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 —
Captive elephants were rehomed in Europe’s first large-scale elephant sanctuary
The first large-scale elephant sanctuary in Europe is receiving its first residents: Julie, the last circus elephant in Portugal, and Kariba, who has been living alone at a Belgian zoo.
The sanctuary is located on a former cattle ranch in the Alentejo, east of Lisbon, Portugal, and close to the border with Spain, and is opening to provide a more natural environment for the around 600 animals still living in captivity across Europe. It will not be open to the public.
Initially just 28 acres — still a much larger area to roam than the elephants have been used to — the sanctuary will raise more funds to expand into the 405 hectares available, which could welcome 20 to 30 elephants.
Why is this good news? Studies have found reduced life expectancy and increased infant mortality rates among elephants held in captivity, with one study finding African females lived 17 years on average in zoos, compared to 56 years in the wild. These first two residents will not only have critical autonomy, but expert care available, too.
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She was the first female CEO of an Afghan tech company. Now she teaches girls under Taliban rule in secret classrooms
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More than half of US states now cover doulas under Medicaid
A new review of clinical trials published in the Journal of the American Medical Association recently found that doulas — or those who provide assistance before, during, and shortly after childbirth — greatly lower maternal anxiety and improve postpartum care.
According to the National Health Law Program, 26 states and D.C. are now actively reimbursing Medicaid coverage of doula care. Before 2020, only two states, Oregon and Minnesota, provided coverage for doulas.
Additionally, UnitedHealthCare recently announced it would allow for coverage of doula care in employer-sponsored programs nationwide, saying that parents, infants, and the healthcare system all benefit from increased access to doulas.
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A new study confirmed that electric vehicles are already making a ‘remarkable’ difference for cleaner air
While scientists have long suspected that electric vehicles lead to an undeniable reduction in air pollution, scientists used satellites to measure just how big that impact is.
From 2019 to 2023, a national team of scientists measured nitrogen levels across nearly 1,700 ZIP codes in California, the state with the highest rates of EV use in the country, and found that for every increase of 200 electric vehicles, nitrogen dioxide emissions decreased by 1.1%.
As the study’s lead author said, “We’re not even fully there in terms of electrifying, but our research shows that California’s transition to electric vehicles is already making measurable differences in the air we breathe.”
Why is this good news? Air pollution from combustion engine vehicles has been shown to exacerbate asthma and respiratory disease, increase hospital and emergency room visits for respiratory illness, worsen lung cancer outcomes, cause adverse birth outcomes, and more. Cleaner air means a healthier planet and healthier people.
New study: Americans care more about future generations than we think
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New study finds that people and wildlife are thriving in UNESCO-protected sites
A new report from the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization found that wildlife and people are thriving in protected areas, even more so than expected.
Worldwide, there are more than 2,260 UNESCO sites across over 13 million square kilometers, and they support the livelihoods of 900 million people. About a quarter of these sites also overlap with Indigenous communities, many of whom help protect the flora and fauna that they live alongside.
Within these sites, wildlife populations have remained stable despite a 73% global decline in monitored species across five decades. In fact, 60% of the world’s species are found within the sites, which boast a stunning array of biodiversity.
A co-author of the study said, “It’s good news, it shows that these sites are extremely resilient in the face of a changing world.”
Two men opened the first new library in Gaza, filling it with books found in rubble
The Phoenix Library is a project of Omar Hamad and his friend, Ibrahim Massri, who together raised over $100,000 and secured a location to rebuild Gaza’s first new public library.
As a child, when Hamad first learned that Israel monitored curriculum in Palestinian schools, he would hide pocket money until he could buy a few books at the end of each month, which he describes as “the first seed of rebellion.”
While his book collection dwindled during numerous evacuation orders, they miraculously survived and became the foundation of the Phoenix Library, which is growing every day with new books donated from around the world, along with 1,000 collected from rubble throughout Gaza.
Why is this good news? Israel has destroyed 90% of Gaza’s schools, all of its universities, numerous archives, museums, and historical sites, and at least 13 libraries — destroying along with it critical works of art, literature, and historical information. While there are certainly urgent humanitarian matters to address in Gaza, preserving its history and knowledge is among them.
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One of the world’s most endangered sea turtles lost her flipper in a ‘traumatic amputation.’ Her next chapter is being tracked from space
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Over 6 million people in Greece have received preventive healthcare services
Greece is leading a nationwide shift toward prevention rather than treatment. The healthcare program, called Prolamvano (or “I Prevent”), debuted in 2024 with an emphasis on early detection and diagnosis. Today, the program has grown to include over six million patients.
