Quote of the Day: “If there were none who were discontented with what they have, the world would never reach anything better.” – Florence Nightingale (born 200 years ago)
Photo: by Becca Tapert, public domain, cropped
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?
Just in time for Mother’s Day, Green Circle Growers of Ohio is honoring America’s healthcare workers by donating $1 million in orchids to frontline caregivers in seven markets hit hardest by the Coronavirus Pandemic: Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Tampa and its home base near Cleveland.
“In this extraordinary time, it was important to our organization to find ways we could contribute and the answer was clear,” said Scott Giesbrecht, Co-CEO of Just Add Ice brand orchids and Green Circle Growers.
“We realized our nation’s healthcare workers have been experiencing some of the darkest days of our lifetimes. If our orchids can provide a bit of joy and color for these very deserving individuals, we felt it was the least we could do during this difficult time.”
More than 50,000 orchids will be delivered to those on the frontline at hospitals, nursing homes, homeless shelters, food banks, and more.
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“We’re especially grateful that we can distribute these orchids in time for Mother’s Day, as so many healthcare workers are standing in for family members who cannot visit their loved ones in person,” added Giesbrecht. “Many are acting as Mothers when a patient’s own Mom can’t be there.”
Transportation services were also donated and International Paper donated the boxes for transporting the orchids to their final destinations.
“We hope they can bring these flowers home and they can serve as a thoughtful reminder of how much they are appreciated.”
(WATCH the video…)
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This year has been a disappointing one for many high school seniors, who have seen their proms and graduation ceremonies cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, they will have something to look forward to because Los Angeles High School senior Lincoln Debenham took to Twitter last month asking former President Barack Obama to give a national commencement address to graduates across the country.
Hi @BarackObama! Like most high school/college seniors, I’m saddened by the loss of milestone events, prom & graduation. In an unprecedented time, it would give us great comfort to hear your voice. We ask you to consider giving a national commencement speech to the class of 2020.
— Lincoln (@lincolnjackd) April 15, 2020
In response to his viral post that tallied a quarter-million likes, the former President and First Lady Michelle Obama are now planning to do just that.
A YouTube special, called “Dear Class of 2020,” will take place on June 6, but it won’t be just an ordinary commencement speech.
It has turned into a star-studded event featuring appearances by Lady Gaga, Alicia Keys, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist Malala Yousafzai.
YouTube is partnering with Michelle Obama’s Reach Higher Initiative to showcase student stories, and feature graduates around the world, including a crowd-sourced commencement speech.
I know how hard the #Classof2020 has worked to make it to graduation, so @BarackObama and I want to give you the celebration you deserve. That's why @ReachHigher and I are teaming up with @Youtube to host a virtual graduation on June 6! RSVP at https://t.co/TPcaSy43B8. pic.twitter.com/glLadzlZux
— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) May 5, 2020
Debenham told CNN last month what an Obama graduation speech would mean to his generation.
“They got to vote for Barack Obama in mock elections when they were little kids and they got to watch Barack Obama become the first black president and get sworn in while they were in school,” Debenham recalled. “I remember watching that in the classroom and feeling kind of amazed at such a young age and feel like I was a part of history.”
This will mark the first time the former President has given a commencement address since he left office in 2017. As President, he gave more than 20 graduation addresses at schools and universities across the country. Read some of his inspiring words here.
In addition, Mr. Obama is set to deliver a commencement message during “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020,” a one-hour multimedia event on May 16, featuring LeBron James, Malala, the Jonas Brothers, Pharrell Williams, and others, which will air on ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC as well as many digital streaming partners from 8-9 p.m. ET.
RELATED: Amidst School Closures, Japanese Students Host Their Own Fun-Filled Graduation Ceremony on Minecraft
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The story of The Cat in The Hat might need a new sequel now that this Japanese couple has begun creating caps made from cat fur.
