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Toyota is Granting Royalty-Free Licenses to Almost 24,000 Patents for Their Electric Vehicle Technology

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As a means of encouraging the automotive industry’s shift towards sustainability, Toyota is granting royalty-free licenses on almost 24,000 of their electric and hybrid vehicle technology.

With consideration for the amount of time, money, and resources needed to help combat rising emissions through electric transportation, this is just one of the measures that Toyota is taking further promote the widespread use of electrified vehicles.

Firstly, Toyota announced earlier this week that it will be granting the royalty-free licenses on nearly 24,000 patents it holds (including some pending applications) for vehicle electrification-related technologies.

Secondly, Toyota will provide fee-based technical support to other manufacturers developing and selling electrified vehicles when they use Toyota’s motors, batteries, PCUs, control ECUs, and other vehicle electrification system technologies as part of their powertrain systems.

LOOK: Elon Musk’s First Ultra-Fast Underground Transit Tunnel Will Open to the Public in December

Ultimately, by granting royalty-free patents and providing technical support on its vehicle electrification systems, Toyota aims to help further promote the widespread use of electrified vehicles, and in so doing, help governments, automakers, and society at large accomplish goals related to climate change.

“Based on the high volume of inquiries we receive about our vehicle electrification systems from companies that recognize a need to popularize hybrid and other electrified vehicle technologies, we believe that now is the time for cooperation,” said Shigeki Terashi, Member of the Board and Executive Vice President of Toyota. “If the number of electrified vehicles accelerates significantly in the next 10 years, they will become standard, and we hope to play a role in supporting that process.”

The royalty-free patents are advanced technologies found in electrified vehicles, particularly those used in hybrid electric vehicles (HEV) that have helped Toyota realize enhanced performance, reduced size, and cost reductions. More specifically, the patents included are for parts and systems, such as electric motors, power control units (PCUs), and system controls. These are core technologies that can be applied to the development of various types of electrified vehicles including HEVs, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), and fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV).

MORE: Student-Designed Electric Car Breaks World Record by Crossing Australia in 6 Days Using Only $50 of Power

Together, Toyota will offer approximately 23,740 patents awarded over more than 20 years of electrified vehicle technology development. The grant period will start immediately and last through the end of 2030. Contracts for the grants may be issued by contacting Toyota and discussing specific licensing terms and conditions.

Toyota has already been offering 5,680 patents related to its fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEV) since January 2015. Now, Toyota is adding approximately 2,590 patents related to electric motors, 2,020 patents related to PCUs, 7,550 patents related to system controls, 1,320 engine transaxle patents, 2,200 charger patents, and 2,380 fuel cell patents (bringing the total of fuel cell related patents to 8,060).

As for the fee-based technical support Toyota will offer, specifics include providing overviews of vehicle electrification systems, control guides, and detailed explanations of tuning guides for vehicles that will utilize its systems. The guidance that Toyota will provide, for example, includes helping other automakers to achieve high-level product performance in terms of fuel efficiency, output, and quietness fit for the vehicles they are working to develop. The services will be contract-based. More details will be provided to interested parties.

RELATED: Country With Notorious Traffic Congestion Becomes First in the World to Offer Free Public Transportation for All

By offering both royalty-free patents and technical support for electrified vehicles, Toyota sees an opportunity to encourage the development and market introduction of electrified vehicles around the world, something it has long considered a top-priority management issue based on its strong belief that environmentally-conscious vehicles will contribute to the fight against climate change only if they come into widespread use through reductions in CO2 emissions.

In 2015, Toyota identified targets to reduce its own emissions and established the Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050, a set of long-term action targets for sustainability, aiming to reduce CO2 emissions from its vehicles and plants, and in 2017, Toyota announced a sales plan for the proliferation of electrified vehicles covering the period through the end of 2030.

Drive This Story To Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media – Feature photo by Dion Gillard, CC

Woman Buys Out Entire Shoe Store So She Can Donate 204 Pairs to Nebraska Flood Victims

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McKinley Corbley
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A 25-year-old woman just bought the entire stock of a closing shoe store so she could donate it all to Nebraska flood victims.

Earlier this week, college graduate Addy Tritt bought 204 pairs of new shoes from the Payless Shoe Store in Hays, Kansas.

Since Payless announced that they were going out of business in February, the company has been liquidating its assets in all 2,100 of its stores.

Upon hearing about the store’s closing, Tritt felt compelled to visit the branch so she could buy some shoes for the flood victims in Nebraska.

