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70-Year-old Grandpa Becomes Oldest Person to Row Across the Atlantic – And He Raised $1.4Mil for Alzheimer’s

By
Andy Corbley
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Alzheimer's Research

A 70-year old grandfather has successfully rowed a boat unassisted across the entire Atlantic Ocean—and he did it for others.

Alzheimer’s Research UK

As part of a challenge to raise money for research on Alzheimer’s treatments, Frank Rothwell dedicated the extreme feat to his brother-in-law Roger, who succumbed to the disease during Frank’s crossing.

A little more than £1 million ($1.39 million) was raised by almost 10,000 different donors, including a doubling of the first £500,000 ($695,000) from Iceland Foods Charitable Foundation.

Requiring 18 months of hard training, the entire row took eight grueling weeks for Rothwell to travel from La Gomera in the Canary Islands on December 12 to the finish line 3,000 miles away in Antigua on February 6.

“I like a challenge!” explains Frank on his fundraising site. “In 2017, I spent five weeks on a deserted island for the Channel 4 program, The Island with Bear Grylls. Before that I was only the 10th person to ever circumnavigate North and South America.”

Alzheimer’s Research UK

In a statement, Hilary Evans, chief executive of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “We’re honored to have such amazing support from Frank. His courage and determination helped him to complete his epic challenge and raise £1 million for dementia research.”

RELATED: This 10-Year-Old Walked 1,700 Miles With His Dad from Italy to England For a Hug With Grandma

“This incredible amount will be a huge benefit to the groundbreaking research we carry out here at Alzheimer’s Research UK, as we continue our mission to bring about life-changing treatments for people affected by dementia.”

MORE: Footage Captures the Moment a Skydiver Leaps From Plane Sitting in an Inflatable Water Raft

Crossing the finish line was a euphoric and emotional moment for Rothwell. He said: “I am on cloud nine! I set out in December wishing to raise £1 million for Alzheimer’s Research UK but I never thought I’d actually achieve it. The challenge was incredibly tough at times, with rough seas, huge waves, and missing my wife, Judith. But as exhausting as it was, it was all totally worth it.”

CHECK OUT: Greek Athlete Carries Disabled Woman Up Mount Olympus, Fulfilling Her Lifelong Dream

“Having received hundreds of messages from people who, like me, have witnessed the heartbreak of dementia, I am proud to have raised such an incredible amount in honor of Roger, and everyone else who has experienced the devastation it causes.”

SAIL This Adventurous Story Over to Friends on Social Media…

400 Years After Being Wiped Out by Hunters Britain’s Wild Cranes Make a 
Comeback

By
Andy Corbley
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Вых Пыхманн, CC license

Extinct for more than 400 years, common cranes are finding homes in the UK’s wetlands and waterways once again.

Вых Пыхманн, CC license

Because of conservation efforts that began in 1979, the common crane (not seen since the 1600s) now numbers almost 200 individuals in the country, with more than 60 breeding pairs.

“It is always great to get the opportunity to celebrate a real conservation success story and UK cranes is one of these,” said Andrew Stanbury, a Conservation Scientist at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Organizations like the RSPB and the Wetlands and Wildfowl Trust (WWT) have formed The Great Crane Project, aimed at a massive translocation of birds from Germany into breeding sites in UK wetlands.

Famous for their loud and joyous courtship displays, the common crane, or Eurasian crane, was driven to extinction in the UK through hunting and wetland loss.

There’s a new attitude about wetlands, however, and conservation groups and governments the world over are implementing stringent protections on the special ecosystems that are more biodiverse and hold more carbon than forests.

The Great Crane Success

Harsha Jayaramaiah, CC license

Between 2010 and 2014, the project saw 93 birds transported into southwest England. The latest survey results recorded 64 breeding pairs across the UK in 2020, inside the nests of which squawked 23 chicks.

MORE: Everyone in England is Planting Wildflower Meadows After Prince Charles Replants 60 of Them to Honor Queen

In 2018, the WWT estimated that the current rate of reproduction would see cranes reach 275 breeding pairs within the next 50 years.

Unidentified cranes, once a rarity in the Somerset Moors breeding site, now regularly arrive, and even mate with the resident birds with tracking rings around their legs. Scientists have no idea if these foreigners are from the Scottish population or the continent, or if they are Somerset cranes that migrated and returned. Since a generation has now been reared without ring tags, it’s impossible to tell.

RELATED: UK Prioritizes Climate Crisis By Supporting Sustainability in Developing Countries With $4 Billion Plan

It’s a sign that genetic diversity is flowing through the new UK cranes, ensuring they remain healthy and resistant to disease and genetic defects—both major challenges in the population restoration of any species.

The next challenge is to ensure there is enough suitable wetland available for them to breed safely. Conservationists are looking to restore whole landscapes, so that areas of habitat are bigger, better, and connected—benefitting cranes and other species.

CHECK OUT: UK Debuts Geothermal Plant Using Heat From the Earth to Power 10,000 Homes

“Thanks to a successful conservation partnership,” boasts Stanbury in a media release, “we are welcoming a charismatic species back in our countryside following a 400-year absence.”

Fly This Hopeful Birding News to Nature Lovers on Social Media… 

Company Develops ‘Sound Beaming’ to Enable Digital Listening in Your Own Sound Bubble – A Cone of Near-Silence

By
Andy Corbley
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Noveto

An Israeli tech startup has developed a speaker system that creates a “sound bubble”—essentially meaning you get all the privacy of headphones without the physical requirement of wearing them.

