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 —
The European Union banned the destruction of unsold clothing and shoes
To fight overproduction and make the fashion industry more sustainable, the European Union introduced new rules that prohibit companies from destroying unsold textiles and footwear.
The new rules are part of a larger regulation to aid the EU’s transition toward a circular economy by improving the durability, reusability, and repairability of products, as well as more efficiently using resources.
Aside from circumstances like product safety, businesses will be encouraged to “manage their stock more effectively” and use alternatives like “resale, remanufacturing, donations, or reuse.”
Why is this good news? Globally, 92 million tonnes of textiles end up in landfills every year. In Europe alone, destroyed textiles generate around 5.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. These regulations are expected to help cut down on that waste
It’s important to note that simply donating textile waste can do immense environmental damage on its own, without addressing the root problem of overproduction.
You may also like: Woman transforms clothing waste into building materials to solve ‘global south housing crisis’
This approach to farming is better for the planet — and makes vegetables taste better
New data shows a dramatic drop in fur production in the last decade
According to Humane World for Animals, the number of animals farmed and killed for fur production plummeted from 140 million in 2014 to just 20.5 million in 2024.
Tracking the use of animals — including minks, foxes, chinchillas, and the raccoon dogs of East Asia — the data revealed declining rates of fur production across China, Russia, North America, and the European Union, all traditionally leaders in the industry.
Experts say the downward trend was first sparked by anti-fur activism in the 1980s.
→ Read more
John and Hank Green donated $50m to open the first-ever NICU in Sierra Leone — the hospital’s first baby was just born
In 2019, John and Hank Green set out to raise money to build the first maternal health hospital in Sierra Leone, a country whose maternal mortality rate consistently ranks among the highest in the world.
Through massive annual fundraisers, an online shop filled with products that give back, and personal donations, they contributed $50 million to the project. And the Paul E. Farmer Maternal Center of Excellence just opened its doors on Valentine’s Day.
And not only that, the first baby — a girl — was born at the hospital.
Why is this good news? In 2020, 1 in 52 women in Sierra Leone died during pregnancy or childbirth — in the U.S., it was 1 in 3,800, and in the U.K., 1 in 5,200. This historic milestone will bring critical care and be lifesaving for people in Sierra Leone who previously lacked the infrastructure to get the care they needed.
→ Read more (+ photos!)
These Palestinians protect their homeland’s native plants from the other side of the world
In January, only seven new petrol-powered cars were sold in Norway
A report from the Norwegian Road Traffic Information Council found that only seven petrol, 29 hybrid, and 98 diesel cars were registered during the month of January, while more than 2,000 battery electric vehicles were sold.
sGlobally, Norway has emerged as a frontrunner in the uptake of electric vehicles.
The council’s director said that trend is happening in the used car market, too, making “the electric car a more accessible alternative for far more buyers than before.”
“Electrification is now clearly taking hold in the used car market as well,” said the council’s director. “This makes the electric car a more accessible alternative for far more buyers than before.”
Team USA bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor made history as the oldest individual to win gold at the Winter Olympics
Elana Meyers Taylor arrived at the 2026 Winter Olympics with three silver medals and two bronze, and finally won gold in the women’s monobob event, making history at 41 years old as the oldest individual to win gold at the Winter Olympics.
She’s also the most decorated women’s bobsledder in Olympic history and the most decorated Black Winter Olympian in any sport. She also tied retired U.S. speed skater Bonnie Blair for the most medals by a U.S. woman in the Winter Olympics.
Her teammate and fellow mom, 40-year-old Kaillie Armbruster Humphries won bronze in the event, marking the first time two women over 40 reached a Winter Olympic podium.
Even better: Meyers Taylor is also a disability advocate. Her two sons are both deaf, and her oldest son has Down syndrome. She said, “I've had so many people from around the world reaching out and telling me their stories and how they have a kid with down syndrome or a kid who is deaf and they believe in me.”
→ Read more
Researchers find most local governments are ‘insulated’ from political polarization
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A Minnesota tow truck driver returns abandoned vehicles to families after ICE arrests
Juan Leon had only been running his tow truck business, Leo’s Towing, for a few months when he began noticing abandoned cars throughout the Twin Cities.
After realizing they belonged to those who had been arrested by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Leon began asking for help online. Once he linked them to the right owner, he returned them to the families for free.
“Seeing there was a need for someone to help out, help clear the streets and get the people back their vehicles. So we stepped up and started doing it,” Leon told CBS News.