Photographer Ryo Yamazaki and his wife were brushing their three gorgeous kitties several years ago and all the fur on the floor sparked an idea.
What if the clumps of shedded fur could be made into a hat worthy of Versace?
So they used a felting technique and made the first of what have come to be known as Nukege hats.
Nukege is the Japanese word for shed fur or hair.
Ryo and his wife shares their cats in the hats on his Instagram feed.
And you can tell from the calm demeanor that the cats don’t mind wearing these quirky lids, which are lightweight—and because they’re made from hair, have a familiar smell.
It’s unclear how long before their cats actually knock those bonnets off their heads, but long enough for these adorable photo shoots is long enough for us.
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LOOK: Cross-Eyed Cat’s Adorable Expression Has Helped Raise Thousands of Dollars for Animal Charities
COVID-19 is impacting grocery store supply chains and demand schedules in both big cities and rural communities across America—but for Gustavus, an icy seaside town 7 hours from Juneau, Alaska, the disruption is a much more serious matter.
In late April, the town’s grocer set off from Gustavus in a small barge en route to the world’s most remote Costco warehouse. After 7 hours, Toshua Parker reached Juneau, where he loaded pallets containing $20,000 worth of eggs, flour, meat, canned goods, produce—and, we assume, toilet paper.
For the lone grocer, it’s what is required to run his small store called Ice Strait Wholesale—also, fondly known as ‘Toshco’—which keeps his 446 neighbors fed. It’s a huge challenge, as the isolation of the town presents difficulties only Alaskans can understand. Without electricity or phones until the 80s and mid 90s, no roads can even bring a car into the town.
The town is completely surrounded by the distant mountains and icefields of Glacier Bay National Park on three sides and the ocean on the fourth.
“You either gotta fly here or boat here,” says Calvin Casipit, the town’s volunteer mayor.
Deep family roots connect Parker to the town where he first opened his grocery store ten years ago. Parker’s great-grandfather, Abraham Lincoln Parker, was the area’s first permanent homesteader back in 1917.
As the store grew, Parker and his father expanded to own the town’s gasoline station, while also opening a freight company; buying two ships—a $300k “insurance policy” that insured Parker could maintain supply chains in times of disruption.
Now during COVID-19 Parker tallies what the Gustavus residents need, taking orders by phone for everything from washing machines to eggs—before making his weekly 7-hour journey to the Alaskan capital to stock up. It’s the ultimate challenge for a grocer, who must shift an enormous amount of stock for notoriously slim profit margins.
“It’s an art form, not a science,” Parker told The Hustle, explaining how he manages to predict the crazy demand week to week.
“The town might have a 100-gallon swing in (its) demand for milk from one week to the next without any explanation of why. One week, nobody wants whole milk; the next week, everyone wants 2%.”
Moreover, Parker can’t reward himself by marking up prices to heights that his remarkable labor and logistical effort perhaps justifies. A dozen eggs at Toshco cost $7.99, leaving him just $3.50 to cover the cost of his barge maintenance, labor, refrigeration, logistical planning, and gasoline.
“I can’t mark something up 5x because they know exactly how much something costs at Costco,” said Parker, explaining how Costco’s prices keep his honest.
“Toshua pretty much saved the town,” says Mayor Casipit. “I really don’t know what we would’ve done without him.”
“It’s like Christmas when the load gets here,” says Parker. “Everyone is waiting for it. Word gets out, and they all seem to know when it’s coming.”
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Would you agree or disagree with this statement: Climate change in the long term is as serious a crisis as the current COVID-19 pandemic? If you agreed, you answered the same as 71% of participants in a recent 29-nation survey from public opinion research firm Ipsos.
The Earth Day 2020 survey measured public opinion from many of the world’s principle producers, buyers, and populations, and almost all metrics suggest that a large majority of the world’s citizens consider climate change an important aspect of moving forward after the coronavirus pandemic.
Chinese participants registered 87% agreement with the above statement—the most of any country—while 59% of Americans and Australians agreed, tallying the smallest majority, with only 38% disagreeing.
