Today's bite-sized chunks of uplifting news to brighten the day.
Path of the Jaguar
Ecuador has officially established the Camino del Jaguar Conserve which protects 528,207 acres (213,758 hectares) of some of Ecuador’s most biodiverse and threatened forests. The area is home to 1,258 species of invertebrates, 2,225 species of flora and the new conserve represents a sign of hope not only for the region’s ecosystems but also for an improved quality of life for the over 12,000 families living within the new conservation area, reports Andes Amazon Fund.
New 13th Century Castle
Deep in a forest of France's Burgundy region, a group of enthusiasts is building a medieval castle the old fashioned way - that is, with tools and methods from the late 13th century. Three area residents had the idea to build Guédelon in 1995, and the first stones were laid in 1997. It is an example of experimental archeology - researching how people did things in the past by trying to imitate them, and then passing along those skills and knowledge. Most workers have a diploma in a heritage skill and everything is done by hand, using old fashioned tools and motorless vehicles, and workers answer questions from visitors as part of the job. More than 300,000 people visit each year and the revenue of €5 million ($5.25 million) largely covers pay for the 100 staff members.
US Trees on Track
In 2022 the National Forest Foundation planted 8,061,125 trees in the United States, replanting an area larger than 18,500 football fields. It’s the most trees the foundation has planted in a single year, putting it on track to reach its goal of 50 million trees by the end of 2025.
IJBOL
There's a new way to describe something funny on social media: IJBOL ("I just burst out laughing"). IJBOL accurately captures the feeling of going from quietly scrolling to letting out a burst of laughter, members of Gen Z told the New York Times.
Text Abbreviations You Should Know: Knowing the meaning of these verbal shortcuts will keep anyone with a phone, social media, or even just web access, from being constantly confused in the digital world! Read on...
Highland Tiger
Nineteen wildcats - raised in captivity - have been released at a secret location in Cairngorms, in the Scottish Highlands. It’s part of a re-wilding programme which aims to have around 60 wildcats roaming in the area, which is just south of Inverness. Known as the Highland tiger, this highly endangered species needs remote woodland to survive. It’s the first time a predatory mammal has been deliberately introduced to the UK and comes after numbers of the species have been declining rapidly.
EVs Taking Off in US
This year is shaping up to be the take-off year for electric vehicles in the United States. Sales just passed 1 million for 2023, and projections put the end-of-year total at around 1.6 million. In 2024, more EVs will be sold than in all the years between 2010 and 2022. We're off to the races now, particularly as (finally!) electric cars are now cheaper than cars powered by dinosaur juice in tin cans (and that's before the money you save on the dinosaur juice), says Inside EVs. On the other side of the pond, roughly 270,000 new plug-in vehicles were sold in August in Europe, up 68 percent compared to the same month last year. In Norway, numbers for September have just been released, showing that 87 percent of new car registrations were battery electric.
Germany's Renewables
Renewables have covered more than half of Germany’s electricity consumption this year. From January through September, the amount of renewables in the electricity mix rose to around 52 percent - almost five percentage points higher than the same period last year, reports ZSW. This is a big deal. Germany is the sixth-largest carbon emitter in the world.
“The real things haven’t changed. It is still best to be honest and truthful; to make the most of what we have; to be happy with simple pleasures; and have courage when things go wrong.” Laura Ingalls Wilder
On this Day
17 October 1933: Albert Einstein arrives in US as a refugee from Nazi Germany.
Mood Booster
Kids Dancing To Jerusalema: Guaranteed to lift your spirits!
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