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 —
Presbyterian churches in Pittsburgh canceled $14 million in medical debt for their neighbors
Congregants at more than 100 Presbyterian churches in the Pittsburgh area donated nearly $75,000 to cancel more than $14 million in medical debt for an estimated 12,500 Allegheny County residents.
The campaign was organized with Undue Medical Debt, which buys medical debts for pennies on the dollar — so each dollar donated can erase more than $100 in debt.
Recipients of the debt relief will receive a letter in the mail informing them their debt has been cleared.
Why is this good news? An estimated 690,000 Pennsylvania residents have outstanding medical debt, with an average amount of $1,000. Medical debt is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy, and these churches just brought immense relief to thousands of their neighbors.
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You may also like: After his wife died, he raised $1M to honor her dying wish: Clearing the medical debt of strangers
How are we going to survive 2026? Here’s what 3 therapists recommend
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‘GlamourGals’ group fosters community, builds empathy, and combats loneliness among high schoolers and seniors
With hundreds of chapters nationwide, GlamourGals members visit assisted living facilities to do makeup, nails, and crafts with the residents — but it’s a means to an end.
The group’s real aim is to combat social isolation, foster empathy, and build communication skills — and the benefits go both ways.
As one chapter president said, “I want to understand their experience. I want to talk to them and listen to what they have to say. That’s what we’re here for.”
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A Chinese energy company created the world’s first fully recyclable carbon fiber wind turbine blade
China’s Ming Yang Smart Energy just unveiled the “world’s first fully recyclable carbon fiber wind turbine blade,” a development that could bring the wind industry closer to a carbon-neutral, waste-free future.
The 110-meter blade is made of recyclable carbon fiber pultruded panels that are both strong and lightweight, and the carbon fiber can be completely recovered and reused.
Conventional wind turbine blades are currently difficult to recycle because their resin and fiber makeup are permanently bonded when they’re manufactured.
Why is this good news? One study estimates that the world will face 43 million tonnes of wind turbine blade waste by 2050. While scientists are working to develop better recycling processes, it’s still a lot of waste to tackle for an energy technology the world will need to rely on in the future — we need better solutions like this.
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You may also like: Global efforts to repurpose wind turbine blades lead to innovative designs
This mammal vanished from Ohio nearly 200 years ago. Trail cameras just captured footage of it
Study finds that putting solar panels on land currently used to grow biofuels would produce enough electricity for all cars and trucks to go electric
Globally, the world dedicates an estimated 32 million hectares of land — about the size of Germany, Poland, or Italy — exclusively to grow crops to produce biofuels. And it’s projected to increase.
But if we were to put solar panels on that land, it would produce roughly 32,000 terawatt-hours of electricity each year. For context: The world generated 31,000 terawatt-hours of electricity in all of 2024, which means just putting solar panels on these 32 million hectares of land could produce enough electricity for current global demand.
Going a step further, the researchers found that if all the world’s cars and trucks were electric, this solar energy alone could power all of them.
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A Minneapolis pizza joint is delivering free food to vulnerable families amid the ICE crackdown
As the Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement crackdown ramps up across Minnesota — especially following a deadly shooting of a bystander named Renee Nicole Good last week — locals are rallying to support their neighbors.
Wrecktangle Pizza launched a “buy a pizza give a pizza to a family in need” deal to support their vulnerable community members — in just a few short days, they received $83,000 in donations to support their efforts.
Along with the donations, the local chain sold 2,291 pizzas between Thursday and Sunday, and said, “We couldn’t be more stunned - or grateful.”
Why is this good news? Wrecktangle’s co-owner said that nearly every local restaurant in their area has been negatively impacted by the presence of ICE, with so many afraid to leave their homes or go to work. Not only are these local businesses caring for people with a warm meal, but they’re keeping the spirit of community alive.
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This Bronx teacher received $25,000 for ‘teaching excellence.’ Then he gave it all away
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New study reveals that 1,300 new species have been added to the global mammal count
According to a new study, the number of living mammal species has increased by 25% since 2005 — meaning that more than 1,300 new species have been added to the scientific record.