→ Read more
A new report found that immigrants have saved U.S. taxpayers more than $14 trillion
A new analysis of U.S. taxpayer data shows that immigrants to the U.S. saved the government $14.5 trillion over 30 years and prevented a financial crisis.
The Cato Institute analysis found that without immigrants, both naturalized citizens and non-citizens, public debt in the U.S. would be at least 205% of GDP. This figure alone demonstrates how reliant the U.S. is on the contributions of immigrants.
It also found that immigrants generate more in taxes than they receive in benefits.
Why is this good news? While a person’s inherent worth and value isn’t determined by any dollar amount or economic figure that they contribute to a society, this research does refute a common, already debunked claim that immigrants are a drain on society and take resources away from people who need them. On the contrary, they've been instrumental in preventing larger financial crises.
Ramadan holds new meaning in Minneapolis this year: ‘I’m extremely proud to be a Minnesotan’
→ Read more
This retired Indian factory worker built a library of two million books
Over the past 50 years, Anke Gowda, a retired sugar factory worker from Karnataka, India, has built a vast library of two million books that anyone can borrow for free.
His massive collection includes books on every subject imaginable, and even some rare editions of the Bible. He wanted to give others access to books that he didn’t have growing up in a village where he was “always curious” about them.
Book lovers and students travel to Pandavapura to visit his ever-expanding library, which is open every day of the week.
After hundreds protested, the New Brunswick City Council killed plans to build a data center in the New Jersey city
Hundreds of people showed up to protest a data center scheduled to be built in New Brunswick, New Jersey. While it was a relatively small data center, about 400% smaller than the average data center in the state, residents were concerned about the impact on utility bills.
And their voices were heard, and the city council announced that it would not approve the construction of the data center, which was welcomed with cheers by those in attendance.
Instead, the city plans to redevelop the site to include 600 new apartments, 10% allocated as affordable housing, small warehouses for small businesses and start-ups, and now, a public park, too.
Why is this good news? In addition to other environmental impacts, data centers suck up a lot of electricity and have been found responsible for rising electric and water bills, due to the large amounts of water required to keep the servers cool, too. There have been protests and pushback in cities across the country as the impacts of the data centers become increasingly clear.
Plus, people should have a say in how their communities grow and expand.
This food bank is building an affordable housing complex right next door, because too often, ‘rent eats first’
The world is one step closer to eradicating human Guinea worm cases, with just 10 last year
According to the Carter Center, there were only 10 reported cases of Guinea worm infections — confined to three countries — in 2025, a historic low.
It’s been just over a year since President Jimmy Carter passed, and his legacy lives on in the fight to eradicate the guinea worm. Since the Carter Center launched eradication efforts in 1986, the incidence of Guinea worm has fallen by more than 99.99%.
In the last 40 years, the center estimates that it has helped avert more than 100 million cases of the disease.
More good news of the week —
A teacher in India who created hundreds of learning centers received a $1 million global teaching prize. Rouble Nagi’s teaching centers aim to introduce children who never attended school to structured learning, as well as those already in school. She also paints educational murals about literacy, math, science, and history.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill to give millions of dollars in emergency funding to Planned Parenthood. The one-time grant, which comes from the state’s general fund, will guarantee that STD services, cancer screenings, abortions, and other essential healthcare for women will continue.
President Volodymyr Zelensky recognized the Ukrainian athlete disqualified over his “memorial helmet” at the Olympics. Vladyslav Heraskevych was given the Order of Freedom, one of the country’s highest civilian honors, after the skeleton racer was disqualified for using a custom helmet depicting Ukrainian athletes killed during Russia's full-scale war.
Saying it would not be the world’s “dumping ground,” Malaysia announced a full ban on imports of electronic waste. E-waste — discarded electronic products such as computers, phones, and appliances — can contain toxic substances and heavy metals, including lead, mercury, and cadmium, that pollute soil and water resources if improperly processed or dumped.
The UN approved a 40-member scientific panel on the impact of artificial intelligence, despite U.S. objections. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who established the panel, called the adoption “a foundational step toward global scientific understanding of AI.”
Hank and John Green’s annual charity livestream raised a record $4.1 million in just 48 hours. Half of the money raised will go to charities voted on by viewers, and the other half to two long-term partners of the Green brothers, Partners in Health and Save the Children.