65% of those surveyed worldwide want governments to prioritize a green economic recovery, as their lockdown measures from coronavirus are lifted. Respondents from India, China, and Mexico were emphatic about this directive, with 80% insisting on sustainable, clean measures.
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Slightly more people, 48% to 44%, said that economic recovery from the pandemic should not supersede environmental regulations, and any recovery should be environmentally responsible.
The survey didn’t include only COVID-19-related questions, but a variety of others involving what people’s habits might be in the face of climate change and whether theywould be willing to alter them. Overall, consumer or lifestyle behavior did not change from the last Ipsos survey in 2014, but in certain categories there were major fluctuations.
In Great Britain for example, 70% of those surveyed said the government would be failing them if it didn’t take action now to try and prevent the worst effects of climate change— with 59% saying they would consider not voting for a political candidate who didn’t pledge to take sufficient action to mitigate climate change.
57% of total participants surveyed would avoid buying a product with too much plastic packaging, with a whopping 80% of the hyper-techno denizens of South Korea strongly agreeing, and 71% of Chinese.
South Korea came in first in another category, with 70% of the East Asians agreeing to the idea of avoiding buying new goods by mending what you have, or buying used products instead, as a way to prevent excess waste.
Even as COVID-19 news saturates the media, occupies every headline, and is the first topic on the lips of every journalist, this survey suggests people aren’t short sighted, and a large portion of the world’s population are keen to prevent irreversible damage to the environment both with their dollar, their ballot, and their conscience.
TAKE Your Own Poll About Climate Priorities While Sharing on Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.” – Saint Francis de Sales
Photo: by Giulia Bertelli, public domain, cropped
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?
Just as the quarantine was starting to drag down Angela Elsey, she noticed a hummingbird nest right outside her kitchen window and was able to watch the babies grow from eggs to hatchlings—being fed by their mom—and then leave the nest as fledglings.
Normally, the San Jose, California woman enjoys interacting with human newborns—as a volunteer in the neo-natal intensive care unit at Good Samaritan hospital.
Her “cuddlers group” has not been able to volunteer for a couple of months now, so Angela began eagerly sending periodic video updates of the cute and teeny baby hummingbirds so they could get their “tiny baby fix”.
“We were all missing the preemies—and a lot of the cuddlers wrote to say how much they enjoyed seeing the hummingbird babies. One woman wrote, ‘Can we come to your house to cuddle your baby birds?’ and it was hard to resist the temptation!”
In this video, the mama is feeding hatchlings that are a few weeks old. The nest opening is about the size of a quarter.
Angela referred to the hatchlings as “the twins”—and even named them.
“I named the babies after the characters Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth in the Jane Austen novel Persuasion.”
“Watching them was a break from worrying about the current situation, since they were oblivious to the pandemic raging around them. And it was such a joy to see those little eggs, then those tiny babies and watch them grow.”
(WATCH the video below…)
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For most restaurant owners, such a discovery would feel like bad times getting worse.
In the midst of the pandemic which has cost them so much business, Marco’s Pizza shop in The Colony, Texas, was robbed, along with several other businesses in that community on April 19.
Based on surveillance from security cameras (see below), the burglars appeared to be amateur, fumbling through drawers for five minutes, and even trying to open the safe using a pizza spatula.
The pair of would-be thieves walked away almost empty handed, because there wasn’t much in the store to begin with.
Owner Chamal Kahanawita took it as a reminder of the desperate times we are living in and decided to do something to help. He posted a compassionate message Facebook:
“In the coming months, if you find yourself in a situation unable to put food on the table, please stop by our store. There is no need to be shy or embarrassed. Just speak with the manager and quietly let us know you’ve seen this post. We will make sure your family gets a meal.”
“WE are here because of our community and these are very challenging times for all of us. We will do our best to help for as long as we can. Please feel free to share this post so that those who really need our help may see it.”