Noveto

The truly sci-fi tech uses ultrasonic waves beamed into pockets next to your ears. The aptly named “SoundBeaming” technology means you hear the noise coming from behind, below, and around you, while others nothing at all.

If you’re still not clear about what Noveto’s product does, even CEO Christophe Ramstein finds it hard to put the concept into words. “The brain doesn’t understand what it doesn’t know,” he said in a statement.

“I was thinking… is [SoundBeaming] the same with headphones?’ No, because I… have the freedom of doing what I want to do. And I have these sounds playing in my head as there would be something happening here, which is difficult to explain because we have no reference for that,” he said.

The applications of this product are nearly endless, from being able to listen in on conference calls and other work-related audio without disturbing your neighbors, to removing the risk of losing, tripping on the cord of, or damaging, expensive audio headsets or earbuds.

Noveto

3D facial mapping software continuously keeps track of where your head and ears are, and the speakers actually adjust where they must beam the soundwaves. This means that for those not remaining in a fixed position, for instance on exercise bikes, at L-shaped desks, or in the kitchen—the sound still follows you wherever you go.

MORE: Researchers Are Testing Smart Headphones That Could Warn Pedestrians of Impending Dangers

However, unlike headphones, the sounds of your environment can still be heard. If someone calls your name from another room, it’s clearly audible.

“Most people just say, ‘Wow, I really don’t believe it,’” SoundBeamer Product Manager Ayana Wallwater said from the Noveto offices in Tel Aviv.

“This is what we dream of,” she added  “A world where we get the sound you want. You don’t need to disturb others and others don’t get disturbed by your sound. But you can still interact with them.”SHARE: Startup Turns 32 Million Discarded Chopsticks Into Gorgeous Decor And Furniture

Noveto’s speaker system, though already launched, isn’t available now, but the company plans on releasing a smaller version by Christmas 2021.

(WATCH the video showing the technology in action below.)

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“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” – Edith Sitwell

By
Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home.” – Edith Sitwell

Photo: copyright 2021, GWC

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

 

 

From City to Countryside, Study Suggests Wisdom Can Protect Against Loneliness

By
Good News Network
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Photo submitted by Lauri Qwilt

Over the last few decades, there has been growing concern about loneliness across all ages, particularly in middle-aged and older adults, but a new study suggests one type of intervention that wouldn’t involve relying on other people.

Submitted photo

Feeling isolated or not having an adequate number of meaningful personal connections, is consistently associated with major risk factors for overall health, and there are now many efforts worldwide to address it.

In a recent cross-cultural study, researchers in California and Italy teamed up and found that there was a significant correlation between wisdom and not being lonely.

“People with higher scores on a measure of wisdom were less lonely and vice versa,” said Dilip Jeste, MD, senior associate dean for the Center of Healthy Aging and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Neurosciences at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Moreover, the study examined middle-aged and older adults in both an urban environment, San Diego, California, and a rural one, in Cilento, Italy.

“Loneliness was consistently associated with poor general health, worse quality of sleep and less happiness, whereas the reverse was generally true for wisdom,” said Dr. Jeste, the lead investigator of the team, which involved the University of Rome La Sapienza.

Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale and San Diego Wisdom Scale, the researchers examined four groups: adults age 50 to 65 and those older than age 90 in each location.

LOOK: ‘Raves’ for Seniors Fight Loneliness With Partying

Wisdom has several components, such as empathy, compassion, self-reflection and emotional regulation. Researchers found that empathy and compassion had the strongest inverse correlation with loneliness. People who were more compassionate were less lonely.

“It is remarkable that the findings related to these two traits were largely similar in two markedly different cultures — a rural region of southern Italy and an urban/suburban county in the United States, both with different native languages and unique historical, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds,” said Salvatore Di Somma, MD, PhD, lead Italian investigator and professor of emergency medicine at U. Rome La Sapienza.

The Cilento region in southwestern Italy is a relatively isolated, rural area believed to have a high concentration of individuals older than age 90. The present study was born out of the Cilento Initiative on Aging Outcomes (CIAO) study launched in 2016.

“Both loneliness and wisdom are personality traits. Most personality traits are partially inherited and partially determined by environment,” said Jeste.

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“If we can increase someone’s compassion, wisdom is likely to go up and loneliness is likely to go down,” said David Brenner, MD, vice chancellor of UC San Diego Health Sciences. “At UC San Diego, we have considerable interest in enhancing empathy and compassion to reduce levels of stress and improve happiness and well-being.”

Jeste said studies that examine how to decrease loneliness as people age will be critical for effective interventions and the future of health care.

RELATED: Lonely Widower Puts Up a Poster Asking For Friends—And is Flooded With Messages From New Pals

“Routine assessment of loneliness with evidence-based, compassion-focused interventions for prevention and management of loneliness should become an integral part of clinical practice. So how do you increase compassion? Utilizing approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy or writing in a gratitude diary can help someone become more compassionate,” he said.

The study was published in the October 1, 2020 edition of Aging and Mental Health.

Jeste noted the next step will be to test an intervention to increase compassion for reducing loneliness.

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Wisconsin Chick-fil-A Worker Who Won a Car in Company Raffle Gives it to Co-worker Who Bikes to Work

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Good News Network
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She had only worked at the restaurant for five months, yet her co-workers had become like a “second family” for this 17-year-old.

And, when Haley Bridges won a new car in the Christmas raffle organized for Appleton, Wisconsin Chick-fil-A employees, she knew just what she would do.

