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 —
A recent study found seeds from a ‘miracle tree’ remove 98% of microplastics from drinking water
Outperforming their chemical counterparts, researchers found that seeds from the “miracle” moringa tree reliably removed over 98% of microplastic particles from water.
The tiny plastic particles are released from car tires, paint, textiles, and degrading plastic packaging, and have been gathering in water systems for decades.
This solution is thought to have been used by Ancient Egyptians to sterilize water. The plant grows quickly, is drought-resistant, has low water requirements, supports biodiversity, and acts as a carbon sink. Offering a plant-based alternative to removing microplastics, it’s potentially less costly and energy-intensive, too.
Why is this good news? These microplastics are not only one of the most harmful plastic types for human health — having been linked to cancer, heart attacks, and reproductive issues — they can also absorb and transport other harmful pollutants throughout ecosystems.
‘Native’ American Girl dolls are historically inaccurate. So an artist reimagined them for her daughter
In 2025, clean energy generation exceeded the rise in global electricity demand
In 2025, clean energy sources like solar and wind generated enough energy to meet all the growth in global demand, marking a major turning point in the energy transition. Experts say this shows clean energy is now scaling fast enough to meet rising demand rather than just supplement it.
When it comes to world leaders driving clean energy generation, China drove more than half of the global solar expansion, with India close behind, adding significant clean energy and cutting fossil fuel use.
The report’s release was timely, coming just one month before 50 countries meet in Colombia for international talks on accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels.
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After a French city cut its marine pollution, its critically important seagrass grew back
A new study found that after Marseille, France introduced stronger environmental regulations and practices in the mid-to-late 1980s, Neptune seagrass repopulated at “exceptional” and “remarkable” rates.
The species had been on the decline for decades, with a number of efforts to restore it via replanting, but nothing was as effective as removing the pollutants causing the issue in the first place.
The authors of the study said the results showed the effectiveness of “passive restoration” — letting seagrass meadows regrow on their own after removing the human-caused reasons for their decline, rather than continued active interventions like replanting or transplanting.
Why is this good news? Neptune grass is considered the most ecologically important seagrass and is endemic to the Mediterranean Sea. It provides a critical shallow-water habitat, and seagrasses are renowned for their superior ability to capture and store carbon dioxide, making them a critical partner in fighting climate change.
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She survived an illegal abortion — then changed reproductive care forever
After ‘988’ replaced the ten-digit crisis hotline in the United States, suicide rates fell
According to a new study, suicide deaths among U.S. teens and young adults dropped by 11% after the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in 2022.
Researchers estimate that from mid-2022 through the end of 2024, there were more than 4,300 fewer suicides than expected among people aged 15 to 34.
Although experts say many factors could contribute to the decline, they think it is likely that the ten-digit number dropping to just three — “988” — made the life-saving resource both easier to remember and easier to use.
Defying last-minute lobbying, Amsterdam is the world’s first capital city to ban fossil fuel and meat advertisements
Starting May 1, advertising for high-carbon products and services, like flights, petrol and diesel vehicles, gas heating contracts, and meat products, will be prohibited in all public spaces in Amsterdam.
In 2020, the city made a landmark decision to volutarily exclude fossil fuel ads from metro stations — but this new law goes even further, and was passed in defiance of last-minute lobbying from the world’s largest outdoor advertising operator.
There are a few exceptions for existing advertising contracts, and Dutch activists now want to see similar laws implemented at the national level.
Why is this good news? One of the law’s backers was Creatives for Climate, a global network of advertising professionals, which summarized it well: “Advertising doesn’t just sell products, it grants social license … promoting fossil fuels undermines climate action and public trust.”
Advertising products that the world needs less of is counterintuitive and contradicts government commitments to clean energy.
Coral reefs are secretly connected across oceans through ‘marine superhighways’
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Global solar power growth ‘the largest ever observed for any source’
According to a new report from the International Energy Agency, global solar power had the largest increase for any energy source in history.
After analyzing energy trends in 2025, the agency announced that the planet has entered “the Age of Electricity.”