MORE: Rather Than Hiding Treasures in a Trophy Room, NBA Legend is ‘Selling It All’ for Underprivileged Kids

The store’s remaining shoes – which included 162 pairs of baby shoes, 44 pairs of women’s, and 2 pairs of men’s – were collectively worth about $6,000 retail. After about two and a half hours of negotiation, however, Tritt managed to buy all of the shoes for only $100.

“I have been so blessed. There have been so many great people in my life who have inspired me,” she told Hays Post. “So many people have helped me when I was down, I want to help if I can.

“I just hope this inspires other people to volunteer and donate if you have been blessed,” she added.

Kick Up Some Positivity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photos by Addy Tritt

“To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis

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Quote of the Day: “To walk in nature is to witness a thousand miracles.” – Mary Davis

Photo: by Claudio Audisio, CC license via Flickr

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

 

School District Turns Unused Cafeteria Food into Take-Home Meals for Kids in Need

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McKinley Corbley
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One school district has come up with a simple, yet effective solution for simultaneously tackling both student hunger and food waste.

The Elkhart School District of Indiana has started salvaging their wasted food so they can package it up for their students to take home on the weekend.

Many students depend on the free breakfasts and lunches that are provided by the school as their main source of food – so when there is no school on the weekend, many of those students have nothing to eat at home.

School administrators then noticed how much of their cafeteria food was going straight into the garbage.

WATCH: Principal Reads Books in Her PJs Online So Students Always Have a Bedtime Story

So as a means of helping to feed their students over the weekends, the district partnered with food rescue group Cultivate to collect, package, and freeze all of their unused food from school lunches.

Now every Friday for the rest of the school year, 20 at-risk students from Woodland Elementary School will be given a backpack containing eight frozen meals for their weekend at home.

“It’s making a big impact,” Melissa Ramey from Chamber Leadership Academy told WSBT. “I am proud of that. It was heartbreaking to hear that children go home on the weekends and that they don’t have anything to eat.”

(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by WSBT

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Peep in On This Woman’s Livestream of a Nesting Bird Box She Designed to Look Like a Tiny Living Room

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SWNS
SWNS

With spring underway and the birds beginning to nest, this blue tit is settling into a particularly fancy little home for season.

This novel birdbox, which has been designed to look like a tiny human living room, is the brainchild of wildlife expert and consultant Kate MacRae, who designed and built the nesting site using doll house furniture.

Furthermore, MacRae has fitted a camera inside of the bird box in order to livestream all the action from her English garden in Lichfield, Staffordshire to the internet.

“This box has been giving us amazing footage and I cannot describe how excited I was when the first blue tit entered the box and had a good look around,” said McRae. “What is going through her mind as she looks at the cat ornament on the shelf and the potted plant? Does she approve of the mini avian-themed wallpaper?”

MORE: ‘Never seen anything like it’ – Watch Ferry Passenger’s Stunning Footage of 200 Frolicking Dolphins

MacRae has been filming the wildlife in her garden over the last ten years with a plethora of cameras that are wired back to a central computer so she can watch the recordings.

“The birds are a pair but it’s difficult to tell the male from the female until the eggs are laid. It will be the female that sits on them,” she added. “It was really the idea that they will live in the box for the next five or six weeks so I wanted to create a space that looks like a living room, but you’re limited with what to include because you can’t impede on the nesting space too much.

SWNS

“I have spent the winter planning this box and experimenting with different set-ups. The box was all made using 1/12th dolls house furniture along with wood, cardboard and paper.

“It took me about two weeks to get the interior right and several days to get the camera positioned perfectly,” continues McRae. “It is so important that you get it right so that the birds aren’t affected. I had to experiment with lots of different furniture to get the effect.

“It is vital that the materials I use and design do not create any dangers for the wildlife, [so] everything is securely glued down and the items are made of paper card or wood.”

SWNS

The box is part of a project with her sponsors CJ Wildlife as a means of capturing the imagination of the public and get them engaged with the wildlife in their own spaces.

RELATED: Watch 800-Pound Bison Perform Adorable ‘Happy Dance’ in Celebration of the First Day of Spring

“Many of us are unaware of the wonderful wildlife that is right outside our window,” said MacRae. “I can engage with an audience that doesn’t normally engage with this. Once they are hooked they can return to see how the birds are getting on. I posted one tweet with some footage and it has had 250,000 impressions.

If you want to check up on the living room bird box or take a peek at any of MacRae’s other feathery livestreams, you can visit her WildlifeKate online blog.