She gave away the car to her new ‘sister,’ who had been cycling to work in frigid Wisconsin weather.

Yup. 19-year-old Hokule’a Taniguchi, from Honolulu, was commuting to the Grand Chute restaurant using only two wheels.

“I was biking here every morning, so it was a little rough,” the 19-year-old told
WLUK News. “Because I’m from Hawaii, I was like, ‘It’s kinda cold!’”

At the Christmas party, when the name of the winner was plucked out of the bag, and Taniguchi heard, ‘Haley Bridges,’ she knew what was going to happen.

Haley had vowed to hand over the car if she won.

“I really just started crying, because I was so happy,” said Taniguchi. “I was like, ‘Oh my gosh! I can’t believe this is real!’”

“Now I can go grocery shopping,” Taniguchi beamed. She can also leave five minutes before her shift starts, instead of spending two hours pedaling.

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This is what happens when you have one, big happy family at work.

WATCH the video below…

SHARE the Inspiring Story of Friendship on Social Media…

Inspiring Valentine’s Day Horoscopes From Rob Brezsny’s ‘Free Will Astrology’

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Good News Network
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Our friend Rob Brezsny provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free preview of the book is available here.)

Here is your weekly horoscope…

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY – Week beginning February 12, 2021
Copyright by Rob Brezsny, FreeWillAstrology.com

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18):
I’ve adopted some lines from poet Walt Whitman for you to use in composing a love note. Send it to a person you know and love, or to a person you want to know and love, or a person you will know and love in the future. Here it is: “We are oaks growing in the openings side by side. We are two fishes swimming together. We are two predatory hawks, soaring above and looking down. We are two clouds driving overhead. We are seas mingling, two cheerful waves rolling over each other. We are snow, rain, cold, darkness. We circle and circle till arriving home again, voiding all but freedom and our own joy.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20):
“To heal is to touch with love that which was previously touched by fear,” wrote author Stephen Levine. I propose you make this theme a keynote for your best relationships in the coming days. What can you do to alleviate the anxiety and agitation of the people you care for? How might they do the same for you? If you play along with the cosmic rhythms, you will have extraordinary power to chase away fear with love.

ARIES (March 21-April 19):
Author Anton Chekhov made a radical proposal: ”Perhaps the feelings we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows people who they should be.” In accordance with astrological potentials, my beloved Aries darling, I invite you to act as if Chekhov’s proposal were absolutely true for at least the next two weeks. Be animated by a generous lust for life. Assume that your intelligence will reach a peak as you express excited kindness and affectionate compassion. Be a fount of fond feelings and cheerful empathy and nourishing ardor.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20):
Poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau told the following story about Taurus composer Erik Satie (1866–1925). When Satie died, his old friends, many of whom were highly accomplished people, came to visit his apartment. There they discovered that all the letters they had sent him over the years were unopened. Satie had never read them! How sad that he missed out on all that lively exchange. I beg you not to do anything that even remotely resembles such a lack of receptivity during the coming weeks, Taurus. In fact, please do just the opposite: Make yourself as open as possible to engagement and influence. I understand that the pandemic somewhat limits your social interactions. Just do the best you can.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20):
On behalf of the cosmic omens, I demand that the important people in your life be reliable and generous toward you in the coming weeks. You can tell them I said so. Tell them that you are doing pretty well, but that in order to transform pretty well into very well, you need them to boost their support and encouragement. Read them the following words from author Alan Cohen: “Those who love you are not fooled by mistakes you have made or dark images you hold about yourself. They remember your beauty when you feel ugly; your wholeness when you are broken; your innocence when you feel guilty; and your purpose when you are confused.”

CANCER (June 21-July 22):
For a while, poet Alfred de Musset (1810–1857) was the sexual partner of Cancerian novelist George Sand (1804–1876), also known as Aurore Dupin. He said that after intense love-making sessions, he would fall asleep and wake up to find her sitting at her desk, engrossed in working on her next book. Maybe the erotic exchange inspired her creativity? In accordance with current astrological potentials, I recommend Sand’s approach to you. Vigorous pleasure will coordinate well with hard work. As will deep release with strong focus. As will tender intimacy with clear thinking. (PS: I know your options for pleasure and intimacy may be somewhat limited because of the pandemic. Call on your ingenuity and resourcefulness to work the best magic possible.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22):
Leo poet Warsan Shire suggests, “Document the moments you feel most in love with yourself—what you’re wearing, who you’re around, what you’re doing. Recreate and repeat.” This would be an excellent exercise for you to carry out during this Valentine season. You’re in a phase when you’re likely to enhance your lovability and attract extra support simply by intensifying and refining the affectionate compassion you feel and express toward yourself.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22):
I wish the pandemic would give us a short break so we could celebrate the Valentine season with maximum sensual revelry and extravagant displays of joyful tenderness. I wish we could rip off our masks and forget about social-distancing and hug and kiss everyone who wants to be hugged and kissed. But that’s not going to happen. If we hope to be free to indulge in a Lush Love and Lust Festival by Valentine Season in 2022, we’ve got to be cautious and controlled now. And we are all counting on you Virgos to show us how to be as wildly, lyrically romantic as possible while still observing the necessary limitations. That’s your special task.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22):
Author Raymond Carver wrote, “It ought to make us feel ashamed when we talk like we know what we’re talking about when we talk about love.” That seems like a harsh oversimplification to me. Personally, I think it’s fun and interesting to pretend we know what we’re talking about when we talk about love. And I think that will be especially true for you in the coming weeks. In my astrological opinion, you should be discussing love extensively and boldly and imaginatively. You should redefine what love means to you. You should re-evaluate how you express it and reconfigure the way it works in your life.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21):
I’m turning over this horoscope to psychologist John Welwood. His words are the medicine you need at this juncture in the evolution of intimacy. Study the following quote and interpret it in ways that help illuminate your relationship with togetherness: “A soul connection is a resonance between two people who respond to the essential beauty of each other’s individual natures, behind their facades, and who connect on this deeper level. This kind of mutual recognition provides the catalyst for a potent alchemy. It is a sacred alliance whose purpose is to help both partners discover and realize their deepest potentials.”

