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 ‘breakthrough’ HIV prevention drug just got FDA approval
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved lenacapavir. This twice-a-year injection provides near-complete protection against HIV infection, with the potential to dramatically rein in the HIV epidemic.
Scientists behind the drug say it’s the “best tool yet in helping end the HIV epidemic for everyone, everywhere.” And experts agree, hailing lenacapavir as a “breakthrough.”
It’s a significantly more convenient alternative to the current standard of care for HIV prevention, which is a daily pill that’s 99% effective at preventing HIV infection — but only if the daily dose regimen is strictly adhered to.
Why is this good news? The twice-annual treatment has the potential to reach many more people who need it, especially those who face stigma for daily medication. Some single women in South Africa, for example, reported that taking a daily pill raised suspicion among their partners.
And cost wouldn’t even be a barrier, as it can be manufactured for just $25 per patient per year — the manufacturer just needs to keep the price tag low.
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‘Space capsules’ offer new approach to confront homelessness in the Bay Area that’s straight out of ‘Star Wars’
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Wildlife experts in Michigan removed a plastic lid that had been stuck around a 110-pound bear’s neck for years
While they aren’t sure how it happened — or how it ate, drank, or hibernated — wildlife experts were finally able to trap and remove a large lid that had been stuck around a black bear’s neck for two years.
The bear was first seen with the lid around its neck when it was a cub in 2023, and the state’s DNR had been on the lookout for it ever since. It turned up again in May of this year, and they were able to safely trap the bear, give it anesthesia, and cut the lid off.
They also said it “was in much better condition” than they expected it to be, with some scarring on its neck and missing hair.
A student-led group in LA is delivering groceries to people sheltering at home amidst ongoing immigration raids
With federal agents continuing immigration raids in the L.A. community, targeting schools, workplaces, churches, immigration court, and more, people have been paralyzed by fear and avoiding public spaces.
But a network of volunteers has rallied together to collect and drop off groceries, toiletries, and other items to families who are too afraid to leave their homes.
Organized under the student-led collective Raíces con Voz: Latinos In Public Health, what started with about 10 volunteers gathering and sorting donations has grown to more than 500 people reaching out to join in and volunteer. They’ve made deliveries to over 200 families so far.
Why is this good news? All people deserve to have their basic needs met, and these volunteers are making sure that food, toiletries, and other essentials are one less thing that people afraid of being arrested, detained, and potentially deported have to worry about.
See the stunning 7-room home built by a mother-daughter duo using 8,000 glass bottles collected from Brazilian beaches
A majority of people around the world support a ‘carbon tax’ — even if they’re the ones paying it
Defying conventional political wisdom, people surveyed in wealthier countries around the world said they would support taxes on themselves to address climate change and combat poverty.
A survey of 40,680 people across 20 nations — 12 high-income and eight “middle-income” — found strong support for a carbon tax that would transfer wealth from the worst polluters to people in developing nations — even if it took money out of their own pocket.
Japan showed the highest support, with 94% of respondents supporting a carbon tax. The policy was least popular in the U.S., but still half of those surveyed said they’d support it.
A world-first agreement created a visa related to the climate crisis — its first round of applications just opened
In 2023, Tuvalu and Australia signed the Falepili Union treaty, which would allow up to 280 Tuvaluans a year to migrate to Australia, obtain permanent residency, and move freely between the countries.
Tuvalu is one of the smallest countries in the world, and is predicted to be one of the first to become uninhabitable due to rising sea levels caused by the climate crisis. Projections estimate that by 2050, half of the nation’s capital city could be submerged during high tides, and up to 95% regularly flooded by the end of the century.
Tuvalu’s prime minister called the agreement creating a migration pathway “groundbreaking, unprecedented, and landmark” since it means people aren’t forced to reside in Australia, but “can go in and come out as you wish.”
Why is this good news? While some worry about the impacts of the agreement on labor and cultural knowledge loss, migration due to climate change is still expected to be a massive global issue. These countries are proactively working on solutions because all migrants, regardless of how they come to be displaced, deserve choice, safety, protection, and autonomy.
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Americans are sharing their hopes for the country on ‘wish walls’ nationwide — the responses are surprisingly unifying
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A coordinated global effort eradicated smallpox within decades — after it initially declined only gradually
The world’s first vaccine against smallpox was developed in 1796. While many countries in Europe and North America, the Soviet Union, and island nations eliminated the disease through vaccination programs — it remained widespread across Africa and Asia in the mid-20th century, with tens of millions infected every year.
