking her even further: she will be backpacking 100 miles in full drag with a goal of raising $1 million in support of eight nonprofits focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors.
So far, Pattie is on mile 26 of 100 and has raised over $236,000.
Why is this good news? Whether because of finances, transportation, or discrimination, outdoor spaces and recreation have long been inaccessible and exclusionary. The organizations Pattie is supporting are working to break down those barriers and make nature accessible to everyone — as it should be.
Virtual reality is taking the pain out of dentist visits for kids
After a city in Iowa made its buses free, ridership jumped, traffic cleared, and the air was cleaner
In August 2023, Iowa City, Iowa made its bus fares completely free in an effort to lower car emissions and encourage people to take public transit. It was so popular, the city council just voted to extend it another.
The program has been successful on a number of fronts: ridership has surpassed prepandemic levels by 18%, bus drivers report less congested streets to navigate, and people drove 1.8 million fewer miles on the city’s streets.
To its initial goal: emissions dropped by 778 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, the equivalent of taking 167 vehicles off the road entirely.
Why is this good news? When you make public transit affordable (ahem, free!) and accessible — people want to, and will use it. Less traffic is safer for cars that are on the road, pedestrians, bicyclists, and more, and cleaner air is just better for everyone.
→ Read more (Gifted link)
You may also like: Study shows London’s ‘clean air zone’ helps more kids walk and bike to school
For these diverse professional Santas, spreading kindness is a calling
Volunteers and retirees are helping maintain national forests abandoned by the U.S. government
Since the start of the year, the U.S. Forest Service has lost nearly 6,000 staffers as a result of firings, resignations, and retirements encouraged by the Trump administration — and its left already vulnerable national forests even more at risk.
Volunteers are stepping up to help — and so are retirees. Bill Lee and Del Nelson now spend two mornings a week driving around “their forest” looking for damage to fix. There’s plenty of it, so they prioritize the things that would be life-threatening for a visitor.
Lee struggles knowing it might lead people to believe the forests are doing just fine with less staff — they’re most certainly not — but knows that saving a life is worth it.
→ Read more (Gifted link)
One of Pope Francis’ ‘popemobiles’ was transformed into a mobile clinic for children in Gaza
A vehicle used by the late Pope Francis during a visit to Bethlehem in 2014 has officially been converted into a mobile health clinic that will soon provide health care to children in Gaza.
Francis stood on an open platform at the back of the vehicle while travelling through Bethlehem, which has now been enclosed and transformed into a treatment area.
Francis blessed the initiative before he passed away in April. And the Cardinal who asked him about it said the vehicle now “stands as a testimony that the world has not forgotten the children of Gaza.”
Why is this good news? When it’s able to enter Gaza, this mobile clinic will provide essential medical care, which is still desperately needed considering that at least 67 children have been killed in “conflict-related incidents” since the ceasefire went into effect.
2025’s audiobook of the year is John Green’s ‘Everything is Tuberculosis,’ chosen by 4,000 independent bookstores
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An Indiana woman runs a 24-hour day care center to keep children on their working parents’ schedule
As Amanda Yochum says, “The business of making cars runs 24/7, and so do our day care centers.” Parents who work in factories at night need to sleep during the day — and they need their children to, too.
Yochum runs the 24-hour Bright Horizons day care centers in Kentucky and Indiana, where Toyota’s manufacturing plants are some of the largest employers.
The kids engage in the same play and learning activities that kids would during the day, and the unique approach provides “crucial” support for working parents.
Solar panels saved an Arkansas school district so much money, teachers got a $15k raise
Batesville School District in rural Arkansas had a $250,000 annual budget deficit. Then, it discovered it could save at least $2.4 million over a span of 20 years with clean-energy alternatives like solar.
It transformed an unused field into a solar energy farm and covered the front of its high school in 1,500 panels. It turned that annual deficit into a $1.8 million surplus, and the savings gave every teacher in the district up to a $15,000 pay raise.
The district went from paying the lowest teacher salaries out of the county’s five districts to having resumes flowing and “at least 20 school districts” just in their area emulating their model.
Why is this good news? This case study shows the power of clean energy to not just help the planet, but to help people, too. These sources are so affordable and abundant (and recyclability is improving, too!) — they won’t just help school districts pay less on their energy bills, they’ll help the average person save, too.
→ Read more
Iceland was just named the safest place to live in 2025. The US ranked 128. Here’s what they do differently
→ Read more
New data shows the hole in the ozone layer shrank to its smallest size since 2019
The ozone layer — the protective shield that keeps harmful UV rays from reaching us — was damaged for decades by human-made pollution. But after the world agreed in 1987 to phase out the worst chemicals, it’s been steadily healing.
New data just revealed that the hole in the ozone layer is not only the smallest it’s been since 2019, but it was also the shortest-lived, closing quicker than usual in November.
“This progress should be celebrated as a timely reminder of what can be achieved when the international community works together to address global environmental challenges,” one scientist said.
