Quote of the Day: “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, you ought to set up a life you don’t need to escape from.” – Seth Godin
Photo: copyright GWC 2017
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?
Yoga has been a beloved source of relaxation, exercise, and discipline for thousands of years – and it’s now being used as a source of fun as well.
According to a new survey of 2,000 people, 87% of those who have tried yoga are in a better mood when they leave the studio — which is why they keep coming back for more.
When it comes to experimental yoga styles to try in 2019, laughter yoga topped the list of quirky options that Americans have signed up for.
Even though each variety might seem like a strange twist on an ancient spiritual discipline, these unique yoga classes are popular. Many people wish they were attending experimental settings beyond the typical yoga studio. 66% of those surveyed attended at least one class per year in an experimental setting—but 83% wish they did more often.
MORE: Meditation and Mindfulness Tips to Combat Everyday Worries
“People have been gathering together to practice yoga for thousands of years. In 2019, we’re seeing [yoga teachers] come up with new and creative ways for communities to practice together,” said Tamara Mendelsohn from Eventbrite, the company working in conjunction with OnePoll to conduct the research.
If you live near the English village of Devon, you can also do your downward dog in a field alongside dozens of grazing alpacas.
All of these types of yoga share a common theme: fun and relaxation. In fact, the biggest reason for practicing yoga is to release tension from the body, according to 54% of the poll’s participants.
MORE: First Ever Study Shows Chair Yoga is Effective Arthritic Treatment
Other reasons include getting stronger physically and mentally (52%), de-stressing (51%), feeling happier (43%) and simply to workout (41%).
64% of those surveyed revealed they plan to practice more yoga in the upcoming year. While 3 in 10 will spend time on their yoga mat, 38% plan to engage in other wellness activities off the mat.
RELATED: Check Out This Yoga Studio Made Entirely of Salt
TOP 10 FORMS OF WELLNESS
Getting a Massage 39%
Going to Swim class 25%
Doing Yoga guided by video or app 24%
In-person yoga class at a gym or studio 23%
Meditation guided by video or app 22%
Having a Spa day 21%
Attending a Dance class 21%
In-person guided meditation 17%
A wellness event or festival 16%
In-person yoga class in a special setting or event 15%
Entice Your Yogi Friends to a New Class—Share On Social Media…
Want to LISTEN to this story? Play the segment here from The Good News Guru (GNN’s Founder) on the Friday radio broadcast with Ellen K on KOST-103.5 — Or, Continue READING below… (Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes – or for Androids, on Podbean)
When Pete Buchmann and his beloved canine companion were homeless and living in a tent, one animal shelter showed tremendous kindness. Five years later, the 58-year-old continues repaying them—and it has led to a heap of rewards and a new life.
Ever since he graduated high school, Buchmann has worked in construction, but when he lost his job in 2014 he found himself unable to pay rent, and was forced to move into a tent.
Buchmann was happy to camp for a while, but the situation was rough on his 9-year-old dog Buster.
Desperate to ensure the safety of his arthritic pup, Buchmann brought Buster to Faithful Friends Animal Society in Wilmington, North Carolina and found a homeless shelter for himself up the road.
But they were never separated for very long – Buchmann would walk 5 miles every day so he could visit Buster. On top of that, he began volunteering at the shelter for 2 to 3 hours every day walking the other dogs.
RELATED: Good Samaritans Pay for Hotel Rooms to House 70 Homeless People During Polar Vortex
After national news outlets caught wind of Buchmann’s story, hundreds of people offered their support. A local man gave him a truck for free; a transitional housing initiative gave him 6 months free rent at a nearby apartment complex; a fire security company offered him a job (which he still keeps to this day); and people from around the world collectively donated over $39,000 to a GoFundMe campaign that was created on his behalf.
But that’s not the end of the story. Pete never stopped volunteering and donating to the animal shelter, even after his beloved Buster died 2 years later.
“Faithful Friends helped me save my faithful friend,” Buchmann told The News Journal. “I’ll be grateful forever.”
MORE: When Homeless Man Finds $17,000 Outside of Food Bank, He Turns It In So It Can Help Feed Others
Though he was heartbroken, the loneliness would not last for long.
Shelter staffers soon asked Buchmann for a favor: Would he please consider fostering a troubled mutt that had proven to be unadoptable because he barked at everything and hated women? The Answer was YES.
