Every day the Good Good Good team collects the best good news in the world and shares it with our community. Here are the highlights for this week!
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The Best Positive News We’re Celebrating This Week —
Firefighters successfully managed a 60-acre fire that could protect an area of Rocky Mountain National Park for the next decade
Earlier this week, firefighters and forestry technicians set fire to some of Rocky Mountain National Park’s most visited terrain, with more than 60 acres of the park set aflame as part of a prescribed burn.
Prescribed burns are planned fires that are often utilized to manage vegetation, restore natural woodlands, or to research a given area
This particular prescribed fire is part of a larger 1,800-acre area in the park that the NPS hopes to burn within the next five years in order to protect the park and the nearby town of Estes Park from future wildfires.
Why is this good news? Because it’s worked before! When a wildfire threatened that town five years ago, it stopped at a burn line from a previous prescribed burn. Not only do they protect communities, they keep forests and parks “resistant to wildfire and help the ecosystems thrive.”
Not to mention, this is exactly the kind of good national park news we should be celebrating during National Park Week!
Locals defended Jon Bon Jovi's ‘pay it forward’ cafe after mayor tries to shut it down
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Endangered sea turtle populations are showing signs of recovery in more than half of the world
A new global study found that endangered sea turtles are showing signs of recovery in a majority of places where they are found in the world. Experts say it’s a “real conservation success” story.
Scientists studied 48 populations of sea turtles, measuring the impact of threats like hunting, pollution, coastal development, and climate change. In more than half the areas they studied, those threats are declining overall. Still, sea turtles getting entangled in fishing nets remains a major threat globally.
The only species not recovering as well as the others was leatherback turtles, which are vulnerable to extinction globally. All seven areas where they are found in the world still face high environmental risks.
Featuring 300-year-old trees, a wildlife refuge along the Detroit River was recognized as old-growth forest
The Old Growth Forest Network has officially recognized 32 acres of old-growth forest within the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, which contains trees estimated to be 300 years old.
The newly designated area is part of Humbug Marsh, which is considered the last undeveloped mile of the Detroit River along the U.S. mainland.
The network now has its sights set on the rest of the state, aiming to recognize and preserve one old-growth forest per county in Michigan — as well as ancient forests across the U.S.
Why is this good news? Old-growth forests store much more carbon than young tree saplings, so finding and preserving them is a critical part of fighting climate change. Plus, the recognition raises awareness for old-growth forests, helping people appreciate and enjoy the feats of nature.
In a new Earth Day TED Talk, environmentalist Xiye Bastida shares her ‘blueprint for climate hope’
→ Read more (and watch!)
A federal judge ordered Florida to address water pollution that led to a record number of manatee deaths
In 2021 and 2022, nearly 2,000 manatees died in the state of Florida, a two-year record caused by widespread water quality problems that killed seagrass, starving the “sea cows.”
Now, a federal judge has ruled that Florida’s wastewater discharge regulations violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to control nutrient pollution in the Indian River Lagoon, one of the most biodiverse estuaries on the continent.
The ruling instructs the state to develop a plan to address the pollution that caused the unprecedented die-off of manatees and restore the ecosystem.
Why is this good news? Accountability for law-breaking matters, and this precedent helps make sure that would-be polluters know there will be consequences for it. It also puts the responsibility for cleaning up the mess where it belongs: on the original perpetrator.
Plus, protecting critical ecosystems that support threatened species like manatees is important, and letting them — or worse, causing them to — suffer, negatively impacts all of us.
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A teen invented an app that slashes DMV wait times and increases access to ‘essential services’ — it saved people 10 years of wait time in just 3 months
Reaffirming her commitment to the rights of children, Ms. Rachel donated 2 million meals to the World Food Program
Earlier this month, the Trump administration ended millions of dollars in funding to the United Nations World Food Program, specifically targeting programs that keep millions of people fed — and alive — around the world.
Amounting to “a death sentence for millions of people facing extreme hunger and starvation,” one notable public figure is doing her part to close those funding gaps and make sure children and families have food to eat.
Children’s entertainer, educator, and activist Rachel Accurso — or as she’s more commonly known, Ms. Rachel — and her husband, Aron, donated $1 million to the UNWFP, helping it “provide 2 million lifesaving meals to those who need it most.”
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Two first-year teachers are biking across Vermont to raise money for classroom necessities and support immigrant students
Earlier this year, Tennessee lawmakers introduced a bill (SB836) to the state’s legislature that would give the state’s public schools the right to refuse enrollment to undocumented children.
While the bill is dead (for now), two first-year teachers in Chattanooga — Grace Miller and Kate Livesay — said they couldn’t “sit and do nothing” when they heard about it.