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):
Transform yourself with the sweetest challenge you can dream up. Give yourself a blessing that will compel you to get smarter and wilder. Dazzle yourself as you dare to graduate from your history. Rile yourself up with a push to become your better self, your best self, your amazingly fulfilled and masterful self. Ask yourself to leap over the threshold of ordinary magic and into the realm of spooky good magic. And if all that works out well, Sagittarius, direct similar energy toward someone you care about. In other words, transform them with the sweetest challenge you can dream up. Dare them to graduate from their history. And so on.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19):
I invite you to compose a message to a person you’d like to be closer to and whom you’re sure would like to be closer to you. Be inspired by what poet Clementine von Radics wrote to the man she was dating, telling him why she thought they could start living together. Here’s her note: “Because you texted me a haiku about the moon when you were drunk. Because you cried at the end of the movie Die Hard on Christmas eve. Because when I’m sick you bring me fruit, kiss me on the mouth, and hold me even though I’m gross. Because you bring me flowers for no reason but on Valentine’s Day you gave me a bouquet of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Because every time I show you a poem I love you’ve read it already.”

WANT MORE? Listen to Rob’s EXPANDED AUDIO HOROSCOPES, 4-5 minute meditations on the current state of your destiny — or subscribe to his unique daily text message service at: RealAstrology.com

(Zodiac images by Numerologysign.com, CC license)

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“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.” – Oscar Wilde (Happy Valentine’s Day!)

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Good News Network
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By engin akyurt

Quote of the Day: “Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.” – Oscar Wilde (Happy Valentine’s Day!)

Photo: engin akyurt

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

 

A Valentine’s Day Message for the World: Love Never Fails

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Good News Network
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This Valentine’s Day, we are living in a world that needs some love—and we need to give it.

Jesse Goll

Loving is the way we wake up from the dream of powerlessness. Love is a game changer.

The Berlin wall fell. Slaves were freed. Someone published the book of their dreams today. Someone else rose up against cancer and booked a trip to Greece. Every single day, there are those who rise up in love. Love in the face of ugliness, defeat, or fiasco.

Love is spirit’s calling card. There are no weapons or conditions that can withstand the onslaught of consistent love. Love never fails.

Love never fails—it’s just that we fail to love.

Believe me, I’m not saying this is easy. After all, I’m the kind of girl who gets thrown off if you choose to visit your dying aunt over sitting with me, telling you about my 137 neuroses—and by thrown off, I mean, I will push the red button, because you’ve pushed my buttons.

We’re all human. We all find it easier to say, ‘I’ll be Gandhi tomorrow’, and meanwhile stagnate in our story about how the world should be.

It’s easy to fall onto the bandwagon of complaining. It’s a loud caravan passing through the streets daily. Ugliness gets media attention. There’s fanfare for foulness. Sometimes, it’s hard to hear anything else what with the noise of discontentment.

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Lovers turn their attention to love. It’s that simple—but it’s not simplistic. It’s not the work of simpletons. It’s the work of those who are committed to freedom, growth and cultivating capacities.

Love is a practice for those who care about how they feel each day and what words they allow to roll from their tongues into the waiting pores of those around them. This isn’t for the lazy. This isn’t for those who want to be right. This isn’t for those who want to feel wronged. This is for those who want to be free. This is for those who wish to be merciful to themselves yet uncompromising with their desires.

This is the Valentine’s Day I wish for the world. I want us to be lovers who use our power of attention to love. Lovers of others. Lovers of ourselves. I want us to do the work. I want us to be the ones who reach like seeds for the sun, because something deep within knows the light is there, even when we’re chilled by darkness.

I want us to be more than we think we can be. I want us to be what we know we can be. I want us to start now.

LOOK: When Black Man Was Afraid to Walk in His Upscale Community, 75 Neighbors Walked With Him

What does it mean to turn your attention to love? It doesn’t mean we turn away from problems. It doesn’t mean we turn away from suffering.

We must tend to pain, especially our own. Because it’s almost impossible to love others, when we do not love ourselves.

We must find a way to rise. And this is what I know about rising. It’s about trying again. It’s about not giving up. It’s falling down 7 times and getting up 8, as the Japanese proverb goes.

Keep fighting despite your own resistance and justifications and the discouraging self-talk that diminishes who you really are.

WATCH: Therapy Dogs Surprise National Guard Troops in D.C. Who May Be Missing Their Own Pets

Of course, love doesn’t mean we don’t stand up against injustice. It means we might. But we don’t do anything out of bitterness. Bitterness eats your strength. Hate can deafen you to the voice or consciousness of the divine. Love is always merciful and yet never a doormat. It’s a firehose of strength. It’s an oracle of new perspective. Real love is a wild force that changes any landscape on any day.

Where do you need to give your love? Who do you need to love—and in what way? Or how can you love yourself more—right now?

