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 UK is planting half a million trees in the next three years
In late September, the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Environment, Angela Eagle, pledged that half a million trees will be planted in the next three years as part of efforts to protect against extreme weather.
As part of the new initiative, mayors, local officials, charities, and community groups will receive funding and newfound authority to restore natural landscapes, including wetlands, riverbanks, and meadows.
Craig Bennett, the chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts, said, “We need to make Britain wet again. … We could have tens of thousands of new wetlands.”
Why is this good news? Wetlands, riverbanks, and meadows reduce flooding by acting as a natural barrier to heavy rainfall, snowfall, snowmelt, and storm runoff. By acting as natural sponges, the natural flora and fauna hold onto absorbed water and slowly feed it back into streams and rivers days or weeks later.
Meet the first bear to ever receive a prosthetic paw: ‘We do whatever it takes to help’
Under President Lula’s administration, 20K square kilometers of Amazon have been protected from deforestation
A new analysis found that, under the leadership of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, at least 20,000 square kilometers of deforestation have been prevented in the Amazon.
That’s an area the size of New Jersey, and is especially notable coming from the country that is home to 60% of the Amazon rainforest.
It is also a reversal from Lula’s predecessor, whose administration oversaw a surge in deforestation as a result of anti-environmental policies.
In Maine, about 11,000 acres of ancestral homeland were returned to a Native tribe
In the first phase of what will be one of the largest land returns between a U.S. nonprofit and tribal nation, about 11,000 acres of ancestral homeland was just returned to the Penobscot Nation.
In total, the tribe will eventually be given back around 30,000 acres south of the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. The rest of the land will be returned after another $12 million is raised.
When the swath of land initially came up for sale, it was purchased from timber harvesters by the Trust for Public Land, which is now working to raise enough money to return it to the tribe.
Why is this good news? For too long, Indigenous wisdom has been overlooked in land conservation. Not only does this land hold cultural significance to the tribe, but now it will be able to directly steward how it is conserved and used into the future.
National Geographic dropped a camera underwater for an hour. They accidentally captured a first-of-its-kind animal sighting
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An Arizona middle schooler spent her summer break delivering 30,000 diapers to families in need
A middle school student in Arizona spent her summer collecting nearly 30,000 diapers to donate to Nourish Phoenix, which helps families with food, clothing, job assistance, and more.
The nonprofit said diapers are their most requested item — and 12-year-old Sloan’s donation was one of the largest they’d ever received.
Even more impressively, Sloan has been volunteering with Nourish Phoenix since she was seven years old — and in her first diaper drive five years ago, she collected around 7,000 diapers.
A new program is helping incarcerated firefighters in California transition into jobs with Cal Fire
California Gov. Gavin Newsom just signed a bill to give formerly incarcerated firefighters in the state credentials that match the requirements for entry-level jobs at Cal Fire.
The bill standardizes the credentials they receive upon release from prison, and gives them priority for certain positions. The career pathway provides a critical opportunity for a six-figure income, state pension, and meaningful, essential work.
Prior to this bill being signed into law, the paperwork was reportedly more cumbersome and less official for accessing job opportunities.
Why is this good news? After leaving prison, incarcerated people in general often struggle to find work, a contributing factor to recidivism. Incarcerated firefighters get real, quality, on-the-job experience that can and should easily translate to a viable career upon release, without being needlessly prohibitive. This bill helps clear the way.
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Cards Against Humanity is donating free games to public libraries to fight ‘brainrot and AI slop’
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The number of people living in extreme poverty has declined dramatically over the last 200 years
Sometimes the very best progress in the world happens slowly and steadily. That’s the case for people living in extreme poverty. Just 200 years ago, more than 80% of the world lived in extreme poverty — today, it’s under 9%.
As late as 1820, nearly 84% of people in the world lived in extreme poverty. In 1981, it was still 42% — it took 160 years for extreme poverty rates to fall by half. Since, it’s dramatically sped up, with the latest assessment putting the figure at 8.6%, and it continues to decline.
While that still represents millions of people around the world, it’s proof that progress is not only possible; we can continually, exponentially improve.