Together, they founded Pedals for Pencils. Their mission is to bike 300 miles across Miller’s home state of Vermont while raising funds to buy essential supplies for their classrooms and support and advocate for migrant students.
Why is this good news? In the United States, educators spend an average of $500-$750 out of their own pockets to pay for classroom supplies every year. Not only does this initiative raise actual money — it helps raise awareness about that reality beyond their own classrooms.
Plus, it’s a creative way to protest harmful legislation that excludes students and dismantles the very foundations of public education.
A man trekked 53 miles in a giant handmade costume to raise awareness and funds for an endangered bird
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A Wisconsin community rallied to support a local food truck owner after his criminal past threatened an NFL Draft opportunity
The NFL Draft starts today in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and Marc Luecke, owner and operator of the Harvest Street Food Truck for nearly three years, was thrilled to be selected to be a vendor at the annual festivities.
After purchasing thousands of dollars worth of food, equipment, and supplies, Luecke found out his application was denied after he failed a background check related to his past struggles with substance abuse.
With nine years of addiction recovery, Luecke was no longer one to give up. He reached out to community leaders for letters of recommendation — and they delivered. With letters from neighbors commending his dedication to his work, family, and community, the denial was overturned.
The outpouring of support inspired Luecke to go a step further, too: he’s donating a portion of his draft profits to Amanda’s House in Green Bay, a nonprofit that supports women in recovery.
→ Read more
Maryland has now become the first state to reach its pledge to protect 30% of the state’s land — six years ahead of schedule
Part of a global initiative to protect 30% of the Earth’s land and waters by 2030, nine U.S. states joined the “30 by 30” effort on a local level — and Maryland just met the landmark conservation goal six years early.
Maryland joined the effort in 2023 and achieved it just one year later, permanently protecting 1.9 million acres of land from development — including a one-acre fish hatchery, the Green Ridge State Forest, shorelines, farms, and wooded areas.
And it’s just getting started: The state has set a new target to conserve 40% of its land by 2040.
Why is this good news? Research shows that nature conservation really works in protecting biodiversity and ecosystems — it also has bipartisan support at the state level. Maryland was able to reach its target sooner than expected thanks to the collaboration of federal and state agencies, nonprofit groups and land trusts all sharing the same goal.
→ Read more (Gifted link)
A huge 89% majority of the world’s population want to see more being done to fight climate change — but believe they are in the minority
New data from a global survey is clearing up a major perception gap when it comes to the climate crisis. Research shows that 89% of people in the world want stronger action from their government to fight climate change — but mistakenly believe they are in a minority.
Additionally, in almost all countries, a majority of people were willing to contribute 1% of their household income monthly to fight climate change — and once again, they also mistakenly believed that a minority of their fellow citizens would do the same.
Experts say that making people aware that their view is by far the majority — could spur a positive tipping point and push leaders into taking more urgent action.
More good news of the week —
Lawmakers in Colorado unanimously approved a memorial sculpture for the 1864 Sand Creek Massacre at the State Capitol. The massacre is possibly the worst atrocity in Colorado history: About 250 Arapaho and Cheyenne civilians, mostly women, children, and the elderly, were killed by U.S. troops along Colorado’s eastern plains, near the modern-day town of Eads.
A Cleveland, Ohio housing initiative got over 150 unhoused people into housing a full year ahead of schedule. The “A Home for Every Neighbor” initiative looked to reduce homeless encampments around the city by connecting unhoused neighbors with landlords willing to accept them as residents, and the city covered rent for 12 months.
In a huge step toward protecting the endangered animals, China removed pangolin medicine from its 2025 pharmacopoeia. Pangolins are protected under the highest level of international and domestic conservation laws, and while this removal does not constitute a ban on sale or production, it makes it harder to promote and prescribe.
EU countries and lawmakers agreed to ban hazardous “forever chemicals” from children’s toys. While it still needs to be adopted by member countries, the action addresses the impacts of PFAS, which chronic exposure to has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, cancers, and more.
Nick Offerman is giving people the chance to go on a hike with him while raising money to protect the great outdoors. For a donation to the Natural Resources Defense Council, someone will win a hike for two in Los Angeles with Offerman, a self-described “notorious knucklehead who loves to walk out of doors” — a dream scenario for a Pawnee Ranger.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is expecting around 40 new baby bison to be born this spring. Once millions strong, by 1889, free-ranging bison numbers dwindled to almost zero and ushered in a century of bison-less Great Plains and natural habitat, grassland, other animal populations, and Indigenous communities all suffered.