Stuck at Faithful Friends for years because his former owners had not treated him well, Matteo had become very “reactive”. No one wanted him.
LOOK: Man Once Mocked for Shaving on Public Transit Has Gotten Money, Job Offers, and His Dignity Back
Buchmann, on the other hand, had bonded with the dog during his volunteer walks at the shelter and decided to take the pup home for a weekend. It didn’t take long for him to adopt Matteo for good.
Because he was in a loving forever home, Matteo became a changed dog.
He stopped showing an aversion to women—and he only barks a little when Pete turns on the vacuum.
(WATCH the 2014 video) – Photo by Donna Dennis-Vandenheuvel via GoFundMe
Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Story Of Good Karma With Friends On Social Media…
Pete has never stopped repaying an animal shelter who kindly took in Buster during their bout with homeless—and strangers rewarded him mightily for his integrity. Hear our Good News Guru tell the heartwarming tale on the radio in Los Angeles—during the March 1, 2019 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5.
WATCH the video or read the full story on GNN…
Subscribe to our Good News podcast on iTunes, or for Android devices on Podbean.
Also, Check Out Our Little Paperback Book of Good News—Buy on Amazon or White Cloud Press!
Scientists have invented a process that can turn non-recyclable glass into everything from tires to toothpaste.
Currently, only a small amount of glass is actually recyclable. Because of the effort that is required to sort and separate the smaller fragments, they tend to be discarded or sent to the landfill – but researchers from the University of Queensland have come up with a way to turn mountains of non-recyclable glass into useful items.
University PhD candidate Rhys Pirie said that a chemical found in drain cleaner can break down glass into silica which can then be extracted for commercial uses for substances such as adhesives, detergents, ingredients in cleaning compounds, cements, binders, and coatings.
Tom’s of Maine, famous for its natural toothpastes, for instance, uses hydrated silica—which is a naturally occurring element in nature—either as a thickener for its toothpaste, a mild abrasive for cleaning, or as a whitening agent.
“We are taking waste glass that is currently going to the landfill because it is too small to be sorted into the right color,” said Pirie.
RELATED: Scientist Makes Bioplastic Out of Discarded Olive Pits Thanks to Her Dad’s Strange Eating Habits
“Glass is about 70 to 75% silica. You need about 2.9 pounds (1.3 kg) of glass to make 1kg of silica. Most of that goes into sellable products, so we have very little waste at the end of it.”
Unlike traditional methods of producing liquid silicate, the researchers’ technique requires relatively little energy, which also makes it far cheaper.
“The glass industry has a huge amount (of silicate) it cannot recycle because it is too broken or it is too small,” said Professor Damien Batstone, another researcher who helped to develop the technique.
“It is currently stockpiled at the moment as it can’t be used. We’re going to take it through a much simpler process to turn it into this commercial silicate product.
“It’s a way to use a product which is currently a waste, which is currently unusable—it’s a way to turn a cost negative waste into an absolute resource.”
The university’s commercialization company, UniQuest, is now seeking partner companies that are interested in taking the technology to market.
Clean Up Negativity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media…
If you’re dreading going back to work on Monday or the gloomy weather has just got you feeling blue, things might improve if you let Phoebe the cockatiel cheer you up.
In the video below, the tiny bird can be heard chirping the opening melody of the song “If You’re Happy and You Know”.
Because Phoebe doesn’t have hands to clap during the pauses in the song, however, she uses her beak to tap on the table – or in some cases, the banana.
She really picks up steam toward the end, and her enthusiasm is contagious.
(WATCH the video below)
If You’re Happy And You Know It, Share This Cute Clip With Your Friends On Social Media…
Quote of the Day: “Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” – Samuel Ullman
Photo: by clappstar, CC license via Flickr (cropped)
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?
An exciting new study shows that efforts to cut CO2 and tackle climate change in developed countries including the UK and US are beginning to pay off.
Eighteen countries so far have demonstrated how concerted policies and action on energy efficiency, renewables, and climate targets can work.
The study from the Tyndall Centre at the University of East Anglia (UEA) suggests that policies supporting renewable energy and energy efficiency are helping to reduce emissions in 18 developed economies. The group of countries, which includes the UK, US, France and Germany, represents 28% of global emissions.
