no. 111: Frog saunas and bird tortillas

Hey friend,

Once again, happy Friday! Hope you had a great week and an even greater upcoming weekend.

I had the incredible privilege of speaking to a group of students at Harvard as a climate summit put on by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Earlier this year, they named me to a list of Climate Creators to Watch, and now I got to speak to some young minds about telling effective climate stories that people care about. Hopefully, you're here because I know a thing or two about that ;)

Let me take my own words of advice in writing this week's good news, and let me know your thoughts!

Friday, July 19

SailGP, which is said to be Formula 1 on water, is the only sport that rewards sustainability. It races 50-foot boats at 60 miles per hour around the world powered by the wind and the season just concluded with two winners – one for being the fastest, and one for having the most positive impact on the environment (Lucas Thompson & Ariel Weil|NBC)

827 different kinds of wheat collected by plant scientist Arthur Watkins 100 years ago have now been DNA sequenced as scientists develop genetically diverse varieties to resist disease and extreme whether, use less fertilizer and more reliably feed the world (Robin McKie|The Guardian)

Farmers in Thailand can now request permission to burn their fields to clear them ahead of planting season via a new app called FireD developed at Chiang Mai University which monitors real-time air quality and weather which will help regulate air pollution (Zach Bernsten & Carmela Guaglianone|Grist)

A frog sauna created by Australian scientists is helping fight a deadly fungal disease in endangered green and golden bell frogs by raising the temperature to kill off the disease and save these future princes (Meghan Bartels|Scientific American)

Monday, July 22

A NASA mission called GEDI (‘jedi’) that uses lasers to map forests in 3D is now resuming after a pause to collect unprecedented detailed data for scientists and policymakers to better understand how forests change over time (Abhishyant Kidangoor|Mongabay)

106 Siamese crocodile eggs were found by Cambodian conservationists in a wildlife sanctuary which is a 20-year record and a much-needed boost for the critically endangered species now that over half of them have hatched (AP)

85% of new electricity built around the world in 2023 was from renewable sources, according to a new report, with clean energy now making up nearly a third of global power (Carrie Klein|Canary Media)

Over half of the old growth forests up to 1,000 years old are now permanently protected in Canada’s Clayoquot (‘klak-wot’) Sound thanks to 10 new conservancies managed by indigenous nations. (Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood|The Narwhal)

Tuesday, July 23

The Paris Olympics start Friday (which I love to watch as a retired Team USA pairs figure skater myself) and these games bring the world together and will be the most sustainable yet by reusing venues, turning the Village into affordable housing, and providing public transport to all venues (IOC & CSRWire)

$4.3 billion in grants for community pollution solutions was announced by the Biden-Harris administration which comes as Biden endorses Harris to be the next US president with a history of environmental action like holding Big Oil accountable (EPA & Zoya Teirstein|Grist)

Iceland is exploring super hot rock formations beneath volcanoes to unlock more natural geothermal energy by extracting hot steam from extremely powerful sources to spin turbines (Maria Gallucci|Canary Media)

A baby endangered Matschie’s tree kangaroo born in December has finally poked its head out of mama's pouch and the adorable joey born in the Bronx Zoo will help preserve the genetic diversity of the species (AP)

Wednesday, July 24

Formerly incarcerated individuals are finding opportunities thanks to a maker space called Past Lives in Oregon providing equipment, workshops, and a community to help members build skills and find employment after being released from prison (Hannah Wallace|Reasons to be Cheerful)

The largest Clean Air Act penalty is bringing accountability to Marathon Oil for emitting illegal amounts who must now pay $64.5 million and invest another $177 million into pollution reducing measures (Cristen Hemingway Jaynes|Ecowatch)

The White House announced a plan to fully phase out single-use plastics from federal operations like events and packaging by 2035, marking the first time the US government has formally acknowledged and acted on the plastic crisis (White House)

The critically endangered North Atlantic right whale was spotted near Ireland for the first time in 114 years, offering a bit of hope for the survival of these magical 52-foot animals (Cristen Hemingway Jaynes|Ecowatch)

Thursday July 25

Nine countries are working together to develop new strains of coffee that resist disease, have higher yields, and taste better to climate-proof the livelihood of farmers like David in Kenya and support the global coffee industry (Jonathan W. Rosen|Grist)

Abandoned buildings in London are turning into thriving community spaces thanks ReSpace, founded by a former homeless squatter, who negotiates with landlords and authorities to transform empty spaces into hubs for workshops, arts, and housing (Martin Wright|Positive.news)

Germany will now be forced to improve its clean air policies after a Berlin court ruled the government used old data when drafting their national program which is therefore inadequate to protect its citizens (ClientEarth)

A family in Texas found an abandoned bird in their backyard, warmed up a tortilla, wrapped the bird inside, and called the Wild West Wildlife Rehabilitation Center who successfully saved the Mississippi Kite and named him Taquito (WWWRC)

Some more progress

🦅 Proof that the Clean Water Act is better more than just us

🐦 Other birds are having their resurgence moments too

⚡️ Cali's oceans are getting windier (in a good way)

One last thing!

I said it last week and I'll say it again, a long form show is about to launch on my YouTube channel and I'm determined to make it great! See you over there... 👉

Spread this breath of fresh air🪴

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