Today's tasty bite-sized chunks of upbeat news.
Moon on a Budget
You will no doubt already know that India has successfully landed on the Moon - but did you know that they did so at a cost that's less than Hollywood space movies? The Indian space agency completed a “soft landing” on the lunar surface, near its southern pole, becoming the first ever to land there, and just the fourth country to successfully send a mission to the Moon at all. And it did so on a very restrictive budget. The Chandrayaan-3 cost was sent to the Moon at a cost of about 6.15 billion rupees, or $75 million, according to Reuters. That's less than the $100m cost of Gravity, or the $108m for The Martian - and it was less than half the cost of Interstellar, which was filmed on a budget of $165 million.
Child Raises $17k
This 5 year old boy in Seattle is showing that there’s no barrier to entry for disaster relief; that all it takes is a willing heart, a hot summer day, and some ice-cold lemonade. Having recently returned from a family vacation on the Big Island, Ami Juel and her husband were watching the devastation of the Lahaina fires on television when their son, Edison, when he immediately wanted to help and suggested setting up a lemonade stand like he saw once in Colorado. His parents thought it was a great idea, so stocked up on pink and yellow lemonade, ice cream sandwiches, candy, sparkling water, and popsicles. After a week’s worth of sales, Ami and Edison had $17,000 to send to Lahaina.
Zero-Waste Island
First it was declared a national park, then it became energy self-sufficient. Now the small Greek island of Tilos has become the world’s first zero-waste island. The changes have been vast. Before the project began, the island sent 87 per cent of its waste to landfill; now 100 per cent of it is diverted from the dump.
Grandma's Recipes
Grandma's cooking is what you'll get at Enoteca Maria. The Staten Island, New York, restaurant invites and employs real grandmothers from countries around the globe to cook their family recipes. When he began the restaurant 16 years ago, naming it in honor of his late mother, Joe Scaravella shared the culinary skills of Italian 'nonnas', like his own. He has since expanded to feature other cultures, including recipes from Puerto Rico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Greece, and Hong Kong. "Coming off a very divisive period in history, it really helps to bring down those barriers in the same way music and art does," he said. "It helps you engage with another culture without even realizing it, so that your personal biases, whatever they may be, are not in the forefront anymore."
Braille on Planes
United Airlines has become the first US airline to add Braille markings to interiors of its planes. So far, about a dozen have been equipped with the signage, which conveys information about rows, seat numbers and lavatories. The rest of the United fleet are expected to be updated by the end of 2026.
Green Cement
A climate-friendly cement has just become the first to win third-party certification for use in construction projects. This is important because nearly 8 percent of total global carbon dioxide emissions are generated by cement manufacturing, making it worse for the climate than flying. That’s due to a combination of baking limestone to make cement, which releases CO2, the high energy requirements of the kilns, and the sheer scale of cement/concrete use worldwide. The certified cement is part of a push to develop low-carbon and carbon-negative alternatives, collectively called green cement.
"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu
On this Day
29 August 1893: American businessman and inventor Whitcomb L. Judson was granted a U.S. patent for a “clasp locker,” which evolved into the modern zipper.
Health Benefits of Eating Mushrooms: Four good reasons why you should be adding more mushrooms to your diet. Mycological treats...
Mood Booster
Fishing Cats: With wet suit-like fur coats and webbed feet, they are masters of aquatics.