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 —
California elementary school students are helping raise $10M to save a bald eagle habitat from development
When students at John Baldwin Elementary School in Danville, California heard that a wildlife area near the nest of a pair of viral bald eagles, Jackie and Shadow, was at risk of being developed, they immediately wanted to help.
The students wrote letters to community members, celebrities, and lawmakers, posted flyers, and picked up leaves, washed cars, held bake sales, and more to raise money in support of an effort to purchase and protect the land.
That effort is being led by the nonprofit Friend of Big Bear Valley, which has so far raised over $2.68 million since Feb. 19 toward its $10 million goal so the San Bernardino Mountain Land Trust can buy the land.
Why is this good news? Even beyond helping protect and preserve this critical bald eagle hunting and habitat area, these students are learning from an early age that we can turn our care and passion into real-life action that matters and makes a difference.
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This all-women apartment complex is home to 26 elderly singles. Everyone is trained in conflict resolution
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Wales celebrates record-breaking puffin season
According to The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, puffins are having a record-breaking breeding year.
Every year, the conservation nonprofit does boots-on-the-ground research to count every single puffin on Skomer Island in Wales, setting out with binoculars and a notepad in hand to record all puffins in sight.
This year, 52,019 puffins were counted on Skomer Island in Wales, beating the island’s 2025 record of 43,626.
The report came as a relief to The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, after high numbers of seabirds and marine life across southern Europe washed ashore last season. A spokesperson for the nonprofit said, “It’s a very pleasant surprise to see the puffin population thriving.”
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In April, Baltimore saw its fewest monthly homicides in over 50 years
With four cases reported April, Baltimore recorded its fewest monthly homicides since at least 1970. The city has seen its “safest” period in more than 50 years, with significant declines in violent crime overall.
So far this year, the city has seen 33 homicides and 89 non-fatal shootings, compared to 37 and 101 over the same period last year — a 10.8% decrease in homicides and 11.9% decline in non-fatal shootings.
The city’s mayor credits its Group Violence Reduction Strategy, which launched in 2022 and is a partnership between police, the mayor’s office, and prosecutors. It’s since expanded to more neighborhoods in the city and has connected hundreds of people to resources, seizing firearms and ghost guns, and more.
Even better: Data shows that some non-violent crime is down, too, with carjackings down 38%, burglaries down 17%, auto thefts down 11%, and robberies down 16% compared to last year.
Hantavirus cruise passenger moved to tears by stranger’s act of kindness during his 42-day quarantine
Scientists created teabags that remove arsenic from drinking water
Man-made activities like mining can cause minerals to leech into groundwater supplies, causing buildups of concentrated arsenic. According to the World Health Organization, 140 million people in at least 70 countries have been exposed to arsenic contamination in their drinking water.
Fortunately, researchers at the City University of New York’s ASRC Nanoscience Initiative have created a 7-cent bag of tea that removes 90% of the arsenic ions in contaminated water.
In their study, researchers set out to create an affordable solution to “one of the world’s most urgent public health crises.” Their results prove that solutions can be affordable and scalable.
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Olympic skier Hunter Hess turned Trump’s ‘real loser’ insult into a fundraiser for youth sports
At the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team USA freestyle skier Hunter Hess said in an interview that it brought up “mixed emotions” to represent the U.S. at the Games, saying, “Just because I’m wearing the flag doesn’t mean I represent everything that’s going on in the U.S.”
Then, President Trump called Hess “a real loser.”
Now, Hess is turning that insult into something positive. He just launched The Real Loser Project, a merchandise line where 100% of proceeds support Stoked, a nonprofit that gives underserved kids access to action sports and mentorship.
Why is this good news? What was initially meant to tear an athlete down will now serve to give more young athletes opportunities to join in and participate. Hess is showing us how we can use our platform and influence — big or small — to do good and build people up instead of tear them down.
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A real-life ‘good news’ story inspired Pixar animators to make ‘Hoppers’
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Two high schoolers drafted a bill that reduces single-use item waste
Two high schoolers, 15-year-old Erica Choi and 16-year-old Dominick Redmond, are asking Colorado restaurants to “skip the stuff” by cutting down on single-use items like plastic cutlery, napkins, straws, and condiments.
They drafted a new bill with the help of Democratic state lawmakers Sen. Lisa Cutter and Rep. Meg Froelich to reduce waste by requiring restaurants to provide single-use items only upon request. And now, the Colorado legislature is considering the bill.