RELATED: California Will Start Paying Restaurants To Deliver Food to Seniors in Need
The post generated an outpouring of support from the community and beyond.
“LOVING THIS ALL THE WAY FROM MEMPHIS!” said Catherine McCraw-Smith, “What a beautiful way to take this and change it for the good.”
Malory Michelle Mudd said “I love this response so much…a terrible situation where you can still empathize with those who have done wrong. This level of compassion is what we truly need. I’ve honestly never eaten at Marco’s but this week I certainly will!”
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Marco’s is a counter-serve pizza chain with locations throughout the United States. At The Colony location, about 30 miles from Dallas, the dining area is shut down, but Chamal’s team is currently serving pizzas for delivery and curbside pickup. They also make a variety of subs, salads, and desserts.
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This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
In a first for any month, renewables from solar, wind, and hydropower generated more electricity than coal on every day in April 2020, according to new data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
This impressive stretch actually began on March 25, when utility-scale solar, wind and hydro collectively produced more than coal-fired generation, and has continued for at least 40 straight days through May 3, the EIA’s Hourly Electric Grid Monitor shows.
These figures are even more remarkable when compared to renewables in 2019, when they only beat coal on 38 days all year.
Last April had a total of 19 days when this happened—the most of any month in 2019—with the longest continuous stretch lasting just nine days.
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The transition away from coal for electricity generation has accelerated in 2020 due to a number of factors, particularly low gas prices, warmer weather, a significant amount of new renewable capacity connecting to the grid late last year, and more recently, lower power demand from the economic slowdown because of the coronavirus.
The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) had forecasted that power generation from renewables would likely surpass coal-fired generation only next year, in 2021—and there is an increasing chance that another milestone could occur this year.
Coal’s high cost has made it increasingly one of the last fuel choices for many utilities, a trend reflected by its declining market share for electric generation: just 15.3% in April, according to preliminary EIA figures.
RELATED: Exciting New Data Says Renewables Accounted for Almost Three Quarters of New Energy Capacity in 2019
In January, coal’s market share fell below 20 percent for the first time in many decades—and possibly for the first time in the entire history of the U.S. power industry—ending at 19.9%.
EIA figures also show its share continued to erode, falling to 18.3% in February and 17.3% in March. As recently as 2008, coal’s market share was above 50 percent in the months of January, February and March.
(Source: IEEFA.org)
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Across the paved streets of the UK and France, sidewalk chalk is beginning to be employed by more than just children as rebel botanists regularly break street-chalking laws to write the names of wild plants and flowers growing through cracks in the cement.
Beginning in France—and leading to a campaign called More Than Weeds in London—this act of highlighting the names of wildflowers and other plants has drawn significant attention on social media, where images and videos are racking up hundreds of thousands of fans.
In one video viewed 7 million times from the French website Brut, Boris Presseq, a botanist at the Toulouse Museum of Natural History, walks around his city chalking the names of the plants he finds on sidewalks and walls to help raise awareness of the diversity and richness of plant citizens in the heart of the southern French city.
“I wanted to raise awareness of the presence, knowledge and respect of these wild plants on sidewalks. People who had never taken the time to observe these plants now tell me their view has changed. Schools have contacted me since to work with students on nature in the city,” Presseq told the Guardian.
In one of those “every day you break 3 laws you didn’t know existed” moments, it is illegal to use sidewalk chalk on public pavement without permission for any reason. However, no one in London, Cambridge, or Hackney seems to mind the graffiti, with one selection of identified plants posted by a London resident on Twitter receiving over 100k likes.
Botanical chalking is a sign of changing attitudes towards plants in English cities. In 2018, the Hackney town council reduced the amount of glyphosate used to control weeds by 50%, and last year trialed a glyphosate-free area to promote biodiversity and see if it was possible to maintain a high standard of sidewalk maintenance without the use of chemical herbicides.