SWNS

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IKEA Has Developed a Curtain That Reduces Indoor Air Pollution

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It will soon be possible to reduce common indoor air pollutants using just a curtain.

A mineral-based surface treatment enables this new curtain from IKEA to break down air pollutants when it comes in contact with light.

Air pollution is a global issue and particularly problematic in megacities. According to WHO, around 90% of people worldwide breathe polluted air, which is estimated to cause eight million deaths per year.

The Swedish furniture company hopes to diminish this number by producing the GUNRID air-purifying curtain.

LOOK: For Years, This IKEA Has Been Quietly Welcoming Stray Dogs Off the Streets So They Can Sleep Inside

“Besides enabling people to breathe better air at home, we hope that GUNRID will increase people’s awareness of indoor air pollution, inspiring behavioral changes that contribute to a world of clean air,” says Lena Pripp-Kovac, Head of Sustainability at Inter IKEA Group. “GUNRID is the first product to use the technology, but the development will give us opportunities for future applications on other textiles.”

The curtain uses a technology that has been developed by IKEA suppliers in collaboration with several European and Asian universities over the course of the last few years. The process, which works similarly to photosynthesis, is activated by both outdoor and indoor light.

“For me, it’s important to work on products that solve actual problems and are relevant to people. Textiles are used across homes and by enabling a curtain to purify the air, we are creating an affordable and space-saving air purifying solution that also makes the home more beautiful,” says Mauricio Affonso, Product Developer at IKEA Range and Supply.

RELATED: IKEA Releases Free Design For Garden Sphere That Feeds a Neighborhood

The GUNRID curtain will reportedly be made available to the public next year.

For many years, IKEA has been reducing air pollution from its own operations by phasing out hazardous chemicals and reducing air emissions. Last year, IKEA launched the Better Air Now! initiative, aiming to turn rice straw – a rice harvesting residue that is traditionally burned and contributes heavily to air pollution – into a new renewable material source for IKEA products. IKEA has also committed to becoming climate positive by 2030, reducing our overall climate footprint by 70% on average per product (compared to 2016).

Furthermore, the company has recently been lauded for their 2018 sustainability report stating that 70% of the materials used to make their products were either made from renewable or recycled materials.

“We know that there is no single solution to solve air pollution, [but] we work long term for positive change, to enable people to live healthier and more sustainable lives,” says Pripp-Kovac.

Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by IKEA

“I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” – Vincent van Gogh

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Quote of the Day: “I have nature and art and poetry, and if that is not enough, what is enough?” – Vincent van Gogh

Photo: by 宇中蜃楼, CC license via Flickr

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

 

Our New Sponsor: The Nutrition Company On a Mission to Help Others

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Sponsored Content

When the founders of LIVEDEN decided to start a company, they knew they wanted to focus on giving back. They’ve spent their lifetimes in the health and wellness industry, and they have a strong passion for leading others to discover their best health—but they knew they also wanted to extend their helping outreach.

“There are so many children in need throughout the world and millions of school-aged children attending classes while hungry every day. That number is really staggering to hear,” said Heather Holker, CEO and Co-Founder of LIVEDEN. “We felt we could really make a difference by multiplying our giving with every purchase—and so create an absolute wave of good that could be done in the world.”

That’s why the company is providing 10 meals to children in need with every purchase of their LIVEDENONE.

(And they are giving you, as a GNN viewer, 15% off any purchase when you use the code GNN).

How Do You Start Your Day?

“How you start your day is absolutely critical to how your body will function. For energy, balanced blood sugar, gut health, vitamin and mineral levels, and hormones, we wanted to create an unparalleled nutritional product that would balance and stabilize the body in all these areas—while also making it affordable and convenient,” says Heather.

Working alongside top formulators throughout the world they created a unique blend of superfoods that has everything the body needs to bring balance and stability. “When you balance the body it doesn’t crave. It loses inflammation, stored toxins and weight. You have lasting sustained energy and great mental clarity. A balanced body simply functions optimally in all areas.”

LIVEDEN (formerly Puratae) has worked for years to create one of the world’s most complete blends of superfoods available today. “This is a supplement that is designed to be taken first in the morning and provides over 14 supplements in one serving and not only provides your essential vitamins and minerals, but also support a healthy gut. It will increase and stabilize the natural energy of the body with green superfoods for cellular nourishment and cell protection, and 10 grams of plant and vegetable based protein to stabilize the blood sugar and maintain lean mass.”