The research team analyzed the reasons behind changes in CO2 emissions in countries where emissions declined significantly between 2005 and 2015. The findings, published in Nature Climate Change, show that the fall in CO2 emissions was mainly due to renewable energy replacing fossil fuels and to decreasing energy use.
Not surprisingly, countries where CO2 emissions decreased the most were those with the largest number of energy and climate policies in place.
The researchers compared countries with declining emissions with countries where emissions increased. They found that policies encouraging energy efficiency were linked to cuts in emissions across all countries.
They also found that policies which encouraged renewable energy were linked to cuts in emissions, but mostly in developed economies with decreasing emissions only, not elsewhere.
The data suggests that efforts to reduce emissions are underway in many countries, but these efforts need to be expanded and enhanced to limit climate change to well below 2°C of warming, in line with the Paris Agreement.
The authors argue that “untangling” the reasons underlying recent changes in emissions is critical to guide efforts to tackle climate change.
“Our findings suggest that polices to tackle climate change are helping to decrease emissions in many countries. This is good news, but this is just the start,” said lead researcher Prof Corinne Le Quéré of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at UEA.
“There is a long way to go to cut global emissions down to near zero, which is what is needed to stop climate change. Deploying renewable energy worldwide is a good step but by itself it is not enough, fossil fuels also have to be phased out.”
CHECK OUT: The Ozone Hole is Healing and May Be Completely Repaired Within Our Lifetimes, Says UN Report
Dr Charlie Wilson, also from the university, said: “New scientific research on climate change tends to ring the alarm bells ever more loudly. Our findings add a thin sliver of hope. It is possible for countries to peak and then decline their emissions year in, year out.
(Source: University of East Anglia)
Clean Up Negativity By Sharing The Research With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by University of East Anglia
Despite not being a long-term match for each other romantically, these Minnesota divorcees turned into a medical match made in heaven.
Mary Ziegler and Bill Henrichs were only 14 years old when they started dating in high school. Immediately after turning 18, they tied the knot.
After 24 years of marriage, however, they realized that they were not destined to be true soulmates, so they decided to get a divorce. They agreed, however, never to allow the end of their marriage to affect their two kids.
Indeed, it’s been two decades since then, and Henrichs and Ziegler have remained close; although their friendship took a surprising turn back in February when Henrichs started having diabetes-related kidney problems.
RELATED: In Twist of Fate, NFL Star’s Organs Go to the Ailing Sports Hero Who Inspired Him
When Henrichs was told that he would need a transplant, dozens of friends and family members got tested to see if they were a match. His daughter turned out to be a match, but donating her kidney would prove to be difficult since she has been raising children of her own.
Ziegler could not bear to see their daughter undergo the transplant, so she followed her intuition and got tested to see if she was a match.
Surprisingly, she turned out to be a perfect fit for Henrichs’s uncommon blood type.
MORE: When Wife Needed Kidney, He Walked For Miles Holding a Sign – and He Found a Donor
Ziegler and Henrichs underwent a successful surgery in October; and even though she has received national attention for her willingness to help out her wuzband, Ziegler is quick to take no credit.
“If this story changes one person’s actions or attitude towards their ex, it’ll all be worth it,” Ziegler told KMSP. “For me, it wasn’t even a decision. It was kinda like him calling up and saying, ‘can you come over and help us rake leaves?’ That’s how I think of it.”
(WATCH the interview below) – Image from screenshot of KMSP video
Save Your Friends From Negativity By Sharing This Sweet Story To Social Media…
Kindness is seeping into the classrooms and corridors of an elementary school in Minnesota thanks to a group of fifth-graders.
The kids at Parker Elementary School started a Kindness Club last year, and observers say it’s having a positive impact on classroom culture.
“There had been some issues in fifth grade of kids not being very kind to each other,” said Ashley Justen, a social worker at the school in Elk River. Teachers had talked to some of the students and told them things had to change because ‘that’s not how you treat people,’ Justen said.
Fifth-grade teacher Matt Greenhoe said he had been talking with his students one day about improving the situation when one of the kids, Ady Bollinger, suggested starting the Kindness Club.
LOOK: Viral Photo Shows Two Kids Stopped in the Road to Pay Respects to Fire Department Flag Being Raised
“I said, ‘That’s a great idea,’ and I just kind of let them go,” Greenhoe said.
Since then the Kindness Club has blossomed, sprinkling kindness throughout the school.
