The last day before a long weekend, so why not enjoy some more good news?
27,000 trees are cut down daily to make toilet tissue. That's 27,000 too many, so a couple of innovative companies created toilet tissue made from 100 percent bamboo. Why is bamboo better? It grows 80 times faster than an average tree - meaning that it can create thousands of toilet tissue rolls in the same time it would take for a single tree to grow back. Its short fibers are perfect for making toilet tissue, and made with 3-ply texture it strikes the perfect balance between soft and strong. It feels just like your usual high quality loo paper, but it's biodegradable, 100 percent plastic-free and ships straight to you. If you give a crap, try it. In Europe, go for Bumboo. For America, try Honeycomb.
Good news for Zimbabwe mango growers: With heavy rain bringing a bumper mango harvest, and lockdown making selling it difficult, a new dried fruit processing centre is preventing waste and protecting incomes by turning them into a product that can be shipped to buyers around the country and abroad.
Uber users in central London can now request an all-electric car, now that “Uber Green” has been launched. The ride-hailing platform intends a wide roll-out in Europe and America in 2021, part of a commitment to become fully zero-emission by 2040.
California's diesel rules are working: There's been a massive improvement in air quality and public health.
India has just given 1.2 million free doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine to Bangladesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the offering at the end of a two-day tour of Bangladesh to celebrate its 50th independence anniversary. The trip also marked Modi’s first foreign travel since the outbreak of the pandemic.
Google Maps will no longer always show motorists the fastest route, suggesting fuel efficient driving directions instead in an attempt to help drivers reduce their carbon footprint. The app will soon default to the most fuel efficient route which will be calculated by considering road incline and traffic congestion, using local government data. It will do so even if motorists might shave a few minutes off a trip by taking alternative directions.
Biden's British anti-trust rockstar: If you believe that the Silicon Valley bohemoths are too big and too powerful, Biden’s startling new appointment will come as good news.
One good turn deserves another: Egyptian immigrant in Italy gives away his produce for free in order to give back to the country that took him in. Sameh Ayad’s sign reads: “10 years ago you welcomed me. Now I want to say thank you!!”
Utah is getting two new state parks - it's 45th and 46th - adding thousands of acres to its vast portfolio.
Scots achieve the impossible: A community in Scotland has completed one of the country’s largest ever land buyouts - and is now turning the estate into a nature reserve.
How about some music? The lyrics to Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody resonate rather well in today's world. Here's Austin Brown's beautiful, paired-back 2021 version of the hit...