The company’s LIVEDENONE is natural, allergen-free—and free of artificial colors, flavors, preservatives and sweeteners. It only sources the purest raw ingredients from their trusted and inspected farmers and suppliers, and undergoes the strictest testing in the supplement industry—exceeding cGMP standards and FDA guidelines. Ingredients are certified free of allergens to ensure the highest form of purity—and there is a 60-day money back guarantee.

Equivalent of 12 Servings of Fruits and Vegetables in Every Serving

With the 15% discount for GNN customers using the code GNN, a bag of LIVEDENONE which gives you a one-month supply of nutrition will cost $74.80 (less than a cup of coffee, it comes out to $2.50 per day).

WHY is This Good News?

  • Health: Discover your best health: A balanced body functions optimally. It doesn’t crave, loses toxins, inflammation and stored weight, and has sustained energy throughout the day.
  • Guarantee: Live and buy without worries. Every purchase comes with our 60-day money back guarantee.
  • Allergen Free: Our product is free of gluten, soy, dairy, nuts.
  • Purity: – Purity you can trust. Nothing unclean or unnatural. No artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners.
  • Giving Back: Every LIVEDENONE purchased provides 10 meals to children in need.
    Convenience: With the nutrient equivalent of over 12 servings of fruits and vegetables its the best way to start your day.
  • Win-Win. You can feel good knowing you’ve nourished your own family, while also feeding children in need.

“There is nothing better then knowing we’ve started our day right nutritionally…while also knowing that we’ve helped feed children in need,” adds Heather. “We have five children, and we want them to know that we can either take an active or a passive side when it comes to helping others. We send a really powerful message with the money we spend and the businesses we support. Imagine if every company operated with a mandate to give back. It could literally change the world overnight.”

LIVEDEN currently has a giving outreach in 20 countries—and is feeding over 1,000 children a day! Their goal is to feed children throughout the world in every country. “Every child deserves to have enough food to eat, to thrive, and be their best. We’re just excited to be a part of helping these precious children in need. One child at a time, no one gets left behind.”

Not only do you receive 15% off when you use the code GNN, Good News Network will also get a 15% commission on any purchase made using the code at: gnn.LIVEDEN.com

And, hungry children will get 10 meals with every purchase, turning every nutritional dollar spent into a win-win-win! (It tastes good, too…)

13-Year-old Boy Traded His Xbox and Did Yard Work So He Could Buy His Mom a Car

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McKinley Corbley
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Not many 13-year-old boys can say that they were able to buy a car, let alone a car for their mother – but that is exactly what William Preston did last week.

William’s mom, Krystal Preston, has been struggling to make ends meet since their family was forced to start over after an “unfortunate situation”.

Since the single mother has been trying to provide for her three kids at their home in Fernley, Nevada, she has had no means of transportation – up until now.

LOOK: After Saving Money for Two Years, Teen Finally Gets to Surprise His Friend With New Electric Wheelchair

William was first inspired to give his mom a car after he spent some time watching videos of people giving cars to their mothers on Youtube. He later saw his chance to make his dream a reality when he saw that a woman on Facebook was trying to sell her 1999 Toyota Metro for a cheap price.

The teenager reached out to the woman and asked if she was willing to trade him the car for his Xbox, along with some money that he had earned from doing yard work and house cleaning for people in his community.

At first, the woman was hesitant, but after some negotiating, she eventually accepted his offer and drove the car over to William’s house.

MORE: When Radio Station Hears About Mom Struggling to Care for Sick Son, They Give Her Surprise She Will Never Forget

When William told his mom that he had gotten a car for her, she did not believe him. He then led her out to the driveway where the Toyota was waiting for her – and she could not contain her emotions.

“I lost it, I bawled so bad, I was just like, ‘There’s no way.’ What 13-year-old do you know buys their mom a car? I don’t know any, never heard of any,” Preston told KOLO. “I can’t even express it, like there’s no words that can express my gratitude and how proud I am.”

(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Krystal Preston

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After His Family Passed Up Record-Breaking Clam in Aunt’s Estate, He Found Pearl Inside is Worth Millions

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McKinley Corbley
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A Canadian man has just unveiled what may be one of the North America’s rarest and most stunning treasures: a massive 61-pound pearl.

The “Giga Pearl”, as it is being called, is now thought to be one of the largest pearls in the world – and Abraham Reyes says that he only recently came to own the record-breaking gemstone after a fortuitous string of events brought it into his possession.