That increase also “indicates an overall improvement in our understanding of how global mammals interact with their environments,” as the lead researcher put it.
Of those new species, 805 were newly described, and 774 were “splits,” or offshoots, of what was originally thought to be a single species.
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In a major milestone, 70% of cancer patients in the U.S. now survive at least five years after diagnosis
The U.S. just reached a major new milestone in the fight against cancer, with seven in 10 people now surviving at least five years after diagnosis — up from just half in the 1970s and 63% in the mid-90s.
Cancer survival rates are measured at the five-year benchmark since the risk of certain cancers returning declines significantly if they haven’t come back within that time.
The American Cancer Society credits improved treatment options, earlier detection, and more with the historic achievement, estimating that 4.8 million cancer deaths were prevented from 1991 to 2023.
What’s the nuance? A major reason we’re celebrating this progress is all the research and funding that’s been invested in prevention, detection, and treatment — and federal funding cuts to cancer research (down 31% in the first five months of 2025) put continued progress at risk.
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18-year-old student builds modular home designed to ‘end homelessness.’ He plans to live in it for a year himself
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An Altadena teen raised millions for wildfire recovery — and opened a community center for girls
Avery Colvert was an eighth grader when the Eaton Fire tore through Altadena, California last year, destroying nearly 10,000 structures. It was the second natural disaster she’d survived — the first, flash flooding in Nashville, Tennessee, took her family’s home.
While her home was spared in the fires, her school was not — nor were the homes of some of her classmates. Wanting to help, she put out a call for donations on social media, and in addition to physical donations, she received millions of dollars.
Colvert founded Altadena Girls with her mother, and in October 2025, opened an 11,000-square-foot space offering free programming, supplies, and gathering areas for teen girls impacted by wildfires.
The hit TV series ‘Heated Rivalry’ inspired a real-life hockey player to publicly come out as gay
Jesse Kortuem is a real-life hockey player who gave up the sport out of fear he couldn’t reconcile his athletic career and his sexualty. Though his close friends and family knew he was gay, he just came out publicly on social media.
Kortuem credited the hit TV series “Heated Rivalry,” saying he felt compelled to share his story now “because I want to speak to the athletes out there who are still in the closet or struggling to find their way.”
Heated Rivalry was made in Canada and is streaming on HBO in the U.S. The six-episode series follows two closeted professional hockey players as they form a romance in secret.
Why is this good news? The NHL not only famously has no players who have publicly come out as LGBTQ+, but has gone so far as to ban teams from hosting Pride Nights and using rainbow tape (the latter was reversed after a player used it anyway). Nobody should be afraid to hide who they are or who they love — and advocates are hoping the series can lead to real change in the league.
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Researchers ranked the carbon footprint of six types of diets. Here’s how vegans and vegetarians ranked
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A Minneapolis sex shop transformed into a donation and community center for neighbors in need
Minneapolis sex shop Smitten Kitten has mobilized to support neighbors amid a violent and unrelenting crackdown by the Trump administration’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
In the very space where it’s normally “selling adult toys, providing sex education,” volunteers are organizing canned foods, diapers, clothes, and other essentials to be distributed to vulnerable community members.
Additionally, Smitten Kitten’s Instagram page has been leveraging its platform to boost donation opportunities for community members in the area, sharing GoFundMe, Venmo, and Cash App campaigns.
More good news of the week —
Celebrities wore ‘Be Good’ pins to protest ICE and honor Renee Nicole Good at the Golden Globes. Mark Ruffalo, Wanda Sykes, and Natasha Lyonne wore the pins on the red carpet, while Jean Smart and Ariana Grande donned them once inside the ballroom.
The GoFundMe for Renee Nicole Good’s family raised over $1.5 million total. Over 38,500 people contributed, many leaving kind sentiments with their donations, and once it surpassed the $1.5 million threshold, organizers paused donations.
Mattel unveils first autistic Barbie, complete with “stimming hands” and noise-cancelling headphones. Created over the course of 18 months in collaboration with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, the doll aims to represent common ways autistic people may experience, process, and communicate about the world around them.