Glyphosate is an ingredient present in many popular industrial and commercial herbicides that the International Agency for Research on Cancer has labeled a probable carcinogen.
Hundreds of insects species are deprived of food when glyphosate is used as an herbicide, which means hundreds of plant species nearby go without the needed pollinators. Critically, many species of plants considered weeds, such as dandelions which can thrive in urban environments actually provide more pollen—and human food—per flower than other, wilder species, according to a study which looked at 65 plants across six UK cities. They found that weed species occupied the top five spots for nectar sugar produced and two spots in the top ten for pollen production.
“Every flower counts and will be targeted by pollinators […]If we change our perceptions and see the dandelion flower for what it is – an absolute lifeline to our bees in early spring – we might learn to love them more.” said UK Plantlife Spokesperson Trevor Dines speaking to the Guardian.
“One survey of pavements in Sheffield found 183 different plants, another in Cambridge found 186 species on walls. All these little micro niches build up to a wonderfully complex tapestry,” he added.
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Being able to see and identify a plant is important for a person to build an awareness or appreciation for plant life in the city. People who don’t understand the name or function of a particular plant in an ecosystem like their yard are less-likely to be interested in them, just as they would if they were watching a sporting event without knowing the names or roles of any of the players.
“Botanical chalking gives a quick blast of nature connection, as the words encourage you to look up and notice the tree above you, the leaves, the bark, the insects, the sky. And that’s all good for mental health,” said one of the lawless, chalk-armed English botanical enthusiasts who spoke to the Guardian under conditions of anonymity in order to avoid fines up to £2,500 for graffiti.
“It’s brought me a great amount of joy,” they added.
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Quote of the Day: “If the darkness is to keep us apart, and if the daylight feels like it’s a long way off, and if your glass heart should crack, before the second you turn back, be strong.” – Bono (turns 60 today)
Photo: by Ravi Sharma, public domain, cropped
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?
“There is a beauty in solitude and in connection to nature that people in the city often miss,” says Chris Precht, founder of Austrian design company Studio Precht.
His firm is behind a new idea for helping metropolitan parks and green spaces stay open during COVID-19 social distancing measures.
The concept for Vienna is called “Park de la Distance” and would guide visitors seeking the relief of green urban space through a 20-minute walk through a maze-like structure of spirals.
Parallel lanes of hedgerows lead each person on a walk through an enclosed natural world, occasionally opening up into broader views of gardens, all while keeping effective social distancing measures in place.
RELATED: Stuck At Home? Here’s How to Connect with Nature in Isolation
“There is something fundamental in spirals,” wrote Precht in an email to Fast Company. “A path to the center. A path to your inner self.”
Many cities worldwide are closing public parks for fears of overcrowding, as citizens worried about COVID-19 are all seeking relief. In this park, gates at each end of the maze’s paths could be closed to maintain a certain number of people walking at once. The total duration of the walk is about 20 minutes.
According to Fast Company, Precht lives and works in the remote Austrian Alps, and is bringing a personal touch to the prospect of natural relief during challenging times.
“There is a beauty in solitude and in connection to nature that people in the city often miss,” he wrote.
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“I don’t know when I have ever been alone in the city. But sometimes you have to get away from everything to fully reconnect.”
This park does that with ease and grace.
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She streams video games like Call Of Duty from the basement where she lives every day—which at first sounds like the story of a young gamer going too far. The twist is that Michelle Statham is actually a grandmother living in her kid’s basement.
But don’t call her Mrs. Statham or even Michelle. Instead, use her screen name, TacticalGramma—or just ‘Gramma’.
Statham started streaming online five months ago but already she is a gaming content creator who is filling a void: Every day she listens to visitors who are struggling.
Game streaming is a social format in which content creators like TacticalGramma broadcast live video of the game they are playing. Public forums like Facebook are platforms that allow virtual strangers to tune in—and join in.