Ady said they started the club because they want kids at Parker to feel safe in school. They also want to stop bullying and improve self-esteem, she said.
MORE: 11-Year-old Girl Has Been Granting the Simple Wishes of Nursing Home Patients
“It kind of makes the world a better place having someone your age to turn to for help,” added club member Elsie Ostmoe.
The club has initiated several kindness projects. They now have a bucket on display where people can drop in notes that tell of random acts of kindness they have seen, which club members plan to read during school announcements.
Before Christmas, club members launched Operation Candy Cane, where they gave every student a small candy cane — 600 in all — with the note “Happy Holidays from the Kindness Club.”
CHECK OUT: 12-Year-old Boy Gives Away Thousands of Lunches to the Homeless – and He’ll Soon Have His Own Truck
During Holly Jolly Week, they put notes of kindness on the lockers belonging to students with special needs. They also have produced a slideshow about kindness that they intend to share with others.
Currently, they are rehearsing a play based on the book “Stop,” about a girl who is being bullied and the friend who helps her. They plan to perform the play for first-graders.
Greenhoe said the students have given up recess time to work on the Kindness Club.
RELATED: 11-Year-old Boy Saves Drowning Man Twice His Size When No One Else Could Swim
Club members feel they have made a difference and said there is less bullying going on at Parker. In fact, there are fewer students using the Buddy Bench, a specially designated bench on the playground where students can sit if they are feeling alone and want to be invited to play with others.
Member Tessa Boche said she wants people to know they’re not alone and are part of a larger community: “It makes us feel good that everyone is getting included and no one feels left out.”
And the kindness is spreading: Other students are following suit by expressing random acts of kindness, like putting positive notes on students’ lockers.
MORE: 7-Year-old Boy Has Helped Thousands of Veterans After Watching a Video About Homelessness
“They definitely have created a ripple effect,” she said.
This is the fifth-graders’ last year at Parker Elementary School, but those in the Kindness Club hope to carry on their kindness crusade into middle school.
They also hope some of the fourth-graders at Parker will continue with the Kindness Club and would like to see other schools pick up on the idea as well.
Be Sure And Share This Sweet Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
We may soon have access to a mobile bioprinter that can be filled with a patient’s cells, wheeled to their bedside, and print out brand new skin for large wounds and burns.
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine (WFIRM) scientists have created such a mobile skin bioprinting system – the first of its kind – that allows bi-layered skin to be printed directly into a wound.
“The unique aspect of this technology is the mobility of the system and the ability to provide on-site management of extensive wounds by scanning and measuring them in order to deposit the cells directly where they are needed to create skin,” said Sean Murphy, a WFIRM assistant professor who was lead author of the paper published this month in Nature’s Scientific Reports journal.
Wounds that are large, chronic, or non-healing wounds (such as diabetic pressure ulcers) affect millions of Americans and are especially costly because they often require multiple treatments. It is also estimated that burn injuries account for 10 to 30% of combat casualties in conventional warfare for military personnel.
RELATED: Wrinkles May Soon Be a Thing of the Past Thanks to New Skin Cell Discovery
The major skin cells – dermal fibroblasts and epidermal keratinocytes – are easily isolated from a small biopsy of uninjured tissue and expanded. Fibroblasts are cells that synthesize the extracellular matrix and collagen that play a critical role in wound healing while keratinocytes are the predominant cells found in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin.
The cells are mixed into a hydrogel and placed into the bioprinter. Integrated imaging technology involving a device that scans the wound then feeds the data into the software to tell the print heads which cells to deliver exactly where in the wound layer by layer. The bioprinter deposits the cells directly into the wound, replicating the layered skin structure, and accelerating the formation of normal skin structure and function.
The researchers demonstrated proof-of-concept of the system by printing skin directly onto pre-clinical models.
MORE: Scientists Activate Stem Cells to Make Hair Grow
The next step is to conduct a clinical trial in humans. Currently, skin grafts to treat wounds and burns are the “gold standard” technique, but adequate coverage of wounds is often a challenge particularly when there is limited availability of healthy skin to harvest. Skin grafts from donors are an option, but they risk immune rejection of the graft and scar formation.
“The technology has the potential to eliminate the need for painful skin grafts that cause further disfigurement for patients suffering from large wounds or burns,” said WFIRM Director Anthony Atala, and a co-author of the paper. “A mobile bioprinter that can provide on-site management of extensive wounds could help to accelerate the delivery of care and decrease costs for patients.”
