OGN Wednesday
- Jun 10
- 4 min read
Today's upbeat selection of positive news nuggets from all around the globe.
Textures in Motion
Our world exists in vibrant colour, but the Exposure One Awards celebrate monochrome beauty. In this year’s One Shot Photo Contest, photographers from 82 countries submitted images for consideration. “The 2026 One Shot Photo Contest challenges photographers to distill their craft, perspective, and storytelling into a single, definitive image. A distinguished jury evaluated submissions across multiple categories, ultimately recognizing a select group of photographers whose work exemplifies the power and precision of the single frame.” Lori Dove's intriguing image of flamingos flying over Lake Magadi in Kenya’s Rift Valley was one of this year's winners.
Nonagenarian's Mission
Next week, 90-year-old explorer Robin Hanbury-Tenison will set off on a 104-mile journey down the Thames on a water bike, travelling from Oxford to London to raise funds for Britain’s endangered temperate rainforests. After decades campaigning for rainforests across the globe, he’s now turning his attention to the one most people don’t even realise exists in Britain. What makes the story particularly special is that the project he’s fundraising for is being led by his son, Merlin. Together, they’re working to create Europe’s first dedicated temperate rainforest research station, helping protect and restore one of the UK’s most threatened habitats. At an age when most people would be slowing down, Robin is taking on 31 locks and more than 100 miles of river to support a cause he believes cannot wait.
First For 122 Years
More than a century after California condors disappeared from Oregon, one bird’s journey signals progress for the endangered species, after a California condor recently flew into Oregon, becoming the first free-flying condor documented in the state since 1904. Condor B9, a little more than two years old, was released into the wild last year by the Yurok Tribe’s condor restoration program. “She flew almost 100 miles per day, which means she was really utilizing the landscape the way that only a condor can, really taking advantage of those mountains and riverways that give good flight corridors.”
Papal PayPal
Pope Leo XIV may live modestly - he took a vow of poverty as a member of the Order of Saint Augustine and earns a relatively small stipend as head of the Catholic Church - but he just got a little extra walking-around money. A representative traveled from Illinois to Vatican City to hand-deliver a check for $8.65: the forgotten balance of a PayPal account dating back to before his papal election. Leo joked that he’d tried to sort it out over the phone - only to get disconnected by customer service. Some experiences, it seems, are universal.
Pope Francis Jokes That Whisky is 'The True Holy Water' - but the pontiff's remark did not make the final cut of a documentary.
US Clean Energy Blitz
US clean energy is going on a blitz to beat policy deadline. US clean energy developers announced 54 utility-scale solar, wind and battery projects in the first quarter of 2026, representing more than $18 billion in planned investment and over 12 GW of new capacity (enough to power around 2 million homes). That is nearly double the number announced in all of 2025, as companies rush to qualify before federal tax rules tighten.
Aussie Turning Point
Australia's greenhouse gas emissions have dropped, showing signs of a turning point in the country's most polluting sectors. Emissions are at their lowest point since the covid pandemic shut down the economy, dropping 2.1 percent over the year to December 2025, according to the latest national greenhouse gas inventory update. The significant drop is largely driven by clean energy replacing fossil fuels in electricity generation, but transport emissions also continued to fall, year-on-year, for the second quarter in a row since the pandemic. The further good news is that this drop doesn't yet account for the surging demand for electric vehicles since the start of the year - hitting a record high of 20 percent of new car sales in May. That figure more than doubles again if you include hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, with the share of all electrified vehicle sales hitting a whopping 46 percent.
“Too much credit is given to the end result. The true lesson is in the struggle that takes place between the dream and reality. That struggle is a thing called life.” Garth Brooks
On This Day
10 June 1752: Benjamin Franklin tests the lightning conductor with his kite-flying experiment. It proved that a grounded, pointed metal conductor could safely draw electric charges out of the sky. He subsequently used this principle to invent the lightning rod, a metal rod placed on the roofs of buildings that safely channels lightning strikes into the ground to prevent fires
Today's Articles
Unexpected Revival: Mangrove forests - the world's unsung environmental heroes - are making a remarkable comeback.
Tuk-Tuk Revolution: Battery-powered versions are transforming economies and the environment in Asia.
Luxury Arctic Cruising: Sounding like a superhero, the wonderfully named Captain Arctic will soon begin sailing in the far north.
Mood Boosting Video
Teahupo'o Tahiti: As powerful Pacific energy created 'Swell of the Year 2026', some of the best surfers were there to surf it.
