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Good News Wednesday

Updated: Nov 27, 2022

Global round up of positive news nuggets to help ensure it's a sunny day.


Child Paints for Charities

It all started with a watercolor set. That's what Arsh Pal's parents gave their son on his eighth birthday four years ago. He created dozens of pieces of art, and gave them away to family and friends. Pal was also spending a lot of time visiting the nursing home where his mom works, and that's where he got the idea to start selling his paintings, with all proceeds going to charity. "Just by talking to the residents and the people there, it just made them smile and that really made me smile at the same time," the Iowa resident told The Washington Post. His goal was to raise $1,000, but over the last four years, he's made more than $15,000 in charitable donations.

American bison grazing on the prairie
American Prairie

A non-profit organisation in the United States has raised nearly $200 million from more than 4,000 donors in order to create a nature reserve on the great plains, a place where buffalo can roam once again. The overall goal is 3.2 million acres of intact grasslands - the size of Connecticut, or the Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks combined. It will be privately owned but open to the public.

 
 
Variety of different socks by the Awesome Socks Club
Credit: Awesome Socks Club
Hospital Built by Socks

Since 2019, Hank and John Green, along with their fanbase, have been committed to raising at least $25,000,000 to support the construction, staffing, and supplying of a new hospital in the Kono District of Sierra Leone. They’re reaching this goal through a number of projects - one of them is a sock subscription service. Now entering its third year, the Awesome Socks Club has grown to over 40,000 subscribers and has surpassed the million-dollar threshold each year. Just as it was always intended, 100% of this money has gone to charity. Thanks to their support, ground was broken for construction of the hospital in April 2021 and construction is well underway.


Conservation Success

The pirarucu, also known as arapaima fish, can weigh up to 440 pounds - by far the largest of 2,300 known fish species in the Amazon. It’s also a staple food source for the Deni Indigenous people but was nearly driven to extinction by illegal and unsustainable net fishing. Now, the pirarucu is thriving again, thanks to a partnership between settler communities and Indigenous peoples. The groups work together to sustainably fish and manage the pirarucu. Amazon rainforest experts say the collaboration is unlike anything they’ve seen in the region and is an example to all of us of how we can come together to protect and conserve the planet and its resources.


Record Breaker

Breaking the previous record set by a turbine in Germany, Siemens Gamesa's offshore wind turbine prototype, situated at a test center in Denmark, generated 359 megawatt-hours (MWh) worth of electricity in 24 hours. The company achieved this milestone in large part by making the turbine blades larger - the prototypes are larger than the Statue of Liberty. According to Siemens, each turbine can provide enough energy to power about 18,000 households annually. This new record is a significant point of progress in the transition to clean energy.

 
 

Holiday Cheer

The 2022 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree has finally arrived at Rockefeller Plaza in New York City after it was cut down from its home in Queensbury, New York, and traveled 200 miles to the Big Apple. The 82-foot tall Norway spruce was donated by Neil Lebowitz and his family, who were more than happy to give up their tree. “If it can bring a smile and awe to a little child or help somebody who’s a little blue, it’s all worth it," Lebowitz said. The official tree lighting ceremony will be on 30 November.

 
Today's Quote

“He’s always asking: ‘Is that new? I haven’t seen that before.’ It’s like, Why don’t you mind your own business? Solve world hunger. Get out of my closet.” Michelle Obama

 
On this Day

16 November 2010: 2010 Engagement announced between Prince William and Catherine Middleton at Clarence House, London.

 





 
Mood Booster

The extraordinary looking Peacock Spider dances to YMCA.



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