“If you deliver the patient’s own cells, they do actively contribute to wound healing by organizing up front to start the healing process much faster,” added James Yoo, who led the research team and co-authored the paper. “While there are other types of wound healing products available to treat wounds and help them close, those products do not actually contribute directly to the creation of skin.”
(Source: Wake Forest, WFIRM)
Cure Your Friends Of Negativity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media
Quote of the Day: “Cheerfulness, like spring, opens all the blossoms of the inward man.” – Jean Paul Richter
Photo: by glancs, 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?
If you live in the San Francisco area and you share our love of flowers, then you’ll have to stem your excitement over tomorrow’s holiday.
In honor of American Tulip Day, over 100,000 tulips will be free for the picking on Saturday March 2nd.
The tulip garden, which is being displayed at Union Park, will be open to the public between 1PM and 4:30PM.
The multi-colored flowers are being transported to the park courtesy of Dutch flower bulb trader Royal Anthos, iBulb, and the Consulate General of San Francisco
RELATED: Husband Plants Field of Flowers for Blind Wife to Smell, So Spectacular it Gets Visitors
“The tulips, which were planted in America, were produced from Dutch flower bulbs. Dutch traders export flower bulbs to more than 100 countries all over the world,” says the American Tulip Day website.
“And America is by far the biggest export market for Dutch-grown tulip bulbs: a half billion of them every year. Besides, Dutch companies also export many other types of flower bulbs to America, such as lilies, hyacinths, daffodils, dahlias and gladioli.”
Help To Peddle The Pedals By Sharing The News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photos by American Tulip Day
Rather than keeping his NBA memorabilia and awards in a trophy room, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is putting hundreds of his basketball treasures onto the auctioneer’s block to raise money for disadvantaged kids.
In addition to auctioning signed basketballs, jerseys, and even his iconic game goggles, the Lakers legend is also selling four of his six championship rings.
The items, which are being sold through Goldin Auctions, have already racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in bids – and the auction won’t even be ending until March 2nd.
The bulk of the money generated from the auctions will be given to The SkyHook Foundation, Abdul-Jabbar’s charity for helping underprivileged children pursue STEM educations.
RELATED: Major League Baseball Pitcher Donates $9.4 Million Estate So It Can Bring Joy to Special Needs Kids
When asked why he decided to give away all of his stuff, he simply told KCAL that keeping his possessions felt hollow.
“When it comes to choosing between storing a championship ring or trophy in a room, or providing kids with an opportunity to change their lives, the choice is pretty simple: sell it all,” wrote Abdul-Jabbar.
“Looking back on what I have done with my life, instead of gazing at the sparkle of jewels or gold plating celebrating something I did a long time ago, I’d rather look into the delighted face of a child holding their first caterpillar and think about what I might be doing for their future. That’s a history that has no price.”
(WATCH the Skyhook Foundation’s 2015 video below)
The Skyhook Foundation from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on Vimeo.
Score Big With Your Friends By Sharing The Good News To Social Media…
Five teenagers are being hailed as heroes after they came to the rescue of an 8-year-old boy who was dangling from a ski lift earlier this week.
Video footage of the rescue at Grouse Mountain in Vancouver, Canada shows a man – who is presumed to be the boy’s father – hanging onto the youngster’s arms from underneath the lift’s safety rail.
As anxious skiers watched the situation unfold, a group of teenagers jumped into action by grabbing a piece of netting and holding it underneath the boy.
Gabriel Nielson, one of the teenagers who facilitated the rescue mission, told Global News that it took some time to convince the boy to kick off his skis and fall into the netting – but after some coaxing, the boy finally let go of his father and fell safely into the plastic hammock 20 feet below.
“At one point, we were just like, ‘OK, you just need to trust us, you just need to drop,” said Nielson. “And so then he dropped, and we caught him.”
The boy was unharmed by the fall, but he was still taken to a nearby hospital as a precaution. Though ski mountain officials are unaware of how the boy ended up in the harrowing predicament, they are giving the teen rescuers free season ski passes as rewards for their actions.
(WATCH the video below) – Photo by Carolina Prada Akoglu
Be Sure And Share The Cool Rescue Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
One of the world’s largest chemical companies is working to reduce their environmental impact by turning plastic waste into roads – and they have already diverted over 220,000 pounds of plastic from ending up in landfills.