Just a few months ago, Choi and Redmond had little political experience beyond AP U.S. History. Now their plunge into civic engagement has put them in front of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Choi said: “Anyone can do it, as long as you have the motivation and an idea.”
For the first time in 70 years, a wild jaguar was spotted in the largest park in Argentina
Together, Iberá National Park and Iberá Provincial Park are not only the largest park in Argentina, but they’re also home to sweeping grasslands, marshlands, forests, and 4,000 species of flora and fauna.
Earlier this month, tour guides spotted a young male jaguar named Ombú resting on a trail, marking the first wild jaguar sighting in 70 years.
The milestone was the result of decades of hard-fought conservation work, education campaigns, and collaborative rewilding efforts between local organizations, scientists, rangers, and ranchers — the park went from having no jaguars to now 50 total.
Why is this good news? Seven decades ago, jaguars were driven out of Argentina by twin forces: logging and poaching. As hunters killed them for their pelts, the forest shrank around them. This milestone proves conservation efforts are working.
This is what happened when thousands of NYC artists received $1K a month, no strings attached
The world is installing grid batteries 10 times faster than even just a few years ago
New data shows the world has gotten a lot more efficient when it comes to installing grid batteries. Installations of grid batteries surged by 48% from 2024 to 2025. In total, a record-breaking 112 gigawatts of battery storage capacity was installed worldwide in 2025 — a tenfold increase from 2021.
China and the United States lead the world in grid battery capacity, with China installing more than half and the U.S. accounting for 16%.
According to experts, battery installations are beginning to catch up to solar installations, largely thanks to the price of lithium-ion batteries dropping more than 90% in the last 15 years.
Experts are celebrating a record-breaking start to sea turtle nesting season in Florida
In Florida, sea turtle nesting season typically runs from March 1 through October 31. Just two months into the season, the FWC Fish and Wildlife Research Institute announced that both loggerhead and leatherback nests were “outpacing recent record-breaking years.”
The FWC reported 1,008 leatherback nests — up by 4% compared to May 2025. There were also three Kemp’s ridley nests, up by two from this time last year, marking a huge improvement for the world’s smallest and most endangered sea turtle.
Even more remarkably, the number of loggerhead nests so far this year is already at 1,450, roughly 82% higher than it was this time last year.
Why is this good news? In 2024, scientists expected Florida to break nesting records, but Hurricanes Debby, Helene, and Milton caused severe flooding and washed away many sea turtle nests across the state. Despite extensive damage, wildlife experts continued conservation and restoration efforts throughout the following year — and it appears to be paying off.
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Good news: Men and women both live longer lives in countries with greater gender equality
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Brazil’s anti-deforestation policies drove a 36% drop in tropical forest loss
In 2024, massive fires in the Amazon, fueled by climate change, led to a record high for global forest loss. In the aftermath, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pledged to curb deforestation with stronger regulatory measures — and it worked.
Recent data shows that from 2025 to 2026, forest loss dropped by 36% nationwide, easing the region out of the prior year’s record highs. Additionally, global forest loss beyond the tropics fell 14% last year.
A spokesperson for Global Forest Watch said the new data is evidence that there are “real interventions that work” when it comes to reversing forest loss.
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More good news of the week —
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is creating 50 car-free “soccer streets” ahead of the World Cup, mostly near schools. The streets will host youth soccer clinics, art stations, and block parties so that “every kid” in the city can “experience the joy of the game.”
A dad and daughter duo drove 600 miles across the country to rescue two baby cows. The dairy industry has no use for boy cows, so Joanna Zelman and her father drove across the country to save two of them.
Tennessee just celebrated the birth of its 50th clouded leopard cub, one of the most elusive cat species in the world. Today, clouded leopards are listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species, and experts estimate that only 10,000 remain in the wild.
A flower once thought to be extinct is now flourishing in a South African national park. The Staavia dodii is among 2,785 plant species living in Table Mountain National Park.
Researchers are attaching tiny “backpack” GPS trackers to hedgehogs to track their movements across England. Wildlife experts believe that the data will help them better protect the endangered species.
A new battery program can power air conditioners offline during peak demand, easing strain on city power grids and preventing outages. The “renter-friendly” pilot program is currently being tested in New York City, just in time for summer.
