Positive News Wednesday
- Editor OGN Daily
- Oct 15
- 4 min read
Wednesday's global collection of positive news stories.
No Cow Butter
Backed by Bill Gates, a San Francisco food startup has raised $33 million to reinvent butter without cows. Savor’s lab-created butter is closer to cow butter than any vegan option on the market, they say, and will help towards alleviating the agriculture industry’s strain on the environment. Agriculture is one of the world’s largest pollution contributors, and fats account for 7 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to the company. More than a third of U.S. agricultural land is used to feed cattle, so needing fewer dairy cows could free up more farmland for fruit, vegetables and other crops.
‘Upcycled Skyscraper’
When the owners of Sydney, Australia’s AMP Centre wanted to replace the original 1970s structure with a bigger, better, and more energy-efficient building - they also wanted to do it without demolishing the old building. The “new” building - the world’s first ‘upcycled skyscraper’ - now stands 676 feet tall and retains 95 percent of the original building’s core as well as 65 percent of the original building’s structure, including beams and columns. The process saved more than 12,000 tonnes of embodied carbon, the equivalent of 35,000 flights between Sydney and Melbourne. It was completed in 2022, but was just named one of 15 finalists for Prince William’s fifth annual Earthshot Prize, a coveted competition that celebrates big ideas aimed at tackling climate change.
Historic Photo
A team of local historians have uncovered what they believe to the be the oldest surviving photograph of Colorado. The photo is a daguerreotype taken in 1853, and predates the 1876 formation of Colorado as a state by over 20 years. This discovery is all thanks to History Colorado, whose historians decided to find the oldest photograph of Colorado as a way to celebrate the state’s 150th birthday next year. The photo itself depicts a Cheyenne village near present-day Lamar, Colorado. Two people, situated next to four large tipis, face the camera. It was taken by Solomon Nunes Carvelho, and is the only surviving photograph from this expedition of his.
Do It With a Friend
The next time you have to hit the bank or post office, call a friend and make a date out of it: It’s good for you. That’s according to recent research linking happiness to companionship across over 80 different daily activities. The study is based on a large set of data called the American Time Use Survey, conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. Specifically, it looked at data from four years during which survey respondents were asked to rate their happiness while partaking in daily activities. “These results suggest that whether we are eating, reading, or even cleaning up around the house, happiness thrives in the company of others,” the study authors wrote. Speaking to The Washington Post, senior author Elizabeth Dunn added that the research “suggests that we are leaving some happiness on the table by engaging in everyday activities alone.”
Oldest of Its Kind
Plenty of hip bakeries these days are leaning into heritage wheat flours and other ancient grain varieties, but it’d be hard to top the historic value of the flour being milled at the Holgate Windmill. Nestled in a suburb of York, England, the brick tower mill is the oldest working windmill of its kind in the country, still grinding grain as it did 255 years ago. Since it was built in 1770, the surrounding area has changed quite a bit - there’s now a roundabout, housing development, and cars. Yet the historic structure remains much as it ever was, thanks to a preservation society of about 40 volunteers who worked for 10 years to restore the mill starting in 2001, as well as revive the rare (and meticulous) craft of producing flour by windmill.
New Millers: The age-old craft of harnessing wind power to drain lowlands, saw lumber, or grind grain is enjoying a renaissance in the Netherlands.
'Goatscaping'
Why use gas-powered mowers to clear slopes ahead of ski season when hungry four-legged friends can do the job? At Jay Peak Resort in Vermont, goats and sheep are helping tamp down overgrown vegetation before the first snow arrives, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional machinery. “This year has proven that it can be done and be done successfully,” Andy Stenger, director of mountain and base area operations at the resort, told the Associated Press. “They’re great employees. They take a lot of lunch breaks, but that’s kind of the idea.” Lots of “lunch breaks” indeed. The animals are expected to graze about 25 acres over five weeks in a “goatscaping” trial aimed at helping ski resorts reduce their carbon footprints while naturally maintaining the terrain and reducing soil erosion.
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.” Dalai Lama
On This Day
15 October 1940: The comedy classic The Great Dictator premiered in New York City; Charlie Chaplin's biggest box-office success; it satirised Adolf Hitler and Nazism and condemned anti-Semitism.
Today's Articles
Europe's Greenest: Europe’s greenest cities have been unveiled at a prestigious ceremony this month.
Mood Boosting Video
Personal Air Mobility: Let the Jetson Air Games begin!