The New York Sirens announced the PWHL’s first game at Madison Square Garden. With a capacity of over 18,000 fans, the MSG game has a chance to set a new United States women’s hockey attendance record after Seattle most recently set the mark with 16,014 fans at Climate Pledge Arena.
Pedro Pascal and Bella Hadid raise $5.5M for Gaza and Sudan at star-studded fundraiser. Performances included a special cover of “69 Love Songs” by Chappell Roan and Lucy Dacus, a duet by Maggie Rogers and Shawn Mendes, as well as tunes from Clairo, Blood Orange, NONAME, Omar Apollo, Rex Orange County, and more.
Europe’s largest 3D-printed housing development was just completed in Denmark. Arranged into six buildings, the Skovsporet development is now home to 36 student apartments and sits around a shared courtyard with landscaped gardens and walking and biking paths.
Hawaii modernized its parentage law to strengthen protections for LGBTQ+ families. The new, landmark law replaces outdated, gendered assumptions about “mothers” and “fathers” with inclusive, gender-neutral definitions of parentage to ensure children of same-gender couples and diverse family structures are treated equally under the law.
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani swore in Lillian Bonsignore, the first out lesbian FDNY commissioner. During his remarks, Mamdani praised the decorated first responder for her “wealth of experience and vision for how to lead the FDNY” as well as “the respect she holds for this work and all those who do it.”
A soccer player in Argentina has turned plastic waste into 5,000 pairs of shin guards for kids in need. Tomás Machuca is the founder and CEO of Fenikks, which transforms plastic waste into shin guards and distributes them to 56 under-resourced communities throughout the country.
A new printer turns your voice into Braille labels for visually impaired people. The Nemonic Dot is roughly the size of a stack of drink coasters, a plastic square about 4.5 inches wide and 2 inches thick that connects wirelessly to your smartphone.
Samsung is adding dementia detection tools to future Galaxy wearable devices. Using signals picked up across future Galaxy devices like the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Ring, Samsung said it will be able to flag potential mental decline early enough that people can decide whether it’s time to speak to a doctor.
AI is helping determine the impact of tourism on seals in Scotland. Newburgh beach in Aberdeenshire is home to hundreds of grey seals, and a university student is using AI to process data from drones that would typically take hours.
Risking their own safety, Somali community members are providing food for ICE protesters. “Our work is grounded in a simple belief: showing up for neighbors in everyday life matters, especially during moments of heightened fear, misinformation, or division.”
Welcoming trans kids, a youth soccer club forms teams based on skill level, not sex or gender. Discriminatory laws have led to lower sports participation among young trans athletes, but the Portland Community Football Club gives them a space to play.
A new bridge between the U.S. and Canada for cars, bikes, and pedestrians will open this year. Each side of the bridge connects with wider trail systems along the banks of the Detroit River, where waterfront redevelopment has included several charming parks to pass through.
A statue honoring a wrongly enslaved man was unveiled in a Louisiana town. Solomon Northup’s story is immortalized in his 1853 autobiography, “12 Years a Slave,” which was adapted in 2014 into an Academy Award-winning film.
Albany is trialing a “street psychiatry” program to give homeless New Yorkers prescriptions on the spot. Next to the need for safe and supportive housing, people experiencing homelessness are also in desperate need of mental and behavioral healthcare — the city’s “street psychiatry” team of care workers is helping.
An Indian city unveiled a pioneering new initiative for reducing fast fashion waste. Fast fashion is fueling a growing textile waste crisis in India, with over 7.8 million tons discarded each year — most ending up in landfills or incinerators.
At-home STD tests are offering new, more accessible options for screening and treatment. It’s positive news after cases of sexually transmitted infections reached alarming highs before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted screening, education, and treatment for sexual health nationwide.
Last year, coal power generation in China and India fell for the first time since the 1970s. The “historic” moment could bring a decline in global emissions, as the simultaneous drop from the world’s largest coal-consuming countries has not happened since 1973.
