This unique origami-inspired solar panel has the potential to turn windows into a source of electricity for any apartment dweller.
For urban residences and buildings, implementing renewable sources of energy can be difficult. Researchers have tried building solar panels out of various materials so they can be placed in front of windows, but this generally leads to a large decrease in natural lighting in exchange for limited energy generation.
Soligami, on the other hand, is a solar panel system that works similarly to shutter blinds so that light can still be allowed to pass through a window.
Furthermore, the folded design of the system has an increased surface area, which results in greater energy production.
“We’re looking at repositioning the city as a place of production, not just a place of consumption,” Ben Berwick, an architect for the Soligami panel, told Fast Company.
“It’s making your apartment a better place to be,” he added.
Although the cost of each Soligami system is yet to be determined, the simplicity of manufacturing the panels and their inexpensive materials is likely to be fairly cheap for consumers.
The Soligami project, which was created by Australian architectural startup Prevalents, is one of the finalists for the 2019 Lexus Design Award. In addition to receiving mentorship and a $25,000 prize to develop their production, the design team currently has a patent pending for the Soligami system.
Courtesy of Prevalents
“It’s clear that the fusion of classical design and computational design is now happening especially in the minds of designers looking to solve our world’s biggest problems,” said 2019 LDA judge John Maeda. “I’m optimistic that as we continue to nurture and embrace this new generation of designers, we’ll see a better tomorrow.”
Shine A Light On Positivity By Sharing The Good News To Social Media – Photo by Soligami / Prevalent
Photo by Purdue Research Foundation/Vincent Walter
Photo by Purdue Research Foundation/Vincent Walter
The United Nations estimates that more than 8 million tons of plastics flow into the oceans each year – but researchers have now discovered a new chemical conversion process that could transform the world’s waste into a whole new source of useful products and clean fuels.
The technology, which was developed at Purdue University, can convert more than 90% of polypropylene waste – a type of plastic that is commonly used for packaging and toys – into high-quality gasoline and diesel fuels in a matter of hours.
The conversion process uses selective extraction and hydrothermal liquefaction to turn the plastic into naphtha, a kind of flammable oil that can then be used as a feedstock for other chemicals or further separated into specialty solvents or other products.
The clean fuels derived from the plastic waste generated each year could satisfy 4% of the annual demand for gasoline or diesel fuels.
“Our strategy is to create a driving force for recycling by converting polyolefin waste into a wide range of valuable products, including polymers, naphtha, or clean fuels,” said Linda Wang, a professor for chemical engineering at Purdue University and leader of the research team developing the technology. “Our conversion technology has the potential to boost the profits of the recycling industry and shrink the world’s plastic waste stock.”
Wang became inspired to create this technology after reading about the plastic waste pollution of the oceans, ground water, and the environment. Of all the plastics produced over the past 65 years (8.3 billion tons), about 12% have been incinerated and only 9% have been recycled. The remaining 79% have gone into landfills or the oceans. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2050, the oceans will hold more plastic waste than fish if the waste continues to be dumped into bodies of water.
“Plastic waste disposal, whether recycled or thrown away, does not mean the end of the story,” Wang said. “These plastics degrade slowly and release toxic microplastics and chemicals into the land and the water. This is a catastrophe, because once these pollutants are in the oceans, they are impossible to retrieve completely.”
Wang hopes that the financial benefits of using her patented technology will stimulate the recycling industry to reduce the rapidly rising amount of plastic waste. She and her team are now looking for investors or partners to assist with demonstrating this technology at a commercial scale.
Thanks to the efforts of a Virginia church, dozens of graduating students are finishing their college education with zero debt or outstanding tuition.
For the last few years, the Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria has asked their congregation to participate in a fast for the duration of January by giving up certain luxuries, such as social media, junk food, or alcohol.
They also asked the church-goers to abstain from spending money on any non-essential items so they could donate the money instead to an important cause.
The financial fasting ended up raising over $100,000 – and the church used the money to pay off the outstanding debt of graduating college students at Howard University in Washington D.C.
“This year, as our fasting ended, we asked members to make a sacrificial offering that we promised would go out the door of our church,” said church pastor Dr. Howard-John Wesley. “We decided to come to Howard University to find some students who are about to change the world but have some financial concerns, and let them know we’re going to take care of it for them.”
34 graduating students, each with varying amounts of debt ranging from hundreds to thousands, benefited from the donation.
“The gift of $100,000 from Alfred Street Baptist Church to help our students pay off their financial obligations and make ends meet just before they graduate is truly a blessing,” said university president Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Their generosity is a reminder of how one person’s selfless act of kindness can be multiplied and have a profound impact on the lives of others.”
(WATCH the announcement video below)
Thank you @AlfredStreetBC for paying the balances that stood between 34 graduating seniors and their graduation in a few short months.
We appreciate your investment into our students and the priority placed into supporting the HBCU community. pic.twitter.com/UgoCGx9PEP
Quote of the Day: “Share your smile with the world. It’s a symbol of friendship and peace.” – Christie Brinkley
Photo: by World Bank Photo Collection, CC license
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It has been a little over 100 years since there was scientific documentation of black leopards in Africa – but now, a stunning set of photos has confirmed their existence in Kenya.
Black leopards, also known as super-rare melanistic leopards, experience a genetic condition that is considered to be the opposite of albinism. Upon close inspection, their coats still feature the iconic spotted leopard pattern, but the rest of their fur is a dark inky black.