Dow Chemical began their recycling efforts in 2017 when they launched several pilot programs to test the plastic roads in India and Indonesia.
In addition to the roads lasting longer, they were also estimated to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 tons. Now that the roads have proved successful, the company has started laying plastic roads in the US.
Because American states have more restrictive requirements for new roads in comparison to Indonesia, it has proven difficult to facilitate the recycling program in America, but Dow recently finished two new plastic roads in Freeport, Texas using 1,686 pounds of recycled low-density polyethylene plastic — which is the equivalent weight of about 120,000 plastic grocery bags.
“Right now we’re focused on using projects like this to increase awareness that plastic roads are a viable option,” Dow’s global sustainability leader, Jeff Wooster, told Business Insider.
Collectively, Dow has now laid more than 26 miles of recycled plastic pavement around the world, which has saved about 100 tonnes of waste from going to a landfill.
In Indonesia, Dow worked with the government and various stakeholders to complete the first plastic road trial in Depok. Approximately 3.5 metric tons of plastic waste material were mixed into asphalt to create the road over the course of two months, which reportedly resulted in a highly resistant plastic waste-based road that was more durable and stronger than typical roads.
MORE: M&M Parent Company Commits $1 Billion to Stopping Child Labor and Other Injustices
“We are extremely pleased with the success of this project and what it promises,” said Bambang Candra, a commercial vice president for the company’s Asia Pacific packaging branch. “The technology behind these new plastics-based roads has proven simple enough for wide-scale application in Indonesia’s transport infrastructure. We are confident it will help manage the sheer volume of plastics waste the country produces.”
Dow has also become one of the founding companies of a new international nonprofit called the Alliance to End Plastic Waste. Upon announcing the alliance’s creation in January, the company said they would be committing $1 billion to end plastic pollution with the additional goal of raising another $1.5 billion over the course of the next five years.
“Companies do not make plastics with the intent of it ending up in the ocean, and we acknowledge the strong role the industry must play in order to help eliminate ocean plastic waste by 2035,” said Candra.
(WATCH the Alliance to End Plastic Waste promo video below)
Clean Up Negativity By Sharing The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media…
Dogs may not have the proper appendages to type out heartfelt messages on the internet, but over 100,000 pups have sent letters of love to a 7-year-old girl with an inoperable brain tumor.
Mail first started pouring in for Emma Mertens after she was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive kind of tumor called diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) back in January.
LOOK: City Gives Trees Email Addresses So Folks Can Report Problems, But They Send Love Letters Instead
Though Emma is described as being a brave young fighter and an avid dog lover, a family friend made a social media post shortly after her diagnosis asking their followers to send her letters and dog pictures as a means of lifting her spirits.
Emma’s father, Geoff Mertens, says that the response to the post has been overwhelming.
“Without us even knowing, a friend of ours had about a dozen friends send in pictures, and at some point it just took off,” Geoff told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal. “I have no idea who made that post, [but it’s] been shared over and over.”
Thousands of compassionate canines from all over the world have “written” letters, emails, and social media messages of encouragement and love.
Geoff guesses that they have been receiving roughly 2,800 emails every hour – and snail mail by the truckload.
MORE: Anonymous Love Letters Lift the Spirits of Anyone Signed Up on Website
“I’ve stopped counting, but we were at 20 different countries at one point and every state,” Geoff told the news outlet. “We’ve gotten pictures from Australia, Venezuela, Japan, Italy, Russia — and actually a lot from Scotland and the Netherlands for some reason.”
Furthermore, a GoFundMe campaign that was set up for the Mertens family has raised over double its original goal with over $108,000 in donations and counting.
The money, which will help to pay for Emma’s medical expenses, will also allow Emma’s mother to stop working so she can care for her daughter.
Though DIPG is an aggressive cancer, Emma is going in for her second surgery, and her family is optimistic that their newfound emotional and financial support will help them pull through.
Because the family has received so much mail, however, they have since set up a Facebook page for people to post their dog photos.
“If you knew Emma, she’s the most kind, big-hearted girl,” Geoff told Good Morning America. “To see so many people take a few minutes out of their day to put a smile on her face is overwhelming.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Feature photo by Geoff Mertens
Be Sure And Share This Pawesome Story Of Kindness With Your Friends…
Quote of the Day: “I loved the sound of wind through the trees. I laid back and closed my eyes, and I was comforted by the sound of a million tiny leaves dancing on a summer morning.” – Patrick Carman
Photo: by Tom Gill, 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?
