Did anything go right this week? [#174]
Brave conservation rangers, a library's free grocery store, 45 women warriors, and much more...
With less than 50 days left in 2025, I think we can officially stay it’s starting to wind down.
The days are getting colder and shorter, the holidays are right around the corner, and productivity is slumping as we just want to cozy up inside and sip some hot cocoa (at least if you’re me).
But that’s not stopping any of the following Hopemakers from working their butts off to make the world a better place.
Enjoy some great stories from this week, and have a fantastic weekend!
6. A free grocery store inside a library
A 100% free grocery store is operating inside a public library in Baltimore, run by mostly volunteers who supply fresh produce, dry goods, hygiene products, and household essentials to anyone that needs it. To date, they’ve served over 15,000 families, and their goal is to make sure everyone eats. Libraries are already the best third spaces, and this initiative is bringing things to a whole new level. (Meghan Cook|GoodGoodGood)
5. What happens when a ranger risks their life to protect nature?
20 years ago, Rodrigue Katembo Mugaruka started protecting the Democratic Republic of Congo’s national parks from corruption, land grabbers, and oil companies, leading surveillance operations to protect the land despite threats and false criminal charges by powerful interests.
While in the midst of the full scale war, the Tuzlovski Lymany Park team is monitoring species while battling poachers to protect critical flamingo nesting sites in Ukraine.
And on another other side of the world, the Al Shouf Cedars team has daily forest patrols to prevent illegal hunting and logging, facing armed black market groups that are threatening 25 villages across Lebanon.
In the last 15 years, more than 1,500 rangers have been killed on duty. Yet these brave heroes continue to show up every day to protect their homes, from saving critically endangered species after hurricanes, to training local community eco-guards to protect habitats, and fighting for justice in the court system.
Their stories aren’t over yet, but 13 rangers and teams from 13 countries were honored at the 2025 International Ranger Awards at last month’s IUCN World Conservation Congress (which I was invited to and hosted at!), raising awareness of their achievements while giving them cash prizes to continue their work.
Protecting our home is a shared mission by all of us, but these are some of the most noble and under-appreciated guardians of Earth’s most precious ecosystems. Join me in thanking them for their bravery, risk, and successes!
4. Free electricity in Australia
Australia is literally giving away free electricity for a few hours every day starting in the middle of next year. They generate so much solar power in the middle of the sunny day that prices often swing into the negative, since most people are away at work and not using this power. So next year’s Solar Sharer program will incentivize everyone to shift electricity use away from peak hours with behavioral change or by using timers and batteries to save money and reduce grid strain. (Jameson Dow|Electrek)
3. I gave my first keynote speech to 50 of Canada’s top clean-tech entrepreneurs
*I was compensated for my speech and recap video by my partner Foresight. It was an honor to give my first keynote, and I only collaborate on ideas I truly believe in that align with the free content I normally share. I’m including it here to provide another great story that you may like :)
Why do positive stories matter? I went to the Foresight 50 Investor Forum to explore this topic on stage as their closing keynote speech, chatting with leading investors who gathered to connect with “the most investible Canadian cleantech companies of 2025”. These ventures are recognized for their innovation and efforts to clean up our planet.
Here’s a few that I met:
🧪 “We developed technology that destroyed PFASs through plasma gasification, basically create the sun on earth to break apart all the molecules we put into the system” - Gordon Fraser, Responsible Energy Inc.
🔋 “We’re turning vehicles batteries into grid assets, supplying power back to the grid, when and where they need it” - Robert Safrata, Fuse Power Management
🧑🚒 “We’re bringing ultra heavy lift drones to wild land firefighting” - Alex Deslauriers, Fireswarm Solutions Inc.
🪵 “We make jet fuel out of wood waste” - Keith Gillard, Sustaero
You had to be there to hear what I said on stage, but if you want a little teaser, watch my short recap video ;)
2. 45 Indigenous women warriors are protecting the Amazon
Gracia Malaver is commanding a team of 45 Indigenous Pakayu women warriors protecting 175,000 acres of Ecuador’s Amazon from illegal mining, oil extraction, and logging. These leaders are fearlessly keeping unwanted outsiders away from their community while overcoming huge challenges to help the rainforest thrive. For generations, they’ve kept their cultural heritage and ancestral lands alive, creating a “plan of life” map in the face of threats and disappointing decisions by government officials. (Aimee Gabay|Mongabay)
1. Our community took action
🍴 cclift1114 held a grassroots dinner and some phone banking, raising $7500 in 4 hours for their local food insecurity nonprofit.
✍️ Over 50 creators, educators, and communicators (including me!) signed a letter to advertising giant Edelman, demanding they stop working for nine of the world’s biggest fossil fuel polluters while hypocritically also working for the world’s biggest UN climate conference called COP30.
Bonus stories
🕸️ They found the world’s biggest spider web, spanning over 100 square meters and containing over 100,000 spiders.
🏆 Five winners of the Earthshot Prize earned £1 million for epic environmental solutions.
🪧 Indigenous protestors stormed COP30 (the UN climate summit/negotiations) in Brazil to urge decision makers to listen to them and have less talking and more action.
🩹 A bit conflicted on this one: students are getting free menstrual products thanks to ads running on the vending machines.
The newsletter was written by Jacob Simon. Over 1 million people are in our community across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. You can say hi on LinkedIn, or by replying to this newsletter. Brand illustration by Andrea Miralles. Thanks for helping spread some positivity, and see you next week for more!