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A Chicago woman transformed her yard into an oasis for migrating monarch butterflies
Claudia Galeno-Sánchez has spent the past two years transforming her Chicago home into a sanctuary and educational space for monarch butterflies.
With native milkweed and wildflowers in her back and front yards, Galeno-Sánchez, her husband, and her two children spend the fall admiring the monarchs that visit as they make a nearly 3,000-mile migration journey to Mexico until late October.
An immigrant herself, she’s found a kinship with the migratory butterflies and has even expanded her efforts throughout her community to nearby schools — she now has eight native plant projects and distributes milkweed plants to a community garden.
Why is this good news? Over the past 20 years, monarch butterflies have been severely declining due to habitat loss from deforestation, extreme weather from the climate crisis, and pesticides harming the plants critical to their survival. Along with regulatory protections, grassroots efforts like this have helped make a huge difference for their survival.
1,000 people buried their underwear across Switzerland. The unusual study helped researchers gauge soil health
Gas cars fell below 50% of new car sales globally for the first time
In the first half of 2026, gasoline-only vehicles made up 49% of global new-vehicle sales, down from 73% in 2021 — marking the first time on record they’ve fallen below half of sales. In a single year, gas-only car sales fell from 52% to 49% globally.
More hybrid-electric vehicles are still being sold than battery-electric vehicles — though the latter showed faster growth. BEVs grew 12%, making up 17% of new car sales, while hybrids grew 10%, representing 18% of sales.
China leads the way, but even in the U.S., where gas cars still dominate, hybrid sales volume was up 23%, reaching a record 16.3% of new car sales.
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One year in, New York City’s congestion pricing policy has led to cleaner air
New York City implemented its congestion pricing structure, the first in the country, in parts of Manhattan in January 2025, and now, the latest data shows that fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, one year later, was 13% lower.
That estimate tracks with the around 11% drop in the number of vehicles entering the congestion pricing zone, providing a clear connection between reduced vehicle activity and air quality improvements.
The researchers also factored in weather and seasonal impacts on air quality to get to an even more accurate estimate of the benefits of the zone on air quality.
Why is this good news? People deserve to breathe clean air. Fossil fuel-powered cars still make up the vast majority of vehicles on roads in the U.S. and — beyond their contributions to the climate crisis — have a devastating impact on local air quality. Congestion pricing is one policy that can improve air quality — and human health.
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Experts say the national decline in homicide is largely tied to three things
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The first-ever ‘Global Girls’ Index’ found health outcomes have improved for girls in 178 countries since 2000
The first-ever Weltmädchenindex, or Global Girls’ Index, found that health outcomes improved for girls in 178 of the 192 countries examined between 2000 and 2023.
The index compared health outcomes for more than 971 million girls and teens between 5 and 19 years old, examining five key categories, including mortality rates and birth rates.
One of the most significant findings was that mortality among girls more than halved. Additionally, birth rates among those between the ages of 10 and 19 fell by around one-third. More progress needs to be made, though, as 290 million girls still live in countries with low or very low scores on the index.
More good news of the week —
The Spix’s macaw rebounded in the wild for the first time in two decades after conservationists released captive-bred birds into Brazil. The striking blue bird was believed to have disappeared from the wild in 2000, but the Spix’s macaws are flying in the natural habitat once more.
Researchers at William Marsh Rice University developed a new material that destroys “forever chemicals” 100 times faster than average waste facilities. In their new study, scientists found that layered double hydroxide material works more effectively than traditional filtration systems.
Savannah, Georgia turned 160,000 cubic yards of mud into a rare bird habitat. Shorebird populations have experienced shrinking habitats due to sea levels, storm surge, and coastal erosion.
A Michigan man is creating prosthetic legs from repurposed bike parts and giving away the revolutionary design plans for free. Hogan recently trained people in Ghana to build the prosthetics and is sharing free instructions online so others can make them locally.
A skateboarder completed a 3,000-mile journey across America for charity. Chad Caruso completed the journey to raise funds for Natural High, which helps young people pursue their passions and avoid drugs and alcohol.
Detroit is building a stronger pipeline of teachers equipped to support a rising number of students with autism. Through a partnership with Michigan State University, teachers can pursue a fully online master’s degree in special education with an autism spectrum disorder endorsement while receiving tuition support from the school district.