The viewer can see the gamer’s face and interact with them, yet remain anonymous. This position of obscurity allows visitors to talk and post a comment while remaining nameless if they want.
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TacticalGramma’s viewers come from all walks of life. Many face challenges brought on by COVID 19, while others are a single parent, or dealing with challenges at school or work. In the end, each person she speaks with receives comfort and advice. Someone who calms their fears in a way that only a grandma can do.
“She has been helping so many people, from young single moms to college students to inner city youth,” her husband Shawn told GNN. “She listens and cares for each of these people—all while playing video games.”
Such outcomes are possible when gamers feel they can let down their guard in a safe place. It’s an opportunity to trust—a relationship of support and understanding that can change lives.
What sets Statham apart is not only her age — she’s 55 and has one grandchild — but her skill. Back in the 70s she played instant classics like Pong and Atari. Statham quickly adapted to the evolution of each new gaming platform. Later she became an avid fan of first-person shooter games like Call of Duty and Apex.
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“I’m definitely not the best at gaming or anything, but I love chatting with the community, and I love to play,” she explained to ‘Chuck’, a new fan who wanted to donate to her Paypal account.
Enjoying games was easier than becoming an online personality. It took years of urging from her children before Statham began streaming. Five months ago she relented and logged in under the username TacticalGramma.
Since then, thousands from around the world have tuned in to watch her play (on her Facebook page Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. PST). But instead of only watching, her viewers began to interact and build a connection. They can even buy personalized gear with her TacticalGramma logo.
Video games often make headlines when violence and controversy are the topic, and most people would never imagine something so positive coming from first-person shooter games. But the story of TacticalGramma reveals a positive example that levels up the entire genre.
RELATED: Teen Saved From Seizure After Online Gaming Friend Calls Police From 5,000 Miles Away
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LISTEN to this Good News Guru story, which was broadcast on the radio May 25th with Ellen K and Geri on KOST-103.5. (Subscribe to our new podcast on iTunes – or for Androids, on Podbean) — or READ the story below…
The parents who adopted Bruce Hollywood, long ago, urged him to track down his Japanese birth mother, even offering to pay his plane fare, but he never became interested until he had a heart attack, when he was lying in an ambulance and realized he regretted never reaching out to her.
Once he had recovered, he began searching for the woman who had given him up for adoption to an American military couple stationed in Japan in 1960. He called the Japanese and American Embassy with no luck. He then hired a private investigator – but still, nothing.
But the former Air Force colonel found himself sitting next to another Army man at an airport wine bar one day. They struck up a conversation and when Hollywood mentioned his unsuccessful search, the man offered to help.
With low expectations, Hollywood gave the man all of the information that he had collected – and ten days later, he got a call from the Japanese embassy.
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Hollywood told The Washington Post that the spokesperson on the phone said: “‘Colonel Hollywood, we’re really pleased to tell you that we found your mother… She’s going to call you at this phone number in 10 minutes, and she doesn’t speak English. Good luck!’”
After finding an interpreter for the phone call, Hollywood finally got to speak to his mother, Nobue Ouchi, who was crying with joy. He was stunned by her love after 45 years of separation.
As they talked, overwhelmed with emotion, the interpreter told Hollywood: “Well, tomorrow is your mother’s 65th birthday, and the birthday present that she dreamed of her whole life is that you would come back to her.”
He learned that it was she who had given him the name Bruce. They starting flying back and forth, learning each others’ languages, and over several years became very close.
He visited the bar and restaurant she had owned for decades in Shizuoka, Japan – and found out she had named it “Bruce.”
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She also gave her son a slip of paper with his birth father’s name on it, and with that information Bruce was able to meet a new older brother who responded warmly to the outreach, saying he’d “always wanted a sibling.”
But, by far, the best moment of all must have been during that first call when the interpreter told Bruce that his mother never married because, she said, “in her heart there was only room for one man—and it was you, and she knew you would be back.”
