Good News for the Environment

Sustainable stories of progress for the planet

The newly described Dumbara spiny mouse (Mus dumbara) has a distinctive appearance, with soft fulvous-gray fur and elongated spiny guard hairs.

Wildlife researchers attempted to trap mice with peanut butter and burnt coconut. They discovered a new species instead

In an attempt to bait wild mice, researchers met a different species new to science.

Entrance sign for Joshua Tree National Park at dusk, with pink and purple clouds in the sky above a tan stone marker that reads "ENTERING JOSHUA TREE NATIONAL PARK UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE." Desert landscape and hills visible in the background.

California is building two wildlife crossings for mountain lions in Joshua Tree. The first phase is now underway

The Mojave Desert Land Trust has gathered over $6 million in state grants to plan and design wildlife crossings in the area.

Residents of Bielsko-Biała, Poland, walk through sprinklers to stay cool during a heat wave

Extreme heat makes warm cities even hotter. Rooftop sprinklers could be the answer

Researchers have designed a model to simulate how widely distributed rooftop rainwater collection tanks combined with smart rooftop sprinkler systems could help moderate urban heat island effects.

A photo collage of a person with their back to the camera with 'Humanite' on their hoodie, faces of children on printed onto paper flowers, Macklemore holding a mic while on stage, a family enjoys each other's company at an outdoor park, and a woman doing push-ups with a timer hovering above her

Good News This Week: September 26, 2026 - Bricks, Elephants, & Tip Lines

Your weekly roundup of the best good news worth celebrating...

A speaker addresses the United Nations General Assembly from the podium as hundreds of delegates seated at desks listen. The UN emblem is visible on the wall behind the rostrum, with video screens displaying the speaker above.

The UN just passed the first declaration on sea level rise, protecting island nations' sovereignty

The world, including the U.S., agreed that rising seas will not change national borders even as small islands disappear.

A beaver with rounded features sits among twigs and dried grasses beside water.

This Canadian national park is home to the world's largest beaver dam: 'The size of 1600 hockey rinks'

Beaver dams provide habitats for the mammals while slowing floodwaters and filtering pollutants from water.

Silhouetted electrical transmission towers and power lines against a blue sky at dusk or dawn.

New data centers in Oregon will be charged for all costs associated with growing energy need

The state’s monopoly electric utilities must create a separate rate class for data centers to ensure other customers aren’t subsidizing the massive energy demand.

A hot spring with brilliant blue, orange, and pink mineral-colored water steams in the foreground, with dark branching thermal veins visible across the tan and orange mineral deposits. Coniferous forest covers mountains in the background under clear blue sky.

Yellowstone rangers find and donate hundreds of discarded baseball caps from the park's hot springs

From claw clips to camera lens caps, the thousands of trash items reveal a lot about national park visitors.

A gray and tan canine with pointed ears holds a small rodent in its mouth while standing on snow against a dark background.

Scientists are crowd-sourcing photos of wildlife eating lunch. It helps them protect endangered species

With a new platform called Who Eats Whom, citizen scientists reveal the fascinating, sometimes shocking interactions between species.

Solar panels mounted on tracking systems in a field, with mechanical equipment visible on the left panel and dense forest visible in the background under clear blue sky.

Trump cancelled a $7B solar energy grant program. A judge just ordered its revival

Biden-era incentives for residential rooftop panels remain uncertain as plaintiffs await federal appeal.

A photo collage of inmates seated and smiling at the camera, a man working with solar panels at a solar farm, vials of tuberculosis vaccines, a river, and a solar panel farm

Good News This Week: September 19, 2026 - Salmon, Potholes, & Waterways