Located in Germany, the world’s tallest wind turbine just reached its full height. Winds at higher altitudes are stronger and more consistent, giving the turbine more opportunities to generate electricity, and it could produce approximately twice as much energy as a conventional turbine.
Over half a million voters registered on National Voter Registration Day. It was National Voter Registration Day’s second-most-successful midterm effort since the group began its annual nationwide registration drive in 2012 to encourage turnout.
A southeast London initiative is giving free land to people who will use it to build social housing. It’s the most radical suite of solutions to the housing crisis any local authority is currently putting forward, and could lead to nationwide change.
A study found that a conditional cash transfer program in Brazil drove the most formal job creation. Recipients of Bolsa Família, the federal government’s cash-transfer program, accounted for 85% of the net gain in formal jobs in the labor market between January 2023 and July 2026.
A technology that allows a shared rooftop solar system to be split among several apartments won a top design award in Australia. SolShare works like a “traffic controller for solar” and took home the 2026 Australian Good Design award for sustainability.
Game 3 and 4 of the WNBA Finals were moved to a much larger arena in Atlanta to accommodate more fans. The location of the Atlanta Dream home games had been up in the air because the team wanted to play at State Farm Arena, but initially faced scheduling conflicts with Atlanta’s NBA team and a concert.
After three years of research, replanting, and growth monitoring, the Samish Indian Nation has successfully restored bull kelp beds in the San Juan Islands. Bull kelp has long been used by coastal tribes in Washington as food, tools, and toys, among other creative practices.
A father and mother in Texas were able to hold their premature twins skin-to-skin using breakthrough technology known as the “Skincubator.” The wearable device allows critically fragile newborns to experience skin-to-skin contact while remaining connected to essential medical equipment.
Michelle Obama pledged more than $1 million to organizations that support girls around the world. In honor of International Day of the Girl, her Girls Opportunity Alliance announced that it will support 25 different organizations in 15 countries.
A record number of Native Americans are running in the 2026 midterm elections. (Gifted link) At least 355 Native American and Indigenous candidates ran or are running in local, state, and federal primary and general elections this year.
A Maryland family turned a 116-acre hunting farm into a protected wildlife haven. Over the course of two decades, they planted thousands of trees, including river birches, tulip poplars, sycamores, white oaks, loblolly pines, black walnuts, and pawpaws, alongside grasses, shrubs, and wildflowers.
Robots are cleaning the dust off solar panels, saving billions of gallons of water. Where the sun is the strongest, the desert, the dust is also at its worst, and annual energy losses from panels covered in dust, called soiling, range from about 7% in parts of the United States to as much as 50% in the Middle East.
The NAACP recruited more than 50,000 volunteers to help protect voters’ rights during the midterms. The effort is part of NAACP’s aggressive Election Protection program taking place across the country, with concentrated operations in 16 priority states.
Researchers shared that gene therapy can partly restore sight in blind people. Optogenetic therapy is based on Nobel Prize-winning science and involves turning nerve cells on and off using light.
Climate activists launched floating gardens in a British harbor, creating “a wildlife corridor in a city.” Beyond bringing green space to an urban center, the floating gardens create wildlife habitats, absorb floodwaters, and cool down the city amid record-high temperatures.
China has connected its first 1-gigawatt clean energy project that combines solar panels with solar thermal. The project is expected to generate an average of 2.2 billion kWh of electricity annually, save about 690,000 tonnes of standard coal, and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 2.07 million tonnes a year.
Two veterans with prosthetic legs summited a mountain in a tribute to Ukrainian soldiers. The two veterans each lost a lower leg while defending Ukraine and summited Mera Peak in Nepal, reaching an altitude of 6,476 meters.
A 15-month operation removed nearly 40,000 tonnes of illegally dumped waste from an ancient woodland in the UK. Recognised as a “site of special scientific interest,” the protected area provides a habitat for rare plants and wildlife, but organised criminals targeted the site in 2023, piling garbage up to 15 feet high.
Nintendo confirmed it has no plans to abandon physical games for its Switch 2 consoles. That stance is in stark contrast to Sony, which announced it would stop making physical games for its PlayStation console starting in January 2028.