A former poacher in India now protects the land and animals he grew up hunting. Rustom Basumatary is a naturalist and an avid birder from the remote Indian village, and received the Assam Guarav Award for his wildlife conservation efforts.
Rather than decreasing negative emotions, a promising new depression treatment focuses on creating joy pathways. (Gifted link) While psychotherapy and medication can be very effective at reducing negative emotions, it’s been more challenging to help people with depression or anxiety actually feel good.
High school students created a makeshift stretcher to rescue an injured hiker. Using tarp poles, a hammock, and their outdoor education training, the students hiked for two hours to get the man to safety.
Plans for a 2,100-acre data center in Northern Virginia were derailed after locals lobbied against it for 27 hours straight. In addition to its proximity to the historic Manassas National Battlefield Park, locals cited concerns for pollution and energy consumption.
An architect unveiled his design for a “fireproof home” that can withstand a fire for up to 24 hours. Ardie Tavangarian began working on the design after he lost his own house in the Palisades fire last year.
Sudan and South Sudan have both eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus. Despite widespread conflict and displacement across the region, health workers, midwives, and vaccinators worked together to deliver life-saving vaccines.
National park volunteers in Nepal are standing guard between humans and tigers to prevent wildlife conflict. The region where they volunteer frequently experiences human-wildlife conflict incidents, mostly involving elephants and tigers, leading to fatalities and injuries among both communities and wildlife.
The first patient in Louisiana treated with a sickle cell gene therapy is showing promising signs of recovery. The groundbreaking gene therapy treatment marks a significant step forward in the fight against the inherited blood disorder.
One of the largest community-owned solar farms in the U.K. is now crowdfunding to invest in batteries, too. The nearly 36,000 solar panels installed demonstrate what can be achieved when a renewable energy project is co-owned by local people — it already generates clean energy for 7,000 homes during the day.
Engineers developed autonomous underwater robots that can plant coral seedlings and restore ocean reefs. Until now, coral plantings have been limited to divers doing it by hand.
An AI model was able to detect signs of pancreatic cancer three years before patients were diagnosed. Experts at the Mayo Clinic say that the model could be a “game changer” for early detection.
Virginia just became the 15th state to pass a paid family and medical leave program. The program is the first of its kind to be passed by a Southern state, and lawmakers hope it will have a positive ripple effect on the rest of the Sun Belt.
Even though Trump called climate change a “con job,” lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are still trying to protect the planet. Trump’s stance on climate change has led to some of the largest deregulatory actions in the nation’s history, but people are still fighting for protections.
Fulfilling a lifelong dream, a 72-year-old nurse practitioner is now graduating from medical school. (Gifted link) Dawn Zuidgeest-Craft put her dream on hold to raise her children, and will start a three-year residency in Michigan in July.
A new study suggests that a single immunotherapy infusion could suppress HIV for years. (Gifted link) After a single infusion of immune cells engineered to recognize the virus, two people in a new study have suppressed their H.I.V. to undetectable levels, one of them for nearly two years.
Australia’s new national park links forest corridors to state forests, creating more space for koalas to roam. Great Koala National Park is home to 20% of the country’s wild koala population.
Doctors are one step closer to treating pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening pregnancy complication. Researchers at Cedars-Sinai are finding success with early trials of a new “blood-filtering” technique.
Emergency responders in Wyoming are spearheading a new lifesaving blood transfusion method. Instead of waiting until patients get to the hospital, paramedics are now administering transfusions at the scene of the accident.
A brick building in Chicago that used to be public housing is now a first-of-its-kind museum. Despite most public housing residences closing in the 1960s and 70s, this one has been preserved for the future.
In one week, a Florida community raised enough money to save a cow from slaughter. Charley was hand-raised in a 4-H program to compete in local shows, but when he was too skinny at a weigh-in, his fate shifted until locals stepped in.
An 11-year-old girl in Rhode Island is raising a rare Navajo-Churro sheep breed. Izzy Hoffman and her sheep, Cadbury, are part of a nationwide farming program designed to revive the endangered species.
Seven years after Shanghai mandated household waste sorting, it is officially on its way to becoming a “zero-waste city.” The city’s circular economy has drastically reduced Shanghai’s carbon footprint from top to bottom.
In Bucharest, an abandoned government project from the 1980s is now home to the city’s largest green space. Over four decades, the concrete-lined eyesore has transformed into an “accidental wilderness.”