The pearl, which is estimated to be about 1,000 years old, was hidden inside of a giant clam that Reyes’s grandfather bought from a Philippines fisherman as a gift for Reyes’s aunt back in 1959. For years, his aunt kept the precious pearl at her home in Manila along with the rest of her art and antiquities collection.

Though Reyes and his aunt always adored the gem and its magical allure, the rest of their family failed to see very much value in the rock. In fact, Reyes told CBC that his other relatives did not even know that it was a pearl.

LOOK: Couple Discovers Buried Treasure Worth $52,000 in Their Backyard and Returns it All to the Owners

So when his aunt began offloading her estate in 2016, Reyes’s family staked their claims on her house and possessions – but the pearl was passed on to him.

The 34-year-old man from Mississauga, Ontario kept the pearl in a safety deposit box until he could have it examined and evaluated by geological specialists.

His suspicions were eventually confirmed when the gemstone was found to be four times the size of the Lao-Tzu pearl, which previously held the record for the world’s largest pearl. Not only that, Reyes’s treasure was estimated to be worth between $60 to $90 million.

That being said, the Giga Pearl is still about 16 pounds shy of the Puerto Princesa pearl, which was uncovered by the tourism office of the little Philippines city back in 2016. Though it reportedly weighed in at 77 pounds, it was never officially confirmed to be the world’s largest pearl.

Now, rather than selling the stunning Giga Pearl, Reyes wants to share its beauty with the world by putting it on display in various museums and galleries.

“I believe the world should know that it does exist,” Reyes told CBC. “To me, I feel very honored to have it. I feel a great responsibility.”

The Giga Pearl is now carried in the arms of an octopus statue gilded in 22-karat-gold which Reyes had commissioned specially for his gem.

(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by The Giga Pearl website

Mother Of Pearl! Be Sure And Share This Incredible Story With Your Friends On Social Media…

Counties With More Trees and Shrubs Spend Less on Medicare, Study Finds

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An exciting new study says that trees may be good for more than just the scenery – they might also reduce the costs of health care across the county.

A new study from the University of Illinois finds that Medicare costs tend to be lower in counties with more forests and shrub-lands than in counties dominated by other types of land cover.

The relationship persists even when accounting for economic, geographic or other factors that might independently influence health care costs, researchers report.

The study also found that increases in forest and shrub cover corresponded to decreases in health care spending. No such relationship was found with other types of vegetative land cover, however.

RELATED: Australia is Creating Renewable Energy Faster Than Other Countries and They’re Planting 1 Billion Trees to Boot

The analysis included county-level health and environmental data from 3,086 of the 3,103 counties in the continental US.

Urban and rural counties with the lowest socioeconomic status appeared to benefit the most from increases in forests and shrubs, said University of Illinois graduate student Douglas A. Becker, who led the new research with Matt Browning, a professor of recreation, sport and tourism at the university

“At first, I was surprised by this,” Becker said. “But then it occurred to me that low-income communities are getting the biggest bang for their buck because they probably have the most to gain.”

WATCH: Island on the Brink of Disaster Plants Thousands of Trees and is Now a Poster Kid for Adapting to Climate Change

The findings, reported in the journal Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, are observational and do not prove that having more trees and shrubs directly lowers health care costs, Becker said. But the study adds to a growing body of evidence linking green space – in particular, forested areas – to better health outcomes for those living nearby.

“Previous studies have looked at any health outcomes people think might be linked to nature: depression, cardiovascular disease, physical activity levels, even recovery from surgery,” Becker said.

Several studies report no association between access to green space and health, he said.

“But there is also a lot of work – including experimental work, which we consider to be the strongest – showing a link between exposure to green space and beneficial health effects,” Becker said.

CHECK OUT: 700 Acres of Massive 1,000-Year-old Redwoods Are Being Turned into a Public Park

For example, studies have shown that people in intensive care units recover more quickly and have fewer complications after surgery if their hospital rooms look out over trees rather than parking lots. Other studies have found that forest walks can influence potentially health-promoting hormone levels or anti-cancer immune cells in the blood.

For the current study, the team turned to the National Land Cover Database, which divides each county into 30-meter-square plots and identifies the environmental composition of each plot. Categories include urban developed or open space, forest, grassland, shrubs and agricultural cover.

“We took the average of different types of land cover and the per capita Medicare spending in a county and compared these two while controlling for several socioeconomic and demographic factors like age, sex, race, median household income, health care access and health behaviors,” Becker said.

The Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services adjust the Medicare expenditure data to reflect differences in health care costs and health-risk profiles in different regions of the US, he said.

MORE: People Have Passively Planted Over 30 Million Trees Simply by Surfing the Web

The analysis revealed that each 1% of a county’s land that was covered in forest was associated with an average Medicare expenditure savings of $4.32 per person per year. Adding the effects of shrub-lands increases the estimated savings to $9 billion annually, Becker said.

“If you multiply that by the number of Medicare fee-for-service users in a county and by the average forest cover and by the number of counties in the U.S., it amounts to about $6 billion in reduced Medicare spending every year nationally,” he said.

As a follow-up to these findings, Becker, Browning and their colleagues are looking at individual health and environmental data in a collaboration with Kaiser Permanente in California.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service and the National and Urban Community Forestry Advisory Council supported this research.

(Source: University of Illinois)

Plant Some Positivity Amongst Your Friends By Sharing It To Social Media – Photo by Phil Hendley, CC

When Family Can’t Afford Motorized Wheelchair for 2-Year-Old, High School Students Modify Toy Car Instead

By
McKinley Corbley
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A 2-year-old boy with mobility issues has been given a new lease on life after a team of compassionate high school students gave him a new set of wheels.

Cillian Jackson was born with a genetic defect that has left him with impaired motor function. Prior to December, the youngster either had to be carried in a stroller or in his parents’ arms.

When Cillian’s parents started looking for ways to give their son more mobility, they found that motorized wheelchairs can cost thousands of dollars, and their insurance would not be able to cover the costs due to Cillian’s age.

Rather than shelling out money for a new wheelchair, however, Cillian’s father Tyler Jackson reached out to the robotics students at his old Minnesota high school.

The Rogue Robotics team at Farmington High School has won multiple awards for their ingenuity; so when they were faced with a project that could make a difference in the life of a 2-year-old boy, they did not hesitate to accept the challenge.

LOOK: High School Seniors Wake Up at 4am So They Can Shovel Neighbor’s Driveway Before Her Dialysis

The teenagers used a Power Wheels riding toy provided by Cillian’s parents as the base for the wheelchair. In addition to adding a more accessible customized joystick to control the chair, they replaced nearly all of the electronics and added a child-sized bicycle seat that they found on Amazon. They then used pool noodles as safety bumpers for the edges of the toy and added a 5-point harness to keep Cillian safe inside the chair.

None of these components were very expensive, but when the students finally got to see Cillian happily zipping around their workshop in his new car, they said the satisfaction of their success was priceless.

“I think we won here more than we do in our competitions,” one high school student told KARE11. Another team member said: “Instead of completing a task, we’re helping change someone’s life.”

(WATCH the KARE11 news coverage below) – Photo by Chrissy Jackson

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“Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel who has found his people everywhere.” – Chaim Potok

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Quote of the Day: “Every man who has shown the world the way to beauty, to true culture, has been a rebel who has found his people everywhere.” – Chaim Potok

Photo: by Darryl W, CC license via Flickr

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

 

Listen to 3rd Grade Teacher Tell Hilarious Story of How She Led Her Students Down Imaginary Oregon Trail (MOTH Monday)

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Today is MOTH Monday on Good News Network: In partnership with The Moth, a nonprofit dedicated to the art of storytelling, we bring you the most uplifting speakers from live stages across the world.

Micaela Blei is an enthusiastic third grade teacher who facilitates elaborate projects and scenarios for her social studies students.

In this hilarious story, she explains how she once wrangled her class into a “simulation” of the trials and tribulations faced by Americans on the Oregon Trail.

Though her overzealous game almost comes to a heartbreaking end for one of her students, Blei finishes her amusing tale by explaining how fate and youthful ingenuity saved a little girl from “dying” on the Oregon Trail.

Listen to her story below…

The Moth gives people an opportunity to tell a true story in front of a live audience, and sometimes their stories are chosen to air on the radio show, now celebrating its tenth year, and broadcasting on 485+ public radio stations—and on The Moth podcast, which is downloaded over 52 million times a year.

The Moth’s third book, Occasional Magic: True Stories About Defying the Impossible is now available for purchase through your favorite booksellers.

Be Sure And Share This Side-Splitting Story With Your Friends On Social Media…

FTC Crackdown Stops Four Major Call Centers Responsible for Billions of Illegal Robocalls

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Four separate operations that were responsible for bombarding American consumers with billions of unwanted and illegal robocalls have been shut down by the FTC.