Last year, solar power generated more than 2,700 terawatt-hours — over twice its output from three years earlier — and now supplies more than 8% of global electricity. IEA also saw electric vehicle demand rise by nearly 40 percent, with electric car sales being a quarter of the total of cars sold last year.
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A historic vaccination ‘catch-up’ campaign has delivered over 100 million vaccine doses to over 18 million children
A global, multi-year initiative from UNICEF, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the World Health Organization called the “Big Catch-Up” aimed to vaccinate missed children and strengthen routine immunization.
Now, the initiative has officially delivered over 100 million doses to over 18 million children in 36 countries over the course of two years. These children will now be protected from multiple vaccine-preventable diseases.
Over 12 million of the children had never received any vaccines, and about 15 million of the children had never received a measles vaccine.
What’s the nuance? While this is a historic achievement that will result in countless lives saved, more than 14 million infants still miss out on receiving vaccines every year. Global cooperation, political will, and funding have shown us what’s possible — and we need to continue investing in these initiatives to protect children from preventable diseases.
These ‘bicycle mayors’ are chosen with one task in mind: to make cities safer for cycling
New television series finds ‘forever homes’ for shelter dogs and strays
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, more than 3.3 million dogs across the U.S. and Canada enter the shelter system each year.
In a new reality show, “Must Love Dogs,” celebrity couple Brady Oliveira and Alex Blumberg are centering that crisis. Working closely with supporters who help foster, transport, and care for the animals, their goal is to place as many dogs as possible in safe, loving homes before winter sets in.
“When you watch a dog go from surviving to truly belonging, it changes the way you see adoption,” Blumberg said. “They’re not 'rescue dogs.' They’re just dogs who need a chance — and once they get it, they thrive.”
Scientists discovered that coral reefs in a remote archipelago survived a massive heatwave largely unharmed
Coral reefs located on a chain of islands off Western Australia went virtually unharmed by a prolonged, extreme heatwave in 2025 that devastated reefs in other regions.
The reefs are located across the Houtman Abrolhos archipelago, and apart from a few patches, there weren’t even signs of stress in the reef. Just a bit further north, up to 60% of corals died in the same heatwaves.
Prolonged heat stress can lead to “bleaching,” which is when corals expel the symbiotic algae that live in their tissues, which provide most of their food and their coloring.
Why is this good news? Researchers are hopeful that by studying these corals, they’ll learn more about extreme heat tolerance that could help protect reefs all over the world, which are increasingly endangered by the climate crisis and warming waters.
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A famous 90s rock musician is now building a new kind of therapy program
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Thanks to nuclear power, France has one of the world’s lowest-carbon electricity grids
Two-thirds of electricity in France is generated by nuclear power, far more than the average across Europe, at 20%, and the entire world, which is at 9%.
A low-carbon electricity source, nuclear has given France a largely clean energy mix for decades, and the country emits significantly less greenhouse gas than neighboring countries.
Globally, the average is 472 grams of carbon dioxide per kilowatt-hour of electricity generated — in France, it’s just 42 grams.
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More good news of the week —
In New Mexico, a first-in-the-nation universal childcare law includes grandparents, too. The state has the highest rate of grandparents caring for grandchildren in the nation, and allows them to qualify for the universal child care program, too.
Scientists studied the recovery of 10,000 species in the Amazon and found that they rebounded faster than expected. Birds and bats proved to be the most resilient, with researchers calling them key to kickstarting forest growth.
Scientists are using a groundbreaking nasal spray treatment to reverse brain aging and brain fog. The trials are needed more than ever, with dementia cases projected to double over the next four decades.
Oklahoma principal crowned prom king by his students after heroically tackling school shooter. High school students at Pauls Valley High School declared him king to the Nickelback song “Hero.”
Researchers at Colorado State University are studying older dogs with dementia to better understand human aging. Because dogs live in similar environments and have brains that age in ways like ours, they’re helping scientists improve anti-aging treatments.