Hey @amtrak does it really take this long to rescue stranded,passengers? Its been over 24 hours!!! @NBCNews @cnnbrk @ABC @fox12oregon pic.twitter.com/mHKWY4PDuN
— Rebekah Dodson (@AuthorRDodson) February 26, 2019
Almost 200 Amtrak passengers have been featured across national news outlets this week after they became stranded aboard a train for more than 36 hours amidst record-breaking snowfall.
Though there were numerous reported trials and tribulations for the distressed travelers, some passengers were also quick to highlight how they all showed each other patience, compassion and camaraderie during their plight.
The train had been on its way from Seattle to Los Angeles when it hit a tree that had fallen across the tracks near Eugene, Oregon on Sunday night.
RELATED: Good Samaritans Pay for Hotel Rooms to House 70 Homeless People During Polar Vortex
Rather than turning the situation into something reminiscent of The Lord of the Flies, the passengers displayed remarkable unity.
“It’s just been like a giant kumbaya party,” passenger Rebekah Dodson told CNN from onboard the train. “Strangers are playing cards. A teenager played his ukulele to kids to get them to sleep. Ladies who have never met before were dancing in aisles.”
“We really wanted for nothing except for maybe someplace comfortable to lie down and a shower,” another passenger told KOIN shortly after leaving the train. Another traveler told the news outlet: “We played cards, we took naps and we looked at the snow piling up (outside).”
update - they’re now playing the ukulele...
— Bonnie Silkman KPTV (@BonnieSilkman) February 26, 2019
Looks like they’re all spending a second night on the train, trying to make the best of it. Thanks to John onboard for all these videos! #fox12 #stuckamtrak #oakridge #snow pic.twitter.com/qoU59GXUaO
Even the Amtrak staffers aboard the train received a shoutout from Dodson on Monday for “going over 30 hours while our train is stuck and still [being] polite and professional.”
After Amtrak crews worked around the clock to clear the debris and snowfall from the tracks, the train finally made it to a station in Eugene, Oregon on Tuesday afternoon.
Amtrak later published a statement saying that all of the passengers will be given “refunds and other compensation as appropriate.”
(WATCH the news coverage below) – Photo by Rebekah Dodson
Be Sure And Share This Story Of Compassion With Your Friends On Social Media…
Earlier this week, Etsy became the first global e-commerce company to offset 100% of shipping emissions generated by their sellers.
The company has already hit several milestones in their pursuit of sustainability. They are already on track for their 2016 goal of powering their operations with 100% renewable electricity by 2020; their offices fulfilled their goal of generating zero waste two years ahead of schedule; and they have given away thousands of dollars in solar panel discounts to their sellers.
However, 98% of Etsy’s emissions are generated solely through the packages that are shipped from their 2.1 million vendors.
According to the company, the distance that e-commerce packages travel every day amounts to roughly 133,000 trips to the moon and back – and that’s only for packages shipped in America.
RELATED: M&M Parent Company Commits $1 Billion to Stopping Child Labor and Other Injustices
In order to offset the total amount of greenhouse gases that are generated by their customers, Etsy will now automatically purchase carbon offsets for every product that is purchased on their website.
“These purchases support environmental projects, including protecting forests that improve air quality and absorb carbon, sponsoring wind and solar farms that generate clean energy and replace fossil fuels, and developing greener methods for producing auto parts,” says Etsy CEO Josh Silverman.
LOOK: In Bid to Cut Food Waste, Kellogg’s is Using Their Rejected Cornflakes to Make Beer
“To jumpstart our efforts and celebrate this milestone, we will also offset shipping emissions for the entire US e-commerce sector for [the day of February 28th],” he added. “Offsetting this impact for one day is the equivalent of protecting 100 square miles of US forests for one year.
“While we are proud to be the first major online shopping destination to offset 100% of carbon emissions from shipping, we certainly hope we are not the last. Considering these offsets will cost less than one penny per package for Etsy, we don’t believe that cost should be a prohibitive factor for others to follow in our footsteps. For the benefit of future generations, how can we all afford not to take this action?”
(WATCH Etsy’s announcement video below)
Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media…