Tama Kieves, an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, left her law practice to write and help others create their most extraordinary lives. She is the bestselling author of 4 books including A Year Without Fear: 365 Days of Magnificence and her latest Thriving Through Uncertainty. A sought-after speaker and career/success coach, she has helped thousands to thrive in their life, calling, and businesses. Sign up for your FREE digital fortune cookies and a free copy of her popular webinar Dare to Decide at www.tamakieves.com/dare.

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Watch Therapy Dogs Surprise National Guard Troops in Washington, D.C. Who May Be Missing Their Own Pets

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Good News Network
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In time for Valentine’s Day we bring you a story of doggie love, direct from Washington, D.C. where thousands of National Guard troops will continue to be stationed away from their homes for at least another month.

More than 250 Guardsmen have been staying downtown at the Hamilton Hotel in the nation’s capital since troops were called in from around the country to protect the city after a siege on the Capitol Building one month ago.

Knowing the men and women had been away from their own families and pets for several weeks, the hotel surprised their guests with a visit from a dozen therapy dogs affiliated with the DC nonprofit People Animals Love.

The happy commotion in the lobby two weeks ago, shown in the video below, was designed as a gesture of thanks for the group’s round-the-clock service to their country.

The 12 dogs were accompanied by their owners who stood at various spots throughout the hotel located at 14th and K Streets—and all the pups were eager to extend a two-paw salute to our armed services members.

Photos courtesy of Hamilton Hotel

“Seeing hardened military men and women, roll around on the ground with these amazing dogs, as if no one is watching, truly filled our souls with happiness and gratitude,” Hamilton Hotel director Joe Palminteri told GNN. “It was only an hour, but the smiles and warm embraces will last a lifetime.”

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People Animals Love was founded in 1982 to proved a network of 500 individually-owned dogs and a few cats to provide comfort to people in places like care facilities, libraries, and schools. During the pandemic, the group began offering a virtual program where kids can practice reading to a PAL dog.

WATCH the video below…

Give a Pawesome Salute To The Guard on Social Media – Share This!

The Empire State Building is Now 100% Powered By Wind, Along With 13 Other Related Buildings

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Good News Network
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Dorian Mongel

The beloved New York City landmark Empire State Building is now run entirely by wind energy—making it a green new year for the 15,000 people working inside.

Dorian Mongel

Empire State Realty Trust, Inc. which owns the 102-story skyscraper along with 13 other office buildings, signed a three-year contract with Green Mountain Energy to power its entire real estate portfolio throughout New York and Connecticut with renewable wind electricity.

According to the federal EPA, it made the company the nation’s largest 100% user of green power in real estate.

More than a decade ago, the iconic building in Midtown Manhattan underwent a groundbreaking energy and efficiency retrofit, as part of the $550 million Empire State ReBuilding restoration program and has already delivered a 40% reduction in energy use and emissions.

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100% of ESRT’s more than 10.1 million square-foot portfolio is now powered by renewable wind energy, which is estimated to avoid the production of 450 million pounds of carbon dioxide—equivalent to the savings if every New York State household turned off all their lights for a month, or the addition of two Central Parks to New York City.

Green Mountain Energy was awarded the electricity contract after a bid process that involved multiple electricity providers and is expected to result in more than $800,000 in savings to ESRT for the first year of the contract.

RELATED: Arkansas Schools Install Solar Panels to Save Millions on Energy and Pay Teachers More

Now the Art Deco decor isn’t the only charm for tenants who can now boast they work in all-carbon neutral offices.

SHARE The Good News With New York Lovers on Social Media…

Zero Rhinos Poached in Kenya Last Year – Better Policing is One of the Keys

By
Andy Corbley
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Vaughn Wright

2020 was remarkable year for rhino protection in Kenya where not one single rhino lost its horn or lost its life last year—a feat not achieved since 1999.

Travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic was just one of the contributing factors. Other interventions include tackling poverty in nearby rural areas and increasing policing efforts to seize rhino horns being trafficked in the last few years.

In a statement, Kenyan Wildlife Service (KWS) Director retired-Brigadier General John Waweru said, “For the first time in 21 years, KWS reported zero poaching of rhinos in the year 2020. The last time this feat was achieved was in 1999.”

Rhinos aren’t the only animal benefiting from more stringent policing and lockdown measures. Elephants with their ivory tusks have experienced a marvelous reprieve in 2020.

Poaching of the two species hit a peak in 2012 and 2013, but since then elephant deaths have plummeted by 97% to a record of 11 nationwide in 2020—the lowest ever in KWS history.

RELATED: With No Male Northern White Rhinos Left, 10 Viable Eggs Offer Hope For the Species Through Embryo Transfer

South Africa, which contains 80% of all African rhinos on Earth, also reported some good news this week for the magnificent species.

Vaughn Wright

The Ministry of Environment reported a 33% drop in the number of rhinos poached in the world-famous Kruger National Park last year.

2020 was the 6th year in a row in which rhino poaching incidents fell there—and since 2017, they have plummeted by 60%.

LOOK: Specially-Trained Dogs Have Saved 45 Rhinos From Poachers in South Africa—And Counting

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“Patience is also a form of action.” – Auguste Rodin

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Patience is also a form of action.” – Auguste Rodin (French sculptor – The Thinker)

Photo by: Valentin B. Kremer

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

 

 

The First Farmer in the US to Sequester Carbon for Cash in Private Marketplace Earns $115,000 For His Planting Strategy

By
Andy Corbley
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Scientists, farmers, the USDA, and governments, are rallying around an idea that will see tons of carbon pulled out of the atmosphere and put back into the ground.