One week after a man went viral when no one came to his community beach clean-up, over 30 neighbors showed up to help. Instead of calling it quits when nobody showed up, Harvey stuck it out, documenting his slow-and-steady approach to cleaning up litter along the driftwood-dotted sands of Kitsilano — and it led to a huge show of support at the next one.
Despite Trump administration orders, a coal-fired power plant in Colorado is still set to shut down this year. Tri-State Generation plans to close another two coal-fired units by 2028, largely because of how much cheaper renewable and other sources have become, pushing coal production out of economic viability.
A colossal squid was captured on camera for the first time in the deep sea. Filmed in the South Atlantic Ocean, the squid was a juvenile about 1 foot in length, but full-grown adult colossal squids can reach lengths up to 23 feet — almost the size of a small fire truck.
A free, three-week “Coding for Climate” program is teaching students to develop climate solutions. Tapping into young peoples’ love for gaming and coding, students in the program have used Minecraft to design a city that runs on clean energy, learned HTML code to create websites with climate information, or programmed devices to monitor soil moisture.
The Ocean Cleanup recently announced that it can clean up the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in five years. Also focused on preventing new plastic from reaching the ocean in the first place, the organization’s new ocean cleanup technology measures about 1.5 miles in length and cleans up an area of the ocean the size of a football field every five seconds.
A community in England is trying to purchase a forest and waterfall to prevent it from being sold to a private owner. Featuring a 20-foot waterfall, Goit Stock Wood has now been designated as an Asset of Community Value by Bradford Council, giving local supporters a six-month window to raise money to buy the site themselves and protect it for future generations.
Four critically endangered Galápagos tortoises hatched at the Philadelphia Zoo for the first time in its 150-year history. The four hatchlings were born to first-time parents Abrazzo and Mommy, who has lived at the zoo for 93 years. It’s estimated there are only a few thousand of the tortoises remaining globally.
In just its second season, the Professional Women’s Hockey League is breaking records and growing the game for young girls. The league just held its first-ever “Breakthrough Cup” tournament with more than 600 girls competing, has attendance at games up almost 35%, and officially hit its one millionth fan just 14 months into its existence.
After years of homeowner advocacy, West Sacramento approved an ordinance to make “tiny homes on wheels” legal dwellings. The vote was unanimous, and the city’s mayor credited the passionate advocacy of one tiny homeowner and a group of supporters who pushed for the change, calling it a “huge win for housing choice, community, and the future of West Sac.”
Researchers discovered a “treasure chest” of thermoresistant “super-corals” that can survive extreme heat stress. The warming of seas and oceans, primarily driven by human-amplified climate change, has contributed to the death of large areas of coral reefs right across the globe, putting fragile underwater ecosystems at risk.
Playing against rival California, Stanford’s softball team just set an NCAA attendance record with more than 13,000 fans. The teams played in Stanford’s football stadium and surpassed the mark of 12,566 from the first day of the 2024 Women’s College World Series, and the previous regular-season record had been held by Oklahoma, which drew 9,259 fans earlier this month.
The waiting list for a housing voucher program in Oregon opened again for the first time in two years. Helping address skyrocketing rent prices in the state and throughout the country, Home Forward will award vouchers to qualifying tenants for more than a dozen low-income apartment complexes.
Colorado passed a bipartisan bill requiring medical research animals to be put up for adoption before they are euthanized. Helping ensure the animals are “valued for their service and given the opportunity to find a forever home,” the bill requires facilities to submit an annual report to the Department of Public Health and Environment.
Researchers created a 3D-printed seawall in Miami to protect marine life from coastal erosion. While traditionally constructed seawalls disrupt natural shoreline dynamics and can wipe out the complex habitat zones that marine life relies on, this one is specifically designed to help them continue to thrive.
The world’s largest electric vehicle battery producer unveiled a battery that go 320 miles on a 5-minute charge. The new battery beats out the previous longest-range battery which boasted 250 miles in a 5-minute charge, both way ahead of Tesla Superchargers that deliver 200 miles of range in a 15-minute charge.
A once-extinct bird species just laid the first wild eggs in 40 years. Nine Sihek, also known as Guam kingfishers, were released at the Nature Conservancy’s Palmyra Atoll Preserve in September 2024 by the Sihek Recovery Program, a collection of conservationists from around the world dedicated to the preservation of the bird species.
A tree nursery renovation will help revitalize Colorado forests devastated by wildfires and climate change. Established in 1957, the nursery is one of Colorado’s leading producers of low-cost, native seedling trees, but aging facilities have struggled to keep up with increasing demand fueled by wildfires, floods and the effects of climate change.