The organizations, which were responsible for pitching auto warranties, debt-relief services, home security systems, fake charities, and Google search results services, have agreed to settle charges that violated the FTC Act and the agency’s Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), including its Do Not Call (DNC) provisions.

Under the court orders announced last week, the FTC says that the defendants are banned from robocalling and most telemarketing activities, including those using an automatic dialer, and will pay significant financial judgments ranging as high as $5.5 million.

The defendant in one of these cases provided the software platform that resulted in more than one billion illegal robocalls. One of the other operations being charged by the FTC was responsible for calling millions of people under the pretense of several nonexistent charities and asking for donations to benefit veterans.

RELATED: Guy Transforms Man He Thought Was Online Scammer into Village Saint by Sending Him $30 Camera

Thought the FTC says that “fighting unwanted calls remains one of their highest priorities,” other internet and cellular service companies have stepped up to offer additional strategies for combatting scams and robocalls.

Verizon and AT&T have both launched apps which are programmed to filter spam calls. Comcast has also reportedly launched a new certification system that will be able to verify the authenticity of a caller’s identification.

If you want to learn more about the charges against the call center defendants, you can visit the FTC website.

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One of the Largest Native American Tribes Has Just Voted to End Their 100-Year Dependency on Coal

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For almost an entire century, the Navajo Nation has been economically dependent on coal – but after approving a historic new piece of legislation last month, the tribe will now be pursuing more eco-friendly alternatives.

After nearly eight years of deliberation, the Navajo Council recently announced that they would no longer be pursuing the acquisition of a coal-fired power plant in Arizona.

Upon rejecting the mine’s purchase in an 11-9 vote, the committee passed a new piece of legislation which highlighted the tribe’s commitment to investing in more sustainable sources of revenue and renewable energy.

Since the Navajo Nation is the second largest native tribe in America by populace, their shift away from coal is a landmark moment for national climate action.

RELATED: Native American Tribe Donates $184,000 to Cover Funeral Costs of Alabama Tornado Victims

“For close to 100 years, the Navajo Nation has been a strong traditional energy producer. In that time, government revenue from energy production has supported the Nation in becoming the strongest and most robust tribal government in the United States, propelling our people in endeavors our forbearers would have never imagined,” said Navajo Council Speaker Seth Damon.

“Last night, that Navajo Nation Council signaled that it is time for change,” he added. “Expanding tourism, alternative energy development, carbon credits, and manufacturing are all ideas that this council is pursuing to ensure that a healthy government can continue to provide for its people.

MORE: Oil Company Surrenders 15 Land Leases on Sacred Native American Land

“As we have done through centuries of interaction with external actors, it is critical that our people band together and support one another. We are a proud nation that has existed on this land since time immemorial. The Navajo Nation Government may have been originally organized to approve energy leases. Though, as evidenced by the innumerable services the government provides, it is not the sole purpose of the government today.

“Our people, our sovereignty, and our right to self-determination predate the first coal seam found on Navajo, and we will endure and thrive together.”

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Watch Mother Tamandua’s Reaction to Finally Being Reunited With Her Lost Baby in the Wild

By
Dobi Finley
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After frantically searching for her baby, this mother tamandua could barely contain her excitement when she was reunited with him one day later – and it is all thanks to a compassionate group of animal rescuers.

The heartwarming reunion was facilitated by Refuge For Wildlife, a Costa Rica-based animal rescue organization that specializes in rehabilitating injured and orphaned animals so they can be released back into the wild.

The group saved this tiny northern tamandua (which is a kind of anteater) after he was found alone on the ground, his mother nowhere to be seen.

RELATED: Watch 800-Pound Bison Perform Adorable ‘Happy Dance’ in Celebration of the First Day of Spring

Normally, mama tamanduas will leave their babies tucked away high in the treetops of the forest while they forage for food. Rescuers assume that this furry youngster in particular must must have slipped from the trees and fallen onto the ground below while his mom was away.

Luckily, the tamandua was found by a local resident before any predators could get to him. The concerned resident took the baby to the wildlife refuge, where he was provided with a medical checkup and round-the-clock care.

The baby tamandua was named Edwin, and his caretakers fed him some milk and kept him cozy with a warm bottle. Since Edwin was only one month old, his caretakers knew that his best chance of survival was with his mom.

LOOK: Five Days After Disappearing, Dog is Finally Found and Rescued From Underground Rabbit Hole

Thankfully, Edwin’s mom showed up the very next day looking for him in the same spot where he was found in the forest.