In January, more than 80% of Portugal’s electricity came from renewables, the most in the EU. Portugal’s electricity production was led by hydropower, which accounted for 36.8% of its overall mix, closely followed by wind, 35.2%, and solar at just 4.4%.
After going extinct nearly 30 years ago, a cat with “otter-like feet” just resurfaced in Thailand. While all five species of small Asian wild cats face threats due to shrinking ecosystems, the flat-headed cat is one of the world’s most elusive felines.
The AI firm Anthropic says it will donate $20m to political groups and candidates supporting AI regulation policies. Anthropic’s donation puts it in opposition to the ChatGPT maker OpenAI, which has advocated for less stringent regulation of AI.
The 2026 Winter Olympics are the first to use non-PFAS waxes on skis and snowboards. After years of mounting concern over human exposure and environmental contamination, the International Ski and Snowboard Federation banned the use of “fluoros” — lubricants that contain PFAS — in 2023.
“Heated Rivalry” fans raised over $63k for a Canadian children’s hospital in honor of Hudson Williams’ birthday. The show’s star had given a shoutout to the hospital at the Golden Globes, saying, “The BC Children’s Hospital kind of saved my life when I was a little baby.”
For the first time, five Black surgeons are leading the trauma team at John Hopkins Hospital. It’s the first time in the institution’s history that an all-Black surgical team will be at the helm of the clinical service, and it is being hailed as a symbol of overdue representation at one of the country’s top trauma centers.
A national recycling program is reducing waste and connecting gently used sneakers with people in need. Over 300 million shoes are thrown away each year in the United States alone, and beyond the toxic chemicals they leech when sitting in a landfill, more than 300 million people in the world can’t afford shoes.
France’s largest rewilding project will start this summer in the Dauphiné Alps. The region was once home to thriving populations of wild horses, bison, roe deer, gray wolves, Eurasian lynx, and four species of vultures.
With free screenings and treatment, awareness initiatives, and more, Burkina Faso is leading the way in eliminating cervical cancer. Mobile clinics in particular have become a symbol of health equity, traveling to villages, farms, markets, and even family courtyards so women no longer need to leave their agricultural or domestic activities to get screened.
As hungry Palestinians observe Ramadan fasts, World Central Kitchen is making sure millions are still fed. As Ramadan begins, the organization’s operations will shift slightly to accommodate practicing Muslims who will fast for the next month.
The European Parliament approved a resolution stating that trans women are women. The resolution was made to set recommendations for the European Union’s priorities ahead of the upcoming U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, which works to promote gender equality globally.
Two Illinois teens wrote a new law that requires high schoolers to learn about climate change. Starting in the 2026-2027 school year, the law will require every public high school to include instruction on climate change and the impacts and causes of climate change for grades nine through 12.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced new bus lane projects that had previously been canceled in “backroom deals.” (Gifted link) One of the projects will include offset bus lanes on the busiest bus route in the Bronx, the city’s poorest and most bus-reliant borough, years after former Mayor Eric Adams nixed an ambitious street redesign there.
A 7-year-old in England collected over 11k empty candy tubs to “stop plastic pollution.” After collecting 2,500 last year, Teddy’s more than doubled his goal of collecting 5,000 empty confectionery tubs, and urged the companies that produce them to switch to cardboard packaging instead.
Planned Parenthood locations across Massachusetts are now offering vasectomies, too. The nonprofit said it moved to offer the surgeries that sterilize male reproductive organs after it saw a jump in requests for them after President Trump’s election in 2024.
Imogen Heap and activist drag queen Pattie Gonia just released a new song about climate anxiety. Paired with a cinematic short film, the new song “Have You Considered?” urges listeners not to despair, but to use their grief as a catalyst for action.
A startup invented an electrode mouthpiece to treat tinnitus, and 91% of people saw improvement in symptoms. More than 25 million adults in the United States have tinnitus, a condition that includes phantom sounds like ringing and buzzing in the ears, and may even lead to hearing loss.
The 2025 Winter Olympics are being hailed as the greenest, most sustainable Games yet. Climate change continues to drastically impact winter sports in particular, and the Milan Cortina Games follow the lead of the Paris Summer Games, which used 95% existing or temporary venues to minimize new construction.
A quiet, comfortable, “flying” electric ferry in Sweden’s capital reduces emissions by up to 94%. Stockholm is built across 14 islands and is suited for water-based transit, but diesel-run ferries account for nearly half of the region’s total public transportation emissions.