A senior Greek health official said that early testing has already led to the detection of around 200,000 medical cases at an early stage and estimates that cardiovascular screenings alone have helped avert more than 60,000 strokes and heart attacks.
Industry officials said that preventative healthcare is a win-win-win: Screenings and early treatment are more affordable than active care, which means lower costs for patients, less strain on the hospital system, and fewer people in pain.
Illinois just opened a massive community solar project in an area where residents have faced a history of environmental harm
Located on the rooftop of an industrial building in Melrose Park, a new 1.62 megawatt community solar project just opened in Illinois thanks to the state’s Illinois Shines program, which prioritizes bringing the benefits of solar to “communities that have historically shouldered the burden of pollution.”
This new project is located in an Illinois Environmental Justice Community, areas where residents have faced a disproportionate burden of environmental harm due to heavy industry activity, air and water pollution, or an underinvestment in infrastructure.
The project also creates local jobs during both construction and ongoing maintenance, helps strengthen the state’s energy grid, and receives incentives for using existing rooftop space rather than undeveloped land.
Why is this good news? Communities that have long suffered the brunt of environmental injustice are often also the last to see the benefits of clean energy solutions like solar. This not only reverses that trend, it puts what would be wasted space atop massive industrial buildings to good use.
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From mushroom caskets to coral cremations, these eco-friendly burials are gaining popularity
New Jersey reduced levels of ‘forever chemicals’ in its drinking water by 55%
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, 176 million people across the U.S. have been exposed to PFAS in their drinking water. PFAS are long-lasting chemicals that are linked to adverse health effects like cancer, but the federal government only started regulating the amount of PFAS in drinking water two years ago.
Fortunately, New Jersey had the foresight to create its own regulations much earlier. In 2018, New Jersey became the first state to adopt its own drinking water standards for PFAS.
And thanks to new data from researchers at Rutgers University, the state’s early adoption of anti-PFAS measures paid off. In the past eight years, levels of the regulated chemicals in its drinking water declined by as much as 55%.
The University of Chicago is offering free tuition for students from families earning less than $250k annually
In a move affirming its “core belief that costs should not prevent a student from joining UChicago’s community of extraordinary scholars,” the University of Chicago announced a significant expansion of its guaranteed free tuition program.
Not only will the university offer free tuition for students whose families earn less than $250,000 annually, it will also cover housing, meals, and other fees for families earning less than $125,000 annually.
Under the newly expanded threshold, it says that 90% of U.S. households would qualify for free tuition.
Why is this good news? Amid growing income inequality, rising tuition costs, and affordability issues in general, the University of Chicago’s move to dramatically expand access to free tuition to those who may not otherwise be able to afford it is critical to ensuring that education is accessible to everyone — not just the wealthiest.
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College students invent interactive ‘enrichment wall’ for zoo elephants that plays music only they can hear
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This athlete ran the Boston Marathon to raise money for cancer research in honor of his late brother
On September 17, 2019, at just 30 years old, GJ Gerner passed away from glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive form of brain cancer.
Seven years later, Colin Gerner ran the Boston Marathon to honor his late brother and their shared nonprofit: StacheStrong.
As the No. 2 global fundraiser for the race, StacheStrong announced a $1,000,000, five-year grant to accelerate glioblastoma research at the Massachusetts General Hospital, with the hopes of better understanding how the cancer evolves and how to treat it.
Gerner said, “For me, this is one step (or 26.2 miles) closer to flipping the script on brain cancer.”
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More good news of the week —
A new study found that most Americans, including Republicans, believe that saving the environment is “worth the cost.” The research followed a 2024 Pew Research poll that found that the public’s trust in scientists was on the rise, with three-quarters of Americans saying they had a great deal or a fair amount of confidence in scientists to act in the best interests of the public.
The first of 1,500 beagles removed from a breeding and research farm are getting their forever homes. Big Dog Ranch Rescue and the Center for a Humane Economy negotiated a confidential agreement to purchase the 1,500 dogs for an undisclosed price from Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin.
Climate disaster survivors in Altadena, California are increasingly investing in prefabricated homes. The customizable homes have been proven to better withstand extreme weather like wildfires and hurricanes.
Ride-share drivers in Colorado are challenging Uber and Lyft by creating their own startup. The new platform, called Drivers Cooperative, is owned and operated by local drivers instead of tech giants.
A new augmented reading tool helps professors detect AI writing copied and pasted into their students’ papers. In DraftMarks, different fonts distinguish between human-written and AI-generated passages.
