Little-known stories of hope #172
Abandoned dog redemption arc, new LED cancer treatment, repair cafes gaining steam, and many more things going right this week...
After years of reporting good news almost every day, I started to wonder how I could bring this work to the next level. And after a lot of thinking and experimenting, I landed on the idea to show how everyday heroes are bringing us closer a solarpunk future (the lesser-known alternative to cyberpunk) in real life.
Which to me, is a utopia where humanity lives in harmony with nature, community & technology frees the world of exploitation & inequality, and we eliminate waste & pollution to let all life on Earth flourish. This is what the hero image illustration of The Hopemakers depicts:
I believe that if we show the world we actually want to live in, we’re a heck of a lot more likely to get there. And while I’m not a legendary filmmaker or backed by a team, I figured I could do a little bit to help highlight this vision.
So after a year of planning, our first episode of this new series is finally here!
I’ve already posted about it, and sent the impact report yesterday, but if you need a reminder: every month, we’re spending the day with someone, volunteering to help with and document their project, and then investing funds (raised by memberships to this newsletter) to help them succeed.
I’m really excited for what the future of this project will become. And in the meantime, I’ll continue to search high and low for all the good news stories that deserve more attention, and send them to you right here :)
If you’re interested in the video, which was only possible because of all of you, check it out (and let me know your feedback, so the next one can be even better!)…
… and now enjoy this week’s little-known stories of hope!
8. Henry the abandoned dog becomes an award-winning hero
A Springer Spaniel named Henry was sadly abandoned five times for “having too much energy” but has now found his place tracking down wildlife crime! He’s sniffing out animals that are often trafficked like birds and hedgehogs, and doing so well he was named Animal of the Year by the International Fund for Animal Welfare. (Matthew Richards|BBC)
7. New (cheap) cancer treatment dropped
An emerging cancer treatment that essentially blasts cells with LED light and small bits of tin appears to be quite successful, per a new study. This shows that the treatment destroys up to 92% of skin cancer cells in just 30 minutes, showing promise as researchers set out to have this tech be more affordable and accessible than existing treatments, and much easier to travel with. (University of Texas)
6. A Jurassic Park moment in South America
If you’ve ever seen the movie, this one might surprise you. 112-million-year-old insects preserved in amber have been found in South America for the first time in a quarry in Ecuador, which is letting scientists glimpse far into the past to learn more about the area and the wider world. They found 60 samples of insects, plants, pollens, and spores in this one area, likely meaning there are many more out there. (Nature, SciTechDaily)
5. 2,000 artists get Universal Basic Income
Ireland decided to test a program where a couple thousand artists were paid about $1,500 a month with no strings attached for three years. It turns out, it worked. The program showed such a big financial and cultural return on investment that they’re making it permanent, and expanding it to include more artists next year! (Ella Feldman|Smithsonian, Erik Barnes|GOOD)
4. Repair cafes are becoming a hit
Repair cafes continue to gain popularity where people can bring in broken appliances, get them fixed, and learn how to do it along the way instead of trashing items that end up in the landfill for hundreds of years. These cafes started in Amsterdam in 2009 and have expanded around the world, with New York’s 70 locations leading the US in the push towards a lower waste circular economy. (Hiroko Tabuchi|NYT)
3. Comedy Wildlife Photography Awards finalists
What’s not to love about these 40 hilarious photos that are perfectly timed? They’re increasing awareness of the natural world while raising money for conservation, with the winners to be announced in December. (Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards)
2. Two scientists created butter without animals
*This was a paid collaboration just for social media with my partner Norrsken Foundation. I only collaborate on ideas I truly believe in, that align with the free content I normally share, and I’m including it here to provide another great story that you may like :)
After co-authoring a study called “Food Without Agriculture”, Kathleen Alexander and Ian McKay set out to use science inspired by nature to make some of our most beloved foods even better.
Typically, energy feeds plants that are turned into oils, or energy feeds plants that are fed to animals which create milk and butter, but these two created a process that instead takes the molecules of energy and turns those into fats that taste and function the same way.
Meaning their butter is made from carbon and some amazing science, instead of animals… and palm oil made similarly without plants, all with less land, water, energy, and emissions. Their vision’s a future where we can all enjoy the foods we love without consuming our planet, using less to create more and protect the natural world. And they’re well on their way.
1. Our community took action
🎓 some1tookmycharg3r’s school in Denmark dedicates a morning each year to picking up trash with the students.
📓 Bea started the FREENEW program 10 years ago where students donate unwanted tech and supplies at the end of the semester for next year’s students to use instead of throwing it away.
How about you? Leave a comment to show off your hard work and inspire our community!
Other stories worth reading
👁️ A tiny eye implant the size of a pencil tip is restoring people’s vision.
📊 Even with the insane pushback in the US, the world is hitting record levels of investments in renewable energy.
🧑🌾 Farmville the game is back, but this time it’s saving real life endangered animals.
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 emailing jacob@jacobsimonsays.com. Brand illustration by Andrea Miralles. Thanks for helping spread some positivity, and see you next week for more!