Regenerative farming practices aren’t new, but it’s new that the President of the United States should be talking about them.

A large study from the Nature Conservancy, one of the oldest environmental groups in the U.S, has shown that a particular kind of no-till farming involving the planting of cover crops and nutrient-dense food like root vegetables during the off-season could perhaps sequester as much as 10% of the world’s carbon footprint.

In a speech Biden gave in which he announced his Secretary of Agriculture as Tom Vilsack, the president mentioned how his policies will make “American agriculture the first in the world to achieve net zero emissions.”

To do this, Biden and Vilsack plan to “create new sources of income for farmers in the process by paying farmers to put their land in conservation, plant cover crops that use the soil to capture carbon.”

One such farmer is Marylander Trey Hill, featured in a Washington Post article introducing him as the first seller in a new private market of carbon credits based around this kind of farming.

The market already earned him $115,000, with buyers paying him for having returned 8,000 tons of CO2 back into the ground.

POPULAR: Washington Man Rescues 2.4 Million Pounds of Farmers’ Crops Going to Waste, Gets Them to Food Banks Across State

A tale of tilling

The image of the ancient farmer with his till, breaking apart the ground to make way for seed is an iconic and even romantic land-use image.

However, according to Washington Post, this act of disturbing the soil—of breaking apart roots and exposing vulnerable microbes to the sun—has throughout human history sent up 133 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere.

As Good News Network reported last year, regenerative agriculture, either through fancy jargon like “adaptive multi-paddock grazing” or “agroforestry” or “permaculture,”  totals one-fifth of all farming activities in the United States.

Growing black cohosh, by Priya Jaishanker – CC license, Forest Farming

Principle among the regenerative farming practices is the lack of tilling, as it not only sends carbon into the atmosphere to become carbon dioxide, but it exposes soil microbes and fungus to harmful UV light, reducing soil biodiversity.

Instead, as it relates to mono-cash-crop agriculture, the vast majority of farming in the U.S., it involves using root crops to loosen and aerate the soil, and cover crops to shade it from the sun, introducing more microbial diversity, and sequestering more carbon in the plants roots.

A new carbon credit market

Estimating that soil sequestration could account for 25% of the total climate mitigation strategies, Bossio and the team at Nature Conservancy detail in Nature that 47% of this strategy will involve agriculture.

MORE: This 2-Acre Vertical Farm Produces More Than ‘Flat Farms’ That Are Using 720 Acres

Trey Hill uses clover, lentils, and rye as cover crops, and radishes and turnips for root crops as sequestration and regeneration agents in his corn field. Recently Hill’s farm of 10,000 acres sold its carbon credits for $16.50 per ton, through a Seattle-based startup called Nori, which allows companies and individuals to buy carbon credits to offset their own carbon emissions.

Who paid Hill for putting the carbon back into the soil? The e-Commerce platform Shopify, Arizona State University, and several individuals.

While Hill notes that many farmers are still on the sidelines due to the extra cost of special equipment and such, a market is forming of companies who want to work with farmers to sequester carbon for cash.

RELATED: Topping Soil With Rock Dust Could Suck Billions of Tons of CO2 From the Air and Increase Crop Nutrients – Study

For example, while Nori has only a few farmers signed up to sell through them, an ag-tech company in Boston called Indigo-Ag, whose clients include Dogfish Head Breweries, and JP Morgan Chase, sells carbon offsets on one million acres across 21 states.

MORE: More and More Farmers Are Using Garlicky Supplements to Curb Major Environmental Enemy: Cow Gas

Biden wants to ensure that large farms have the opportunity to expand their income and protect the climate in this way, which may boost American yields of root and cover vegetables, increasing food output as well.

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Struggling Thai Fisherman Finds Rare Melo Pearl Worth $320,000 While Walking on Beach

By
Good News Network
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SWNS

If you’re still looking for a romantic Valentine’s gift for your partner, how about a super rare Melo pearl? At $332,762, this particular one isn’t exactly cheap, but it does come with quite the backstory.

Struggling fisherman Hatchai Niyomdecha was picking up oyster shells with his family last month when they stumbled upon three beautiful shells sticking to a discarded buoy ball.

SWNS

The 37-year-old and his brother picked the shells off the ball and took them home. They gave them to their father Angmad, then asked for a little help with the cleaning. When the pensioner had opened the third shell, he found something brilliant: an orange pearl slightly bigger than a US quarter.

SWNS

He called his wife and two boys to inspect the beautiful 7.68-gram precious item. It turned out the fishing family had an extremely expensive pearl from a large snail, the Melo Melo, on their hands.

Hatchai, who spotted the shells, says he had a strange dream a few days before finding the gem: “An old man in white with a long mustache told me to come to the beach so I can receive a gift. I think he led me to finding the pearl.

He believes that the old man could be a deity who wanted to help him get out of poverty. as the pearl could be worth as much as 10 million baht ($332,762), explaining: “I want to sell the pearl for the highest price. The money won’t just change my life… My whole family will have better lives.”

Hatchai Niyomdecha, SWNS

A few days later, a wealthy businessman from another province heard about the pearl and offered to buy it for one million baht ($33,276), but the family refused.

MORE: Amateur Treasure Hunter Unearths Missing Centerpiece of Henry VIII’s Crown — And It’s Worth Millions

Another persistent luxury items collector increased the offer to five million baht but the family still declined, instead believing that they could get a much higher price for it.