Scientists are turning cigarette butts into sustainable construction bricks. Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter in the world, with over 6 trillion tossed each year, and because they’re made of plastic, nicotine, tar, and heavy metals, they’re not just a public health risk — they’re an environmental hazard.
A wildlife veterinarian created a custom brace to save a tortoise that was run over by a car. The temporary brace helped bring the shattered fragments of the tortoise’s carapace, or shell, closer together as they healed.
Nearly a decade after a trawling ban went into effect in Scotland, scientists found a resurgence in seabed marine life. Scientists recorded the return of more than 1,500 species critical to the marine ecosystem – like worms and shellfish – in Scotland’s South Arran Marine Protected Area.
Research students created a biodegradable mycelium mushroom medical gauze that could dramatically reduce hospital waste. Typically made from cotton or synthetic fibers, gauze is one of the most essential but waste-generating categories of medical supplies.
As spring weather warms Alaskan rivers, students and teachers are measuring ice thickness to increase road safety. In Fairbanks, where frozen rivers are often used as roadways, kids are using STEM skills to measure ice and send “weather” reports to local radio stations.
Rare big cat caught on camera in Honduras is raising hope for conservation efforts. For the first time in a decade, camera traps set up high in the Sierra del Merendón mountain range in Honduras captured images of a male jaguar.
A lesbian couple in Key West, Florida sued the city after they were ordered to remove a rainbow fence on their property. A lawsuit by the ACLU of Florida argues that the city “selectively enforced” its ordinances against an LGBTQ+ couple.
South Korea just deployed a new ferry that purifies the water while people ride. Ecopeace’s Eco-Bot is an autonomous solar-powered boat that uses artificial intelligence to clean floating pollutants, oil spills, and excesses of green algae.
After a London synagogue was targeted by an attempted firebombing, Muslims rallied to feed and comfort their Jewish neighbors. Refugees from the Somali Bravanese community had experienced their own arson attack 13 years prior and showed up in “a quiet, radical act of solidarity.”
An Oakland nonprofit purchased an entire apartment building to provide low-cost housing to 33 teachers and their families. (Video) The new housing project is the first of 127 units planned across the state, and hopes to serve as a “model for the nation.”
A baby sloth was born in Scotland for the first time, and he’s named after Sir David Attenborough. “Atty” was born at the Edinburgh Zoo, and was named in honor of Attenborough’s 100th birthday and because he famously told the BBC that if he could be any animal for a day, he’d be a sloth.
Marie-Louise Eta made history as the first female head coach in the men’s top five European leagues. Eta will take over as coach of Union Berlin’s women’s team next season, but now has five games to secure the men’s Bundesliga survival after taking on the interim head coaching role.
An EV maker installed 4,000 “battery swap stations” around the world as a new alternative to charging stations. The novel approach avoids long charging breaks and makes EVs more accessible to drivers without charging ports.
Michigan just permanently protected 73,000 acres of land in the Upper Peninsula and opened it to the public. The deal, which was 5 years in the making, protects the land from habitat fragmentation and oil and gas exploration.
France will now reimburse young women for reusable menstrual products. The reimbursements for reusable menstrual cups and underwear aim to reduce the cost of essential hygiene items and tackle period poverty.
More than 130 patients in South Africa had their vision restored thanks to free cataract surgeries. The country hosted the event in an effort to tackle long backlogs in the public health system.
Wildlife experts reunited 100 lost leopard cubs with their mothers using “overnight boxes.” While they’re not considered “endangered” on a global scale, several species of leopards are critically endangered, and across South Asia, leopards at large have grown increasingly vulnerable.
Since the 1950s, a group of Benedictine sisters has painstakingly transformed their monastery’s land into a 170-acre oasis. The Wisconsin sanctuary started with just 40 acres, consisting of farmland cleared in the early 1900s.
A 12-week contest is challenging eleven Denver restaurateurs to incorporate food waste into their recipes. It’s part of Denver’s “Waste No More” ballot measure, which incentivizes waste diversion across the city.
Georgia passed the “Sickle Cell Disease Protection Act,” which requires the state to conduct annual reviews of emerging sickle cell treatments. Georgia has one of the highest patient populations in the country for sickle cell disease.
Scientists developed a hemp-based thermoplastic that could provide a more sustainable alternative to plastic packaging. The material notably has a high “glass transition temperature,” which allows plastics to stay dry and durable when they come into contact with boiling hot water.
Thanks to successful vaccination campaigns, South Sudan and Sudan officially eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus. Neonatal tetanus is a silent but preventable killer that claims the lives of newborns within their first days of life, particularly in settings with unsafe delivery practices and poor umbilical cord care.