Since their coats help them to blend into denser forested surroundings, black leopards have primarily been sighted in Southeast Asia, and they are rarely seen in Africa. Though there have been a few reported sightings across the continent, the last photo of a black leopard was taken in 1909.
Wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas had always dreamt of capturing a photo of the legendary big cats, but their scarcity made his fantasy seem like a pipe dream.
“Since childhood I have been fascinated by stories of black panthers,” Burrard-Lucas wrote in a blog post. “For me, no animal is shrouded in more mystery, no animal more elusive, and no animal more beautiful. For many years, they remained the stuff of dreams and of farfetched stories told around the campfire at night. Nobody I knew had ever seen one in the wild and I never thought that I would either.”
Then, he caught wind of some black leopard sightings in Kenya – and he knew he had to try and snap a photo of the elusive wildcat.
Burrard-Lucas traveled to Laikipia Wilderness Camp and – with the help of researchers from the San Diego Zoo – he set up several high-definition Camtraption motion sensor camera traps.
For several nights, he left the camera traps erected on a nearby leopard path. When he finally checked his cameras, he was stunned by what they had captured.
“As I scrolled through the images on the back of the camera, I paused and peered at the photograph below in incomprehension… a pair of eyes surrounded by inky darkness… a black leopard!” wrote Burrard-Lucas. “I couldn’t believe it and it took a few days before it sank in that I had achieved my dream.”
“Over the days that followed I moved the camera traps around as I gained a deeper understanding of the leopard’s movements. The next hit I got was further down on the same game trail as the first capture. I love the way this cat melts out of the darkness!”
“Thereafter the black leopard disappeared and I started capturing images of a big spotty male instead – apparently he had chased away the younger black leopard. I have never been annoyed at capturing a spotty leopard on camera trap before! I suppose at least he was rather handsome…”
“Then, on the night of the full moon, the black leopard reappeared and I captured the shot below as the moon was setting behind a ridge,” added Burrard-Lucas in his blog post. “Needless to say, I was thrilled that he was back and that I had captured such an atmospheric image.”
Though Burrard-Lucas says that these are not the first photos taken of a black leopard in the last century, he says that his images, along with footage that was captured by the San Diego Zoo, is the first confirmed scientific documentation of the leopard in over 100 years.
The photograph says that some readers have voiced their concern for the black leopard over the risk of poaching, but he has emphasized that poaching is illegal in Kenya and its wildlife is well-protected. Additionally, he hopes that disclosing his location will encourage tourism in the area, thereby supporting local communities and economies.
In the mean time, Burrard-Lucas is already planning a return trip to Kenya in order to capture more photos of the awe-inspiring big cat.
Be Sure And Share This Stunning Story With Your Friends On Social Media…
This simple procedure has had a dramatic impact on women who have had to repeatedly suffer the heartbreak of miscarriage.
Many miscarriages and premature births are caused by weakened cervixes. The surgical solution is a simple but effective operation called a cervical cerclage procedure – or a cervical stitch.
The procedure works by sewing a number of stitches – also known as a “suture” – into and around the cervix in order to strengthen it against the physical stresses of early pregnancy. The suture is then removed prior to birth, once the risk of a miscarriage has passed; and the surgery doesn’t even leave a scar.
For the women who elect to have the surgery, about 90% of them are finally able to carry their baby full term.
“The procedure itself works really, really good,” Dr. Sanjeev Kumar, a specialist of Gynecologic Oncology, told WMC News. “It provides a lot of hope for these women as they have a really good shot at achieving pregnancy that will last.”
The medical procedure was recently made available through the Baptist Medical Group in Memphis, Tennessee, and it has already become a saving grace for women facing possible miscarriage.
Mother-to-be Andranika Arnett, says she is finally hopeful about her pregnancy after she opted to have the procedure in October. After enduring four miscarriages due to a weakened cervix, Arnett had reached a low point, wondering if she’d ever be able to successfully bear a child – but now, she is confident that everything will go to plan.
“Since I have had this surgery, nothing can keep me down,” Arnett told the news outlet. “Nothing is stressing me out. I am happy about this.”
Be Sure And Share The Good News With Possible Mothers-To-Be On Social Media…
Some of the biggest outdoor recreational groups have recently announced that they are forming a new coalition that will take action against climate change in order to save ski slopes from rising temperatures.
Climate change is a threat to the outdoor recreation industry and the $887 billion it contributes annually to the U.S. economy. The industry’s businesses, customers and the nearly 150 million Americans who participate in outdoor activities each year are dependent on a stable climate and have a vested interest in being part of climate solutions.
The Outdoor Business Climate Partnership is the first-ever broad collaboration among these trade groups. The coalition will join forces to support the passage of comprehensive, bipartisan climate legislation in Congress, the adoption of market-based policies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and decarbonization of the grid through state and utility level initiatives.
The alliance was formed by the Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), Snowsports Industries America (SIA) and the National Ski Areas Association (NSAA) at the start of February as a means of providing leadership on advocacy and inspire meaningful action on climate change across the outdoor business sector.
“Over the last decade, we’ve led the way in developing tool sets to reduce the environmental impacts of the products we sell,” said Amy Roberts, OIA Executive Director. “These efforts have been adopted by major retailