OGN Wednesday

6 hours ago
3 min read

Mid-week collection of positive news nuggets to perk up the day.

Image of Mike Gregg inset against the background of the landscape of Australia’s Great Dividing Range — Credit: Facebook

Doing Good

An Australian billionaire and his wife are turning 17,000 acres of former cattle and logging land into a massive sanctuary for wildlife, creating a safe haven for koalas, gliders, rainforest species, and other threatened animals in one of the country’s most beautiful mountain regions. Technology investor Mike Gregg and his wife Sue donated $10 million to purchase six adjoining properties in Australia’s Great Dividing Range, a vast landscape filled with towering forests, rainforest-covered gorges, rivers, and grassy woodlands. The newly protected land spans about 7,000 hectares near Port Macquarie in New South Wales and will now be managed entirely for conservation instead of farming and logging.

4 year old Vinny Donnelly waving goodbye to his favourite toy characters from 'Toy Story 3' on his front porch — Credit: Sean Donnelly

Emotional Goodbye

A young boy who went viral in 2020 after his dad re-created a tear-jerking movie moment on his first day of school has finally met his Hollywood heroes - on the red carpet. Vinny Donnelly was just 4 when proud dad Sean Donnelly lined up his son’s favourite toys at the front door to see him off, a sweet nod to the emotional goodbye scene from Toy Story 3. The photo, taken at the family’s home in England, melted hearts worldwide when Vinny’s mom, Charlotte, shared it online six years ago. Fast forward to today, and Vinny, now 10, is in the spotlight again. Disney Pixar tracked him down and invited him to be a guest of honour at last week’s London premiere of Toy Story 5, where he met Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, the legendary voices behind Woody and Buzz Lightyear.

Composite image showing the before and after image of a small dam removed from Sweden's Vindel River. — Before and after | Rewilding Sweden

Ecological Boosts

Last year, a record-breaking 602 dams were removed across Europe, up 11 percent from the previous year and part of a larger, global trend to restore rivers and allow the surrounding ecosystem and wildlife to thrive. With 2,324 total miles of rivers reconnected through the dam removals, the EU is a step closer to its goal of restoring 15,500 miles of river to their natural flow by 2030. Since the first official count in 2020, removals have increased sixfold, with Sweden leading the way with 173, Finland with 143, and Spain with 109. Iceland and North Macedonia removed their first barriers in 2025. On the subject of rivers...

Climate Heroes

Beavers may be far more important to the climate than previously thought. A new international study led by researchers at England's University of Birmingham shows that these animals can transform river systems into powerful carbon dioxide sinks by reshaping wetlands and waterways. The researchers discovered that wetlands created by beavers stored carbon at rates up to ten times greater than nearby systems without beavers. “Our findings show that beavers don’t just change landscapes: they fundamentally shift how CO2 moves through them. By slowing water, trapping sediments, and expanding wetlands, they turn streams into powerful carbon sinks. This first-of-its-kind study represents an important opportunity and breakthrough for future nature-based climate solutions across Europe.”

Daraxonrasib

Headlines have been circulating with “hope” and “pancreatic cancer” in the same sentence. It's a good sign of progress for the deadliest and hardest to detect cancers. In a new study, researchers outlined the results of a Phase 3 clinical trial testing a novel pill for people with advanced pancreatic cancer, finding that it roughly doubled the survival time for participants who received the treatment. “While not curing the cancer, it is a very large step forward,” says co-author Dr. Zev Wainberg.

Despite Trump

The largest wind energy project in the U.S. is coming online next month, despite Trump’s attempts to stop it. The SunZia wind project in New Mexico is considered the “largest clean energy installation” in the U.S., capable of powering around 1 million homes every year, is on track to come online next month. The project includes a 550-mile transmission line that will help connect wind power to neighboring Arizona, too. This milestone marks a major step in the clean energy transition in the U.S.

"A camel is a horse designed by a committee." Sir Alec Issigonis

On This Day

3 June 1977: Island Records releases Exodus, the ninth studio album by Bob Marley & The Wailers; featuring the hits, Jamming, Three Little Birds and One Love, it is named the best album of the century by Time Magazine in 1999.