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 —
San Francisco is making childcare free for families earning less than $230,000 a year
In an effort to make one of the world’s most expensive cities more affordable for families, the city of San Francisco announced an initiative to offer free childcare to families earning less than $230,000 a year. Families earning up to $310,000 will receive a 50% subsidy.
It’s part of a larger “Family Opportunity Agenda” from the city’s mayor that includes affordability programs focused on housing, education, food, healthcare, transportation, and more.
The city joins New York City, which most recently announced a program to provide free childcare for all 2-year-olds, and New Mexico, which became the first state to provide free childcare for every child in the state.
Why is this good news? The average cost of childcare in San Francisco is estimated to be between $20,000 and $30,000 per child annually, and the state of California is in the top five most expensive states for infant care. This program will ease a huge financial burden for families who live, work, and are vital in their communities.
Latinas are wearing colorful ribbon braids in their hair in protest against ICE: ‘Fashion has always been political’
New report: Homicide rates declined dramatically in dozens of U.S. cities last year
Data collected from 35 U.S. cities showed a 21% decrease in the homicide rate from 2024 to 2025, translating to about 922 fewer homicides.
The report showed a decrease in 31 of the 35 cities, including a 40% or higher decrease in Denver, Omaha, and Washington. Additionally, the overall homicide rate dropped to its lowest in decades.
Democrats and Republicans were quick to claim credit, but experts assert a multitude of factors typically contribute to historic drops like this, and it’s too soon to say what those factors are.
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In a first-of-its-kind complaint, Michigan accused big oil of being a ‘cartel’ fueling the climate crisis and high energy costs
Michigan has filed a “groundbreaking” lawsuit against four major fossil fuel companies and the top U.S. oil lobbying group for its role in fueling both the climate crisis and rising energy costs.
The state says they’ve acted as a “cartel” to both stifle the growth of renewable energy sources and electric vehicles and suppress information about the dangers of the climate crisis, which it alleges violates state and federal antitrust laws.
This “collusion” has both driven up utility costs and slowed the transition to EVs in the state, it says in the lawsuit.
Why is this good news? Like other parts of the U.S., Michigan has seen a surge in electricity costs: average residential rates have risen by nearly 120% in the last two decades. And the climate crisis is already at our doorsteps. It’s important that any entities who knowingly got us here are held accountable.
How historic protest music, including old bible hymns, has inspired anti-ICE resistance in Minnesota
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A woman founded a nonprofit to give widows and widowers free flowers on Valentine’s Day
After Catherine Szabad lost her child, her grief made her “very aware of how isolating loss can be,” and she became painfully aware of how hard holidays can be for those who have lost a loved one.
So she started Hearts in Bloom, a nonprofit that delivers free bouquets and gifts to widows and widowers every year on Valentine’s Day. In its second year, it had over 300 volunteers — enough to triple the number of people who received gifts.
And in 2025, Hearts in Bloom delivered 135 gift baskets and bouquets. This year, they’ll do it again.
Over 99% of new U.S. generating capacity will come from solar, wind, and batteries in 2026
Solar and battery storage dominated new energy capacity in the U.S. in 2025, and a new report shows that trend is projected to continue and accelerate in 2026.
Utility-scale renewables and battery storage are projected to increase by 69,579.1 megawatts and will make up 99.2% of net new capacity this year — and that figure could be even higher if it included small-scale solar.
Natural gas capacity is projected to increase by just 3,960.7 megawatts and be almost completely offset by coal capacity’s projected decrease of 3,387 megawatts.
Why is this good news? Despite the federal government’s best efforts to stop the growth of renewables, reports and on-the-ground projects continue to reaffirm their “unstoppable” growth. As one expert said, they should “get with the program or else just get out of the way.”
Minneapolis protesters have been singing ‘It’s Okay to Change Your Mind’ to ICE agents. This is the song’s backstory
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The world just set a new record for the longest stretch of time with no nuclear tests
A scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists confirmed that the “world has gone eight years, four months, and 11 days without a nuclear test.” And every day that passes without one will set a new record.
