5 Recent Stories with Good News For The Environment

Here’s a (not so) hot take—bad news sells. It’s a fact of life, and why sometimes it feels like we’re being bombarded with stories about war, police brutality, and so much more. And while good news rarely makes it to the front page, there are always small moments of human kindness if you know where to look.

So if you’ve been feeling a little blue, here’s a few stories about the good things people have done to make the world a more environmentally friendly place! PS: Be sure to click the hyperlinks below to read the full articles behind each story.

5 articles with good news for the environment

Patagonia Founder Donates Fortune to Charity

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have heard that Patagonia’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, and his immediate family have donated their shares of the prolific outdoor-apparel company to charity. Valued at roughly $3 billion, these shares are now under the tutelage of the Patagonia Purpose Trust and the Holdfast Collective—a climate-focused trust, and grouping of non-profit organizations—that will be taking any profits not reinvested into the company and funding initiatives to protect wild lands and fight climate change.

EV Charging Stations Approved Nation-wide

If you’re like me and the fear of getting stuck in a dead-zone has kept you from seriously considering an electric vehicle, this may be the news you needed! This project, titled the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, has allocated $5 billion to help create an infrastructure of charging stations throughout the US over the next 5 years. Hopefully that means we’ll never have to be afraid of being stuck in a forest, in the dark, with no power and means to travel, ever again.

Dutch Students Invented an Eco-Friendly Car

While we may not have invented flying cars just yet, a group of Dutch students has gotten us one step closer. The Zero Emission Mobility (ZEM) car is a 3D printed vehicle made from recycled plastics that will solve the problem of pollution from the production of battery cells that makes it difficult for electric vehicles to balance out their carbon footprint (despite what the advertisements tell you.) The ZEM holds two filters that can capture up to 2 kg of CO2; while not a huge amount, the car signals positive progress made towards a carbon neutral vehicle.

New York and California Make Huge Strides to be zero-emission by 2035

California has pioneered the way for other blue states to ratify measures meant to protect and preserve our environment. In fact, after the state voted to start banning the sale of new gas-powered cars in 2035, New York followed suit, and is requiring all new cars sold in the state to be zero emission by the same year. As two of the most heavily trafficked states in the US, these initiatives are huge for a greener future—and is a key step in New York reducing its greenhouse gases by 85% by 2050. And with the other news about an expanding EV charging network, it looks like we’re on track to slowly transition away from fossil fuels and gas cars.

Ozone Layer on Track to Close in the Next 50 Years

If you’re a 90’s kid, you know all about the terror of the hole in the ozone layer. The science teachers loved talking about how detrimental the hole was, and how devastating it could be for us in the future. And while movement to a greener society can feel slow at times, the newest research shows that the changes made because of the Montreal Protocol has dropped the concentrations of harmful chemicals that damage the ozone layer just over 50% compared to the 1980s.

Have you heard any good news stories lately? Comment below!