A third potential buyer, this time from China, is now negotiating with the family to take the pearl for 10 million baht—its expected price—but he’s hoping to see it for himself to determine that it’s genuine Melo.

RELATED: Egypt Just Discovered 27 Sealed Coffins in An Ancient Cemetery That Were Buried 2,500 Years Ago

He’s expected to fly to Thailand next week, but will have to undergo the required two-week quarantine and other guidelines before reaching the pearl owner’s home.

CHECK OUT: Rare Archeological Treasures Discovered Beneath Attic Floorboards of English Tudor Mansion

Melo pearls range from orange to tan to brown in color—with orange being the most expensive shade. They are usually found in the South China Sea and Andaman Sea off the coast of Burma and are produced by predatory sea snails called Volutidae. If you want to get your hands on this one? It sounds like now’s your chance.

Featured image: SWNS

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Basketball Royals, Steph and Ayesha Curry, Have Quietly Provided 15 Million Meals During the Pandemic

By
Judy Cole
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Steph Curry may be the greatest shooter in NBA history and treated as basketball royalty, but he’s also a generous supporter of charities lifting up folks in need.

Last summer, as the COVID-19 pandemic stalled the economy leaving many out of work, he and his wife Ayesha launched Eat. Learn. Play., a foundation that helps families struggling to put food on the table, through donations to the Alameda County Community Food Bank and the Oakland, California school system.

“We know the world is changing before our eyes in terms of dealing with the spread of coronavirus and we just found out that the Oakland Unified School District is closing the doors for the foreseeable future, so we want to intercede on behalf of the kids that rely on the daily services and try to help any way we can,” Steph Curry explained in a video tweet.

Since then, the initiative has expanded exponentially. After joining forces with the world-renowned, Chef José Andrés, founder of the nonprofit disaster-relief group World Central Kitchen, Steph and Ayesha’s foundation has gone from serving 4,000 meals a week to 300,000.

In total, more than 15 million meals—and counting—have found their way to those in need.

But more than just serving up meals, Eat. Learn. Play. is also giving the local economy a much-needed financial shot in the arm—about $20 million that has “led to the rehiring of more than 900 Oakland restaurant workers.”

“It’s like we’re feeding the restaurants to make sure they can feed the community,” World Central Kitchen’s restaurant operations lead Anna Shova told Sf-ist.

“Restaurant culture has changed. Popular Michelin star restaurants have now asked ‘What else can I do for the community?’”

RELATED: Watch Dwayne Johnson Give $30K Truck to the Guy Who Took Him In When ‘The Rock’ was a Homeless Teenager

“Everything happens for a reason,” Ayesha Curry told The SF Chronicle. “For us to start in July and then just a few months later have this crisis thrust at our community and be able to keep up with the demand has really been a blessing.”

“It’s all about impact,” Steph Curry added. “The things my wife and I try to do, separately and together, are to raise awareness, to find impactful partnerships, to be human and understand the urgency of the moment.”

MORE: NBA Star Buys George Floyd’s Family a House, Joining Streisand and Others in Giving Daughter a Future

And that’s the way this elite player scores big.

Featured image: @StephenCurry/Twitter

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The Lunar New Year Begins Today: It’s the Year of the Ox – Is 2021 Your Year?

By
Andy Corbley
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The Lunar New Year is upon us, horoscopes are flying through the digital ether like fireworks above Beijing, and this time around—according to the Chinese Zodiac—it’s the year of the Ox.

If you were born in the following years, you’re an Ox: 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, and 2021.

Honest and earnest, the Ox, or Chou (丑), is the ultimate rock around which one builds a family or a business. A rational mind and a strong belief that everyone should fulfill their responsibilities makes it difficult for Oxen to be reasoned with sometimes, but their values always shine through their actions.

Look for those with horoscopes most compatible with Oxen: Rats, Roosters, and Snakes. Pay attention to your lucky numbers 1 and 4, and the colors yellow, blue, and green. Travel east and southeast for auspiciousness, and south for love.

This year’s birth Oxen were born in the Metal phase or (辛 xīn), and while this means their upbringing was, is, or will be tough, no financial worries will befall them. Their retirement will also be enjoyable.

Chinese astrology states that the year in which the stars on your birth date come around again to sit opposite Jupiter is “Ben Ming Nian”, or the unlucky year, as Jupiter opposes the mythical Tai Sui—heavenly generals, or star gods, of your birth year.

In this year of Xīn Chou, one horoscope states “you may encounter unexpected challenges, especially in your career and studies, which can leave you feeling stressed out, distracted, and emotional.”

Another states that “In Ben Ming Nian, the overall horoscope of Ox people will become precarious.”

However, all acknowledge that the Metal phase which is generating with Earth, will benefit Oxen to some extent.

Furthermore, there is perhaps no sign more equipped to deal with Ben Ming Nian than Oxen, and none of these things should prevent an Ox from doing what they do best: working, speaking the truth, and developing oneself.

MORE: People are Making Self-Care a Priority After One of the Most Stressful Years Ever

If you find that Tai Sui starts playing hardball, be yourself, trust your own strengths, and you will find your way out again as the wheel of fortune spins ’round your way.

CHECK OUT: Walking Through the Doorway of Change – How to Thrive Through Uncertainty

In many ways the Xin Chou year, and the path forward through it, is demonstrative of the state of humankind in this difficult period. If we all borrow a little bit of Ox’s strength, the celestial wheel will turn all of our fortunes in time.