The milestone means the planet has experienced its longest stretch of time without a nuclear explosion since July 16, 1945, when the U.S. started the nuclear era with an explosion in New Mexico.
The previous record happened between May 1998 and October 2006.
Hundreds of protesters gathered at Stonewall National Monument to show their support for the LGBTQ+ community
In response to the Trump administration’s removal of a pride flag at Stonewall National Monument, around 200 protesters gathered at the site to both support the LGBTQ+ community and demand history not be erased.
Named for the site of the historic 1969 Stonewall riots, a pivotal turning point in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights. The Stonewall monument became a national monument in 2016 and is considered the first one dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community and to honoring that history.
Why is this good news? As New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history.” These protesters, and the entire LGBTQ+ community, are making sure history is preserved.
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You may also like: 50+ years of modern LGBTQ+ history since Stonewall
This year’s Olympics include a record number of LGBTQ+ athletes, but the real Gay Games are right around the corner
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Lead pollution has dropped 100-fold in the U.S. over the last century
New research analyzing hair samples shows a dramatic reduction in lead levels since 1916, before and after regulations were established by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The study showed that after lead was banned in gasoline in the 1970s, despite fuel consumption rising, concentrations of lead in the hair samples plummeted from as high as 100 parts per million to 10 ppm by 1990. It was less than one ppm in 2024.
Before the Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970, lead was all over the U.S., from smokestacks and paint to pipes and car exhaust emissions.
Developers in Kansas City canceled the sale of a warehouse that was going to be made into an ICE detention center
After federal officials were confirmed to have toured a massive warehouse outside of Kansas City in mid-January, the political and public backlash was swift.
The city council passed a ban on permits or approvals for nonmunicipal detention facilities, and people held rallies and protests, calling on the company that owned the building not to sell it to the federal government.
That company, Platform Ventures, confirmed to a local news station that it was “not actively engaged with the U.S. Government or any other prospective purchaser” over the warehouse.
Why is this good news? Numerous reports have confirmed the dire, inhumane, and horrific conditions in detention centers that already exist. Not only do we not need more of these spaces — it’s a reminder that we have the power to stop it when attempts to expand ICE’s efforts come to our communities.
Knitters create ‘welcome blankets’ for immigrants in project spanning the circumference of Earth
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New study found that China’s emissions have been flat or falling for two years
Carbon dioxide emissions fell by 1% in the last quarter of 2025, solidifying an overall decline of 0.3% for the full year, and extending a “flat or falling” trend in the country’s emissions since March 2024.
Part of a new analysis, it also found that emissions year-over-year in almost all major sectors last year, including transportation, power, and building materials.
Additionally, solar power generation increased by 43% and energy storage grew by a record 75 gigawatts, outpacing its rise in peak demand of 55 gigawatts.
More good news of the week —
Colorado is the first state to give cash back to renters, in a program designed to put home ownership in reach. The program is a first-in-the-nation effort to reward low-income tenants for paying rent on time.
A division of USAID relaunched as a nonprofit with $48 million in philanthropic backing. Two private donors helped launch the new DIV Fund in a rare instance of continuation after the Trump administration froze all foreign funding last year and DOGE tore down the agency that delivered U.S. foreign aid for 60 years.
A former Texas coal mine was transformed into a giant garden that feeds thousands every year. The NRG Dewey Prairie Garden has yielded about 10,000 pounds of produce for six food pantries since it began harvesting in April 2022.
A study found that Denmark’s child care and parental leave policies are saving working moms thousands. Raising children tends to lead to lower wages and fewer work hours for mothers — but not fathers — in the United States and around the world.
Singapore and the UAE are testing new AI-powered robots to clean polluted waters. The autonomous water robots use real-time data to detect, treat, and prevent urban water contamination.
Minneapolis “Singing Resistance” organizers are calling for a nationwide day of song, training protesters across the country. While the date hasn’t been set, the group is hosting another training on Thursday, Feb. 12, and anyone interested in joining can register for free online.
Scientists created a filter inspired by a fish’s mouth that removes 99% of microplastics from laundry wastewater. The research team has already filed a patent in Germany, and in the future, they hope their creation will help curb a ubiquitous form of plastic pollution that many are unaware of.
The Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art is returning three stolen bronzes to the Indian government. Extensive research indicated that the objects were removed from their original sites illegally.
A Ukrainian Olympic skeleton racer is wearing a helmet with images of people killed in the war in his home country. Vladyslav Heraskevych said the IOC banned him from wearing it during official training and competition, though the committee has yet to confirm or deny that.
A record harvest has sparked a mass giveaway of free potatoes across Berlin. Soup kitchens, homeless shelters, kindergartens, schools, churches, nonprofits organisations have gotten extra potatoes, and even Berlin zoo has participated in the “rescue mission” to feed its animals.
New York passed a law requiring every child entering foster care in the state to receive proper luggage or a duffel bag. Previously, many children entering the foster care system would carry all of their belongings in black plastic trash bags — this new law treats them with dignity, care, and respect from day one.
You may also like: Man who lived ‘live in trash bag’ donates backpacks to foster youth
A prison training program for guide dogs was so successful that it inspired 11 more across the country. Dogs trained within Canine Companions’ programs have a 10% higher success rate at becoming service dogs than their counterparts, and estimates that it is because of the “time and care” incarcerated trainers invest in their students.
A UK dairy delivery business is collecting unwanted toys and electronics to help reduce waste. Modern Milkman delivers groceries to more than 100,000 households across the UK, and will start collecting the other items to give to recycling specialist EMR Group, which will repurpose or recycle the items.
The largest organ procurement organization in the country facilitated a record number of organ donations in 2025. The Philadelphia-based Gift of Life Donor Program announced that it coordinated a record 1,955 organ transplants in 2025 across the United States, including 984 kidney transplants.
A French-American chemist made a major breakthrough in the recycling of rare earth elements. Rare earth elements are crucial for the automotive, electronic, and other industries, and they’ve become a source of massive geopolitical importance and conflict — this discovery could pave the way for recycling them.
Artificial intelligence is aiding in efforts to end the illegal wildlife trade. Wildlife trafficking is one of the most lucrative illicit industries worldwide, collecting between $7 billion and $23 billion per year.
World Central Kitchen announced it’s now serving 1 million meals a day in Gaza. The milestone was possible thanks to the tireless efforts of staff at six WCK Field Kitchens, three mobile bakeries, a growing network of more than 60 community kitchens, and four local restaurant partners working together to deliver meals.
Two entrepreneurs are building an “anti-Amazon” website to connect shoppers with local small businesses. Giftphoria connects shoppers with small businesses in the Los Angeles area.
Pope Leo sent 80 electric generators and thousands of medical supplies to Ukraine. The aid was arranged in response to appeals from bishops who warned of mounting difficulties caused by Russia’s attacks on energy infrastructure and subzero temperatures across the country.
A Venezuelan migrant was released from ICE detention after seven months, and around 2,000 people protested. Joswar Torres was granted humanitarian parole in the United States and had an asylum application pending, but was detained in June 2025 after a routine check-in at a Department of Homeland Security office.
A Minneapolis pet shelter is caring for animals whose owners have been detained or deported by ICE. The Bond Between has been a safe haven for pets left to fend for themselves after their owners were detained, and has provided resources for those afraid to leave their homes.
In a landmark decision, the Philippines Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples can co-own property. Same-sex unions are outlawed in the Philippines, and it is the only country in the world, outside of the Vatican, that does not allow divorce, leaving LGBTQ+ couples without legal protections in a variety of areas.
After 40 years of conservation and protection efforts, wood storks are being taken off the endangered species list. The only native storks in the country were decimated by developers and agriculture operations that eventually compromised around 35% of South Florida’s wetlands, where most of the storks nested.
A Fort Worth English teacher is keeping AI out of her classroom by going fully analog. Each of Chanea Bond’s classes starts with several minutes of students journaling in notebooks, and nearly all assignments must be handwritten and physically turned in.
Vienna is leading the way in turning parking areas into green spaces instead. The Austrian capital’s goal is to break up concrete, to both cool things off in summer and to encourage alternative transit options.