Share This Sweet Story With Every Mother and Son – Photo by Bruce Hollywood
Though it’s difficult for food banks to stock this item, nutrient-dense milk is one of the most-often requested items. Now, in these critical times, the Kroger grocery store chain has ramped-up its Dairy Rescue Program, one that takes donated excess raw milk normally sold to restaurants or hotels, which is now going to waste, and pays for the packaging and processing in order to provide a nutritious food source for communities in need.
The effort also helps support dairy farmers struggling to find enough demand for their supply—especially now that schools are closed.
In partnership with its dairy cooperative, with suppliers and farmers across the Midwest and South, Kroger will use its facilities in Texas, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio to process and donate about 200,000 gallons of additional milk to Feeding America food banks and community organizations through the end of August.
“Kroger recognizes the growing need for fresh, highly nutritious food in our community, especially for children, as schools remain closed to flatten the curve during the pandemic,” said Erin Sharp, Kroger’s group vice president of manufacturing.
“At a time when dairy farmers have surplus raw milk, we’re doubling down on our mission to reduce hunger and waste.”
Through the expanded program, Kroger’s dairy processing plants and suppliers will be donating an additional 50,000 gallons of milk per month to local food banks and community organizations. Feeding America member food banks and other partners will help Kroger to transport the gallons and half-gallons to local hunger relief agencies.
“With so many families struggling with unemployment and food insecurity today, providing access to fresh, nutrient-rich milk has never been more important,” said Blake Thompson, chief supply chain officer, Feeding America. “Kroger’s Dairy Rescue Program is keeping America’s farmers productive, avoiding unnecessary food waste, and helping families in need.”
NEW: California Will Start Paying Restaurants To Deliver Food to Seniors in Need
Some dairy farmers are struggling as demand for milk in America gradually decreases, with alternatives like oat, rice, coconut, almond, cashew, and soy milks are taking huge chunks out of the milk market share.
“Kroger’s Dairy Rescue Program is an invaluable resource for the dairy industry during this crisis and beyond,” said Heather McCann, director of public affairs for Dairy Farmers of America’s Mideast Area.
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Even though Kroger is a large corporation, personal human relationships between producers, suppliers, and vendors are often very strong, as the logistical operations behind them require a large amount of cooperation and trust. So helping such farmers be productive during changing or challenging times is a win-win-win.
SHARE the Corporate Kindness to Inspire Friends on Social Media…
This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
Governor Gavin Newsom has announced an exciting new plan in California to bring three nutritious meals a day to seniors in need, while providing meaningful work to those who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The first program of its kind in the nation, ‘Great Plates Delivered’ will support struggling restaurants to rehire or retain staff, prepare the meals, and deliver them to those in need. Eligible seniors will be provided with 21 meals per week.
All of this will be accomplished through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and state and local governments. FEMA will cover 75% of the cost, with the state picking up most of the remaining tab. Restaurants will be reimbursed at rates of $16 for breakfasts, $17 for lunches and up to $28 for dinners.
“This partnership will allow … restaurants to start rehiring people or keep people currently employed and start preparing meals, three meals a day, seven days a week, and have those meals delivered to our seniors all throughout the state of California,” Gov. Newsom said.
The unprecedented effort to support seniors will also bring welcome relief, not only to struggling small business owners, but local governments that are facing major tax shortfalls that make it difficult for them to provide essential services to those in need.
The plan addresses all three of these problems at once, while keeping the mission of supporting the health of seniors who are at increased risk of infection from COVID-19 a top priority. Newsom said they want to “make sure what we are sending to our seniors is low sodium, not high fructose drinks or sugary drinks, and the like.”
The state will focus its resources on helping local growers. “We want to make sure we are focused on locally produced produce,” Newsom said. “We want to connect our farms to this effort. We want to focus our values throughout the state of California to get a lot of independent restaurants up and running again as well, and have a diversity of options.”