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For a Majority of Americans, ‘Carpe Diem’ is the New Motto in 2021

By
Good News Network
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Clay Banks

Nearly six in 10 Americans are planning to make ‘carpe diem’—Latin for seize the day—their new mantra after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new poll.

The survey asked 2,000 Americans about the impact COVID-19 had on their lives and what lessons they’ve learned. It found 68% are planning to emerge from quarantine as new people. In fact, seven in 10 polled are planning to live each and every day to the fullest post-pandemic.

Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Life Happens, a nonprofit educating consumers about the importance of life insurance, the survey found that 71% of respondents value the little things in life more than ever because of the past year.

Some of the ‘small wins’ Americans are pursuing at this time included speaking to their families more (45%), speaking their minds more truthfully (43%), and taking more vacation time when it’s safe to do so (42%).

Four in 10 respondents also shared they plan to be more confident and express themselves creatively as a part of this small-win revolution.

This isn’t to say respondents aren’t focusing on big life decisions during this time, however, as three quarters of those polled said it’s important for them to get their finances in order in 2021.

In fact, achieving financial security is the most important milestone for Americans to achieve for the second year in a row (38% in 2021 compared to 36% in 2020).

Faisa Stafford, President and CEO of Life Happens said: “Traditional milestones and outlooks on life have been upended, leading many to reevaluate what’s important in life and their relationships. For many, the past year has emphasized that there is no better financial security for your loved ones than life insurance, with our survey showing that more than a quarter (29%) consider getting life insurance a ‘small act of love.’”

Another important milestone for Americans includes becoming debt free—up 8% compared to last year’s survey (26% in 2021 compared to 18% in 2020).

RELATED: 8 in 10 Americans Say Positive Memories Have Been a ‘Lifeline’ During the Pandemic

The year-to-year results also showed that two milestones in particular are less of a focus in 2021—the first being marriage (down 11%) and achieving a successful career (down 5%).

CHECK OUT: These Bad Habits Americans Picked Up in 2020 They Want to Get Rid of in 2021

This is most likely due to the pandemic, as 58% of respondents said this has drastically changed which milestones they’d like to accomplish in life.

MORE: Nearly 70% of Americans are More Appreciative of Loved Ones Than Ever Before 

When it comes to reasons for avoiding talking about finances during the pandemic, men (31%) and women (37%) both agreed that arguing with their significant other/spouse over money was the leading cause for choosing to eschew the topic.

TOP ‘SMALL WINS’ PEOPLE ARE PURSUING DURING THE PANDEMIC

See/speak to their families more – 45%
Speak their minds more truthfully – 43%
Take more vacation time when it’s safe – 42%
Be more confident – 41%
Express themselves creatively – 41%
Take better care of their mental health – 31%
Don’t cancel plans in the future – 26%

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“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” – Hal Borland

By
Good News Network
-

Quote of the Day: “No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.” – Hal Borland

Photo by: Ravi Patel

With a new inspirational quote every day, atop the perfect photo—collected and archived on our Quote of the Day page—why not bookmark GNN.org for a daily uplift?

 

 

How One Interior Designer Is Helping The Homeless With Her One Percent Project

By
Andy Corbley
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Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Non-profits need profits, and one Portland interior designer has found a subtle, effective way to fund projects looking to alleviate the Oregon homelessness epidemic.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

A short-hand equivalent of when grocery stores ask shoppers to round up and give the surplus to charity, she’s adding a 1% line item on every client invoice as a way of generating money for non-profits: and other interior designers in the state have been joining her.

Despite having one of the highest state tax burdens in the nation, Oregon struggles with homelessness rates.

Seeking to utilize the real estate and home furnishing industry’s familiarity with the problem, Jessica Helgerson started the One Percent Project and found that among her interior design business’ 25 clients, only one opted out of the voluntary 1% charge.

“When you’re working with people who can afford an interior designer, that might not be a lot of money to them,” explains Helgerson to Fast Company. “That has really fostered a lot of enthusiasm; people are excited they can be part of it.”

Launched in 2019, the One Percent Project is now generating revenue for nine Portland and Oregon state organizations that work ro alleviate homelessness, including Community Warehouse—a sort of Salvation Army that allows people transitioning out of homelessness to shop for free.

The grant they’ve received through the One Percent Project has so far come to a whopping $150,000, which Community Warehouse used to buy a new van to make deliveries.

Doing their part

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

How did such a big fundraising number happen? In 2019, more than a dozen interior-related businesses in the Pacific Northwest got onboard with the project—and that number is only rising.

“It was important that it not just be interior design,” Helgerson said. “But that it be all aspects of the home world. Real estate agents, architects, plumbing, contractors, supply places. It’s a very broad world.”

MORE: $14 Billion Raised For Great Green Wall to Continue Planting Trees Across Africa, Keeping Sahara From Destroying Villages

Another grant recipient benefitting from the increased participation was Portland Homeless Family Solutions, a shelter and support center that helps homeless folks stay safe and positive while seeking long-term housing.

The One Percent Project provided a $40,000 grant to fund the project and over 800 pro-bono hours of interior design work. Using concepts from trauma-informed design, the remodeled space is grounded in safety, accessibility, flexibility, connectivity, inclusion, health, and healing.

RELATED: Ex-wife of Amazon CEO has Given Away $4 Billion in Last 4 Months to Help Those Affected by the Pandemic

The One Percent Project finds that the 1% line item makes it easy for businesses to add it into their operations without expanding software or personnel, while the association between the housing industry and the homelessness epidemic makes sense to clients—similarly, perhaps, to the no-brainer of an airline buying carbon offsets, or a paper company planting trees.

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