The workers at the wildlife refuge quickly rushed the baby to the area where his mother was spotted in the trees. Since Edwin was still too young to climb, it took a bit of acrobatics in order to reach his mom – but once he was safely  returned to his mom, her reaction was priceless.

(WATCH the video below) – Photos by Refuge for Wildlife


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“Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings.” – Gustave Flaubert

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Good News Network
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Quote of the Day: “Love is a springtime plant that perfumes everything with its hope, even the ruins to which it clings.” – Gustave Flaubert

Photo: by Christy Turner Photography, CC license

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

 

7-Year-Old Sea Turtle Activist Convinces L.L. Bean to Change Company Policy

By
Joe O'Neill
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On a visit to the L.L.Bean flagship store in Freeport, Maine, seven-year-old Benjamin Ball asked if the store’s café had a paper straw for his lemonade. When he discovered he could only get a plastic straw, his love of sea turtles and ocean life prompted him to take action.

So after he returned to his home in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, Benjamin wrote a letter to the president and CEO of L.L.Bean, Steve Smith.

“I’m writing to you because I’m a friend of the Sea Turtles and I want to protect them,” noted Benjamin. “Marine animals get killed by plastic in the Ocean. The Sea Turtles are important to the ecosystem and me.”

Benjamin had one request.

“I know that L.L. Bean cares about the Earth too. If it is possible, could you use paper straws instead of plastic straws, please?

Within 24 hours, Benjamin received a response from Smith, who assured Benjamin he’d look into the issue.

“It made me smile,” said Smith. “It was a really articulate, well-reasoned, polite, yet passionate and emotional note about saving a species that no one is speaking for. It hit me in a really emotional way.”

RELATED: Heartfelt Letter From 5-Year-old Causes Restaurant Chain to Swap Plastic Straws for Paper

Since receiving Benjamin’s letter, L.L. Bean has announced that its retail affiliates and employee cafeterias are converting to 100 percent corn biodegradable straws.

The retailer is the latest to join the growing anti-straw movement that includes Disney, Ben and Jerry’s, Starbucks, Major League Baseball, and McDonald’s.

“This letter hit at the absolutely perfect time with a fantastic idea,” said Smith.

Smith personally thanked Benjamin during a recent visit to Smith’s alma mater, Dickinson College, which is in Benjamin’s hometown of Carlisle, Pa.

(WATCH the adorable video…)

Dozens of Countries Are Working Together to Plant ‘Great Green Wall’ Across Africa – and It is Holding Back Poverty

By
McKinley Corbley
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More than 20 African countries have joined together in an international mission to plant a massive wall of trees running across the continent – and after a little over a decade of work, it has reaped great success.

The tree-planting project, which has been dubbed The Great Green Wall of Africa, stretches across roughly 6,000 miles (8,000 kilometers) of terrain at the southern edge of the Sahara desert, a region known as the Sahel.

The region was once a lush oasis of greenery and foliage back in the 1970s, but the combined forces of population growth, unsustainable land management, and climate change turned the area into a barren and degraded swath of land.

After decades of political collaboration, the Great Green Wall project was finally launched by 11 countries in 2007.

RELATED: People Have Passively Planted Over 30 Million Trees Simply by Surfing the Web

The initiative has since recruited at least nine additional countries to plant drought-resistant acacia trees across the entire width of the continent. Though the wall is currently only about 15% percent complete, it has already dramatically impacted the participating countries.

Over 12 million acres (5 million hectares) of degraded land has been restored in Nigeria; roughly 30 million acres of drought-resistant trees have been planted across Senegal; and a whopping 37 million acres of land has been restored in Ethiopia – just to name a few of the states involved.

WATCH: Island on the Brink of Disaster Plants Thousands of Trees and is Now a Poster Kid for Adapting to Climate Change

Byproducts of the restored landscape include many groundwater wells refilled with drinking water, rural towns with additional food supplies, and new sources of work and income for villagers, thanks to the need for tree maintenance.

Photos from GreatGreenWall.org

Continuing the wall’s development is currently being backed by a host of international governments and conservation groups from around the world – and once the wall is completed, it will the largest living structure on the casinoplay planet, three times the size of the Great Barrier Reef.

“There are many world wonders, but the Great Green Wall will be unique and everyone can be a part of its history,” said Dr. Dlamini Zuma, chairperson of the African Union Commission. “Together, we can change the future of African communities in the Sahel.”

(WATCH the 2017 BBC video below) – Photo by Great Green Wall

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