The program will be locally managed, in order to best provide for the needs of particular communities. Generally speaking, people over 65 and those from 60-64 defined as high-risk by the CDC are eligible. ‘High-risk’ includes those who are COVID-19 positive, have been exposed to the virus, or have an underlying condition. Individuals must live alone—or with one other program-eligible adult—and must not be receiving other forms of state or federal nutrition assistance.
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If you or someone you know in California can benefit from this program, or if you would like to get involved in the relief efforts, more information can be found here, on the state’s website.
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This is just one of many positive stories and updates that are coming out of the COVID-19 news coverage this week. For more uplifting coverage on the outbreaks, click here.
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Spared from the ravages of COVID-19 suffered by her neighbor Spain, Portugal is aiming to leap, rather than tip-toe, out of their lockdown initiatives by launching a series of clean energy projects that could generate 5.5 billion euro in European energy investment.
The new solar-powered hydrogen plant near the port of Sines is a modern “green” hydro-electric project that generates electricity through a process called electrolysis, and it could contribute 1 gigawatt of power by 2023 if investment arrives.
“The economy cannot grow along the lines of the past and our post-coronavirus vision is to create wealth from projects that reduce carbon emissions and promote energy transition and sustainable mobility,” Portugal’s Minister of Environment and Energy Transition, Joao Matos Fernandes, told Reuters.
Fernandes detailed that both Portuguese energy firms, and Dutch firms are already showing interest in the hydrogen plant, and it is shaping up to be one of the biggest industrial projects and opportunities in the country.
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Matos also said that Portugal will be launching a solar energy licensing auction, where international energy firms will have a chance to bid for prime solar real estate, as Portugal is one of Europe’s sunniest nations.
Initially scheduled to kick off in April, the auctions were delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak, which has taken the lives of fewer than 1,000 Portuguese, out of 24,500 confirmed cases according to Reuters. Up for bidding are 16 sites worth a combined total of 700 megawatts of solar capacity in the southern regions of Algarve and Alentejo.
Portugal has had previous success with energy licensing auctions before, like last June when she sold 1,150 MW of solar energy capacity at a record-low price of 14.8 megawatts per hour—mainly to international energy investors from Britain, Spain, France, and Germany.
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Already in 2016, 28% of nationwide power came from renewables. During that year they set a European record for entirely powering the country with renewables for four straight days.
Though just 11 years ago, Portugal was generating more CO2 than Bangladesh, despite having one-sixteenth the population density, their plans for 2030 are to be producing 7,000 MW per hour of clean energy and close to all their remaining coal plants.
Meanwhile, in Germany a string of recent sunny days in April led to record-setting clean-energy production. The solar power was generating around 40% nationwide, with all their renewables together accounting for a whopping 78%—while coal and nuclear less than a quarter.
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A new Banksy art piece is inspiring the world since it was dropped off, and later hung on display, at Southampton General Hospital in the south of England Wednesday.
The artwork shows a young boy playing with his favorite new superhero doll—a nurse wearing a cape and face mask. On the floor nearby sits his discarded Spiderman and Batman action figures.
The nurse’s arm is outstretched as if soaring off on a new mission, with the Red Cross emblem emblazoned on her chest.
The artist left a note for hospital workers saying: “Thanks for all you’re doing. I hope this brightens the place up a bit, even if it’s only black and white.”
The elusive street muralist named the piece “Game Changer” on Instagram.
“Here at Southampton, our hospital family has been directly impacted with the tragic loss of much loved and respected members of staff and friends,” said Paula Head, CEO of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. “The fact that Banksy has chosen us to recognize the outstanding contribution everyone in and with the NHS is making, in unprecedented times, is a huge honor.”
“It will no doubt also be a massive boost to morale for everyone who works and is cared for at our hospital.”
The painting will eventually be put on public display and ultimately auctioned, with all the proceeds going to NHS charities.
It is now on view to staff and patients on level C of Southampton General, a hospital on the frontline tackling the pandemic.
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