That is, until the World Health Organization committed to global eradication in 1959 and intensified its campaign with a “ring vaccination” strategy in 1967.
The approach worked almost immediately, and within a decade, the number of countries where smallpox was endemic fell to zero. The disease was officially declared eradicated in 1980.
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Scientists used E. coli bacteria to convert a widely used plastic into a common painkiller
Scientists from the University of Edinburgh used Escherichia coli bacteria to convert molecules from a widely used type of plastic — polyethylene terephthalate, or PET — into the common painkiller acetaminophen.
Acetaminophen, like most drugs, is made from fossil fuels, as is plastic. While this solution is not currently scalable at an industrial or commercial level, it has a lot of potential.
As one scientist said, it “demonstrates that PET plastic isn’t just waste or a material destined to become more plastic” — it can be made into “valuable new products, including those with potential for treating disease.”
Why is this good news? Plastic pollution and the use of fossil fuels to manufacture drugs are two of the largest problems facing the planet today, and this solution addresses both, turning something we’d normally consider waste into something really useful.
In a major milestone for the clean energy transition, China just surpassed 1 TW of solar capacity
By the end of May 2025, cumulative solar capacity in China officially reached 1.08 TW, a 56.9% increase year over year. This milestone was driven by a record number of solar installations in the first five months of the year.
Between January and May, new installations totaled 197.85 GW, up 388.03% from the same period in 2024. The country added 92.92 GW in May alone.
Analysts credit the surge in capacity to favorable government policies, which triggered a rush to complete installations before policy changes that are expected in the second half of the year. They also expect this pace to slow as a result.
A massive conservation deal saved nearly 8,000 acres of forest in Alabama from becoming a wood pellet mill
Nearly 8,000 acres of forest in Alabama’s Mobile-Tensaw Delta, one of the most biodiverse places in North America, is now protected as the E.O. Wilson Land Between the Rivers Preserve — named after a pioneering biologist from the state.
The land was at risk of becoming the site of a wood pellet mill, and large swaths of the forest were at risk of being cut down, chipped, and shipped overseas to be used as biomass energy — which has competing claims about the risks and benefits as an alternative to fossil fuels.
The land was purchased for $15 million with funds from Patagonia’s Holdfast Collective alongside an anonymous donor.
Why is this good news? Sometimes called “America’s Amazon,” the Delta is not only incredibly biodiverse, the hardwood trees and surrounding ecosystem stores an incredible amount of carbon — and that needs to be protected.
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Norway offered residents a chance to win a $1,000 prize for recycling; now 97% of all plastic bottles are returned
In one of its strongest quarters ever, the U.S. just added 8.6 GW of new solar module manufacturing capacity
In the first quarter of this year, the U.S. solar industry added 8.6 gigawatts of new solar module manufacturing capacity — the third-largest on record.
The record-setting capacity comes from eight new or expanded factories located in Texas, Ohio, and Arizona. Additionally, solar cell production capacity doubled in the first quarter to 2 GW thanks to a new factory in South Carolina.
Also in that time period, the solar industry installed 10.8 GW of new electricity generating capacity, with solar and storage accounting for 82% of all new generating capacity added to the grid.
More good news of the week —
Youth in Oregon between the ages of 1 and 18 are getting free meals this summer at nearly 700 sites across the state. The Summer Food Service Program serves a mix of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, and roughly 1.43 million meals were served in the state last summer.
🏳️🌈 The first and only in the city, a queer-owned women’s sports bar just opened in San Francisco. Rikki’s is one of the few establishments in the Castro neighborhood that’s owned and operated by queer women — and it’s located in a city where women’s sports are absolutely thriving.
During a routine research dive, scientists discovered a new methane-eating deep sea spider species. In addition to living exclusively in methane seeps and hydrothermal vents on the ocean floor, the Sericosura sea spiders displayed a curious behavior: They consumed methane gas.
A pilot program in Denver is providing portable A/C units and air purifiers to low-income families facing extreme heat. With temperatures expected to set records across the country this summer, the city is installing 165 air conditioning units and 570 air purifiers in its most heat-vulnerable and polluted neighborhoods using money from a voter-approved Climate Protection Fund.
A new law in Colorado establishes Black history education standards for public schools. The law requires the Colorado State Board of Education to adopt standards on Black American history and creates an advisory committee to help develop those standards in an effort to teach “a full, honest history — one that recognizes the achievements, contributions, and experiences of Black Americans.”
Adidas launched the first-ever soccer “boot” built by and exclusively for the unique needs of women players. The brand said it was responding to reports that the majority of women players have at some point experienced discomfort wearing a unisex shoe, and was tested by its athletes and partner team members, including the USWNT’s Trinity Rodman.
🏳️🌈 Australia became the first country in the world to lift a ban on blood and plasma donation for gay and bisexual men. While the U.S. and U.K. made similar moves, Australia is the first to remove all sexual-activity-based restrictions on plasma donation, which will have no impact on safety but will expand the donation pool by an estimated 625,000 people.
🏳️🌈 A vacant, “creepy” school building in Boston was transformed into thriving housing for LGBTQ+ seniors. After a year of operation, residents and representatives alike believe The Pryde stands as a powerful blueprint for LGBTQ+ senior living communities everywhere, demonstrating how inclusive spaces can transform lives.
Two companies collaborated to create a plastic-free cheese packaging that biodegrades in 300 days, not 1,000 years. As an alternative to single-use plastic wrapping, Ogilvy Colombia and Nestlé Central America created “Self-Packing Cheese” that’s entirely made from cheese waste and whey.
🏳️🌈 “Drag Race” star Miss Peppermint is co-leading an unconventional LGBTQ+ virtual book club. Alongside a queer historian and author, Queer History 101 is a monthly book club that’s taking a more expansive approach to history than simply reciting dates or names, at a time when their mission couldn’t be more important.
Mobile doctors are bringing health care to older patients facing homelessness. Nearly 140,000 Americans who are 55 or older are experiencing homelessness on any given day, and that number is estimated to nearly triple by 2030. (Video)
Old smartphones are being transformed into “tiny data centers” to help save marine life. Despite the expense to consumers and the environmental toll of producing more than 1.2 million smartphones globally every year, our devices have an increasingly short lifespan as people tend to replace them every two to three years.
A new “hotel” for families and veterans experiencing homelessness just opened in Denver. Expanding on the site’s previous capacity, The Theodora Family Hotel has 60 individual family suites and can house up to 240 people per night — each person or family will have their own private space.
Ireland just closed its final coal power plant, making it the 15th coal-free country in Europe. Industry observers say the country’s increased renewable energy generation in recent years, particularly in wind, has contributed to this milestone.
MIT researchers developed new particles that can carry multiple vaccine doses at once. New polymer microparticles can be used to deliver vaccines at different times, which could lead to childhood vaccines being given just once, eliminating the need for booster doses.
Yosemite mules are returning to help patrol and take care of the national park this summer. Part of the country’s third-oldest national park since 1917, the mules help rangers patrol the park, carrying supplies for trail crews as they oversee 800 miles of trail and helping workers who are clearing trails of downed trees.
Zion National Park’s shuttle service has officially helped 100 million people enjoy the park. This milestone marks 25 years of accommodating millions of visitors while safeguarding park resources with sustainable transportation.
Congaree National Park is using a “Skeeter Meter” to help visitors prepare for mosquitoes. To protect wildlife and biodiversity in the park, Congaree doesn’t spray pesticides to control the mosquito population, which thrives for the same reasons the park’s record-setting old-growth hardwood forest does.
A study found that plastic bag bans and fees are helping stop them from ending up on U.S. shorelines. While more plastic bags are being found across the U.S., it’s happening less in the places trying to tackle the issue, which saw them fall by at least 25% as a percentage of total litter collected compared to places that didn’t try.
Researchers are making progress on bladeless wind turbines that are are quieter, occupy less room, and safer for birds. The BWTs also typically require less maintenance due to their simple design, and the researchers have found a “sweet spot” for maximizing power generation without sacrificing strength.
Pacific Island nations launched a plan for the world’s first Indigenous-led ocean reserve — it would cover an area the size of the Amazon rainforest. The Melanesian Ocean Reserve would be located within the region known as Melanesia, which is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions, home to an estimated 75% of known coral species, and more than 3,000 species of reef-associated fish.
Canada just broke ground on its largest off-grid solar project to provide a First Nations government with renewable energy. The project will help reduce the remote Ulkatcho First Nation community’s use of diesel for electricity generation, which it is currently entirely reliant on, by 64%.
The world’s largest sand battery is now storing wind and solar energy in Finland. Capable of storing 100 MWh of thermal energy from solar and wind sources, it will enable residents to eliminate oil from their district heating network, cutting emissions by nearly 70%.
Volunteers in Guatemala are fighting deforestation by planting thousands of trees to regenerate their community’s landscape. The Chico Mendes Reforestation Project in Pachaj started its work in 1999 after the region had suffered extensive deforestation over several decades.