The World Health Organization approved the first malaria drug specifically designed for infants. Until now, infants have been treated with drugs developed for older children, which expose the newborns to risks of dosing errors and toxicity.
An injured sea turtle wrapped in fishing line and covered in tumors made an incredible 4-month recovery. The green sea turtle, named “Nutella,” left volunteers teary-eyed when she was re-released in the Florida Keys.
London farmers are spearheading a 20-year recovery plan to restore local woodland, peatlands, and rivers. Many are already reaping the benefits of the restoration project, with birds and bees returning to their land.
The largest clean energy project in the U.S. has officially started generating power. Once California’s SunZia wind farm is fully operational, it will generate enough energy for roughly 1 million to 1.2 million households.
A 4,000-person trial with volunteers from England, Scotland, and the U.S. for a bird flu vaccine is now underway. Although the risk of a bird flu pandemic is currently low, a scalable vaccine would be the first line of defense in a potential outbreak.
A study found that school gardens lead to more positive attitudes about the environment. Gardening also builds agricultural literacy, increases physical activity during the school day, and improves hand-eye coordination in young children, which is linked to success in handwriting, math, and reading.
For the first time since it was built, an orangutan used a canopy bridge created to unite its split community. When a road was built through the forest where the orangutans lived in Indonesia, it split the community in two and led to fears that inbreeding could cause health implications and eventual extinction.
An endangered sea turtle is finally returning to the ocean after washing ashore in Ireland 22 years ago. “Molly,” the loggerhead turtle, made a remarkable recovery after barely surviving a shark attack in 2004.
Researchers are using mRNA vaccines to engineer potential cures for cancer. A larger multisite trial has already shown promising results, with patient survival time doubling from 6.7 months to 13.2 months.
In a British football club for child loss support, bereaved dads are emblazoning their children’s names on their jerseys. The league was just recognized by the English Football League as the “Outstanding Community Project of the Season.”
Kacey Musgraves announced a mariachi trio detained by ICE would open her Texas album release shows. Antonio, Caleb, and Joshua Gámez-Cuéllar, the Mariachi Brothers, were arrested alongside their parents in February and later released after backlash.
New Zealand is changing its blood donation rules to allow gay and bisexual men to donate, too. The rule change would “increase the number of potential donors, which can help cover shortages in blood supply,” while also ending a discriminatory practice.
Indigenous groups in Colombia will have a key role in the transition to renewable energy. A key part of the first “Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels” conference in Colombia is representation from Indigenous communities, including the U’wa, who will have a voice at the table.
Algeria eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, becoming the 29th country globally to do so. Trachoma is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide, and globally, the disease remains endemic in 30 countries and is responsible for the blindness or visual impairment of about 1.9 million people.
This woman just broke the Guinness World Record for running the fastest marathon — in a sari. Madhusmita Jena said she wants to empower women “from all ethnic backgrounds” to race in whatever makes them comfortable.
Taylor Swift’s “Spotify Clause” with Universal Music Group is now paying artists real money. One of the “most consequential clauses” she ever negotiated, the deal triggered payouts to artists off the profits from UMG’s recent sale of half of its 3% stake in Spotify.
Strangers across the wedding industry have donated their services to nearly 300 couples with terminal illnesses. The nonprofit Wish Upon a Wedding allocates $2,000 for each wedding “wish,” working with local wedding planners, videographers, and caterers in the couple’s hometown, who often discount their services or entirely donate their time.
Hawaiian green sea turtles are defending coral reefs from an invasive algae. They were documented for the first time actively grazing on the aggressive, invasive red algae that have spread rapidly across reefs.
A study found that when wildlife habitats are linked, it strengthens microbiomes and helps fight disease. Researchers analyzed habitat split impacts on the skin microbiomes of frog species, detecting microbial changes that increased frog susceptibility to the chytrid pathogen, which is devastating amphibians globally.
Illinois passed a first-in-the-nation “rewilding” law aimed at protecting wetlands. The Illinois Rewilding Law, which took effect last month, empowers the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to pursue projects that restore land to its natural state.