More good news of the week —
Following Olivia Dean’s criticism of the ticketing giant, Ticketmaster capped resale prices and refunded fans. In an announcement, Ticketmaster said it supports the Grammy-nominated singer’s “desire to keep live music accessible and ensure fans have the best access to affordable tickets.”
Every year, volunteers in Finland build artificial snow drifts for endangered seal pups, and it’s helping the population rebound. Their efforts have helped the Saimaa seal population rebound to about 400, compared to lows of 100 seals in the 1980s.
Two university professors in Colorado invented a new shoe for people with foot disabilities. The pair developed the solution after hearing from individuals with cerebral palsy or who have had a stroke about their difficulties with outdoor recreation.
A community closet provides clothes to survivors of sexual assault who are in crisis. When victims of sexual assault visit medical centers or police stations after being attacked, their clothes are often confiscated for DNA evidence, leaving already vulnerable people with nothing but a hospital gown and shoes — the Grateful Garment Projects restores some comfort and dignity.
To help other survivors of religious trauma, an ex-Mormon rebranded himself as ‘Sparkly Gay Jesus.’ When Ryan Josiah first started attending the Utah Pride Parade, he adopted his new persona to mitigate the “super harmful practice” of conversion therapy and raise money for the Conversion Therapy Survivor Network.
MacKenzie Scott’s college roommate loaned her $1,000, and now she’s investing in her accessible student loan startup. Jeannie Tarkenton loaned Scott the money when she was facing dropping out of Princeton, and now Scott invested in her company, Funding U, which offers last-gap, merit-based loans to low-income students without co-signers to help “create opportunity for those that don’t have it.”
The FDA approved a new type of glasses that can slow nearsightedness in kids and reduce more serious problems later on. Studies conducted around the world have shown rising rates of myopia, or nearsightedness, which researchers have associated with increased time indoors looking at screens, books, and other objects held close to the eyes.
A new study found that a reserve in Mozambique houses the largest documented breeding population of a rare falcon. Scientists estimate the Niassa Special Reserve hosts 68–76 breeding pairs of Taita falcons, likely the world’s biggest population of the rare raptor, given that other population centers have around 10.
The planting of what will become the U.K.’s first new national forest in more than 30 years is now underway. The 30-hectare Pucklechurch Wood will be part of the new Western Forest, with more than 22,000 native trees planted between now and March, and another 22,000 next winter.
College students invent tree-planting “spider robot” to replenish local forests destroyed by wildfires. The pair were inspired to create a solution after wildfires led to repeated deforestation near their homes in Lisbon, Portugal, with the latest reports showing that 1.2 million acres of forest have been burned between 1980 and 2023 — about 54% of the country’s territory.
Germany will officially classify date rape drugs as weapons in prosecutions. The drugs are being use more consistently to commit crimes, and last year, police recorded a record high of almost 266,000 domestic violence victims, a 3.8% increase over the previous year.
A nonprofit that uses service dogs to curb veteran suicides just celebrated its 300th pairing. The dogs train for the specific needs of the person they’re working with, but are all taught to disrupt panic attacks and help veterans feel safer in stressful situations.
The South Sierra Miwuk Nation reclaimed nearly 900 acres bordering Yosemite National Park. A major milestone for Indigenous cultural and land restoration in California, the transfer happened 175 years after the tribe was expelled from the land and could lead to better management and control of wildfires in and around the areas.
James Cameron confirmed no generative AI was used to make “Avatar.” While he said he was “not negative about generative AI” more generally, but stressed that only real, human actors brought the movie’s characters to life, saying, “We honor and celebrate actors. We don’t replace actors.”
Climate protesters brought one of the world’s biggest coal export ports to a standstill. Climate activist group Rising Tide, which claimed responsibility for the latest protest, said hundreds of activists paddled kayaks into the harbour's shipping lane.
Free cooking classes are fighting diabetes and dementia in Black communities. As Black elders face major health disparities, The Good Life’s healthy living classes are giving them the tools they need to live longer and more fulfilling lives.
Construction on the U.K.’s “largest” floating solar farm was approved. The 46,500-panel installation will be capable of producing enough energy to power 14,000 homes a year, which will be used to power the area’s advanced manufacturing sector, including a submarine-maker.
A New York City boutique offers free clothing to immigrants — and now it offers free weddings, too. Little Shop of Kindness collects donated clothes for migrant families, and after hearing visitors discuss the costs associated with weddings — even at city hall — it started offering those, too.
After launching the largest return plan in the world, Romania hit an incredible 94% recycling rate. Retailers that sell products in recyclable containers are given a tax credit to install return infrastructure like reverse vending machines, and customers are charged a deposit that’s reimbursed when they return the recyclable item.
New tweaks to state laws could mean many Americans will be able to benefit from small, simple plug-in solar panels. Smaller balcony solar systems are already widespread in countries like Germany, and advocates for the law change hope the technology will quickly go mainstream in the U.S., too.
