Hey fam,
Happy Friday!
It’s time again for one of my favorite competitions of the year called the Comedy Wildlife Awards. I’m not affiliated with them, but I always get so happy when these photos come out… They inspire me to want to become a wildlife photographer myself!
Back in 2015 a photographer named Paul was cracking up after looking through his camera roll, and realized humor could help people better understand and empathize with our fellow species, and ultimately act to protect them.
So the contest launched to spread animal awareness and raise funds for conservation, and this year there are 43 finalists out of more than 10,000 entries across 112 countries, plus the people’s choice category is open meaning you can vote for your favorite too.
Which is honestly easier said than done because there so many good ones.
Go vote for your favorite, and spread the word on this fun contest!
What else is going right in the world:
The world’s first co-op(s)
Remember when I joined a member-owned food co-op, where everyone who shops there is also a partial owner and works a recurring shift? This week, I looked into the history of cooperatives to learn more about them.
I learned that the first record dates back to 1761 in Fenwick, Scotland where a group of 15 weavers secretly gathered and wrote a document where they agreed to be honest and faithful to each other while setting fair prices, then they lended money to members and their families in need, shared materials and looms, and bought big sacks of oatmeal to sell in smaller quantities and divide up the savings.
The more formal co-operative movement started in 1844 in Lancashire, England where 28 people pooled resources, agreed on operating principles, and set up a shop to sell essential foods at fair prices where customers also became members, shared profits, and had a vote in decisions.
But really, this existed way before all of that with similar values baked into the culture of many Indigenous tribes, who shared resources and jobs to mutually benefit the community as a whole, while everyone participated with their own skills and shared knowledge with each other.
It’s pretty amazing to see that around 12% of people participate in one of the 3 million co-ops that now exist, breaking conventional capitalist models and successfully distributing abundance and wealth while actually serving the needs of our communities.
See if a co-op is near you and consider joining. I know I’m happy that I did!
A huge solar panel-covered parking lot
A Six Flags theme park just finished installing California’s largest solar carport, putting solar panels on top of 4,315 parking spots, which is not only generating enough clean power to offset 100% of the electricity used by the Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor parks, but is also keeping cars cooler on a hot day.
Turning hunters into photographers
A scheme in Indonesia is paying former animal hunters more money to photograph them instead of catching them, almost gamifying conservation by giving higher rewards for photos of rarer animals, helping researchers collect important data while boosting income for small scale farmers.
Justice for incarcerated firefighters
A new law was passed to help incarcerated firefighters find work when they leave prison by standardizing the credentials they earn in California, while getting prioritized for hiring certain jobs, giving these brave people some overdue opportunity and reward for their hard work.
Our community took action
📚 everythingallthethyme had a yard sale with their husband and used the proceeds to buy books for their local family center.
🌳 I collaborated with The Nature Conservancy to plant and care for tree beds in New York City!
How about you?
Talk again soon,
Jacob
This newsletter was written by Jacob Simon. Over 1.5 million people are in our community across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. You can say hi on LinkedIn, or by hitting reply. Brand illustration by Andrea Miralles. Thanks for helping spread some positivity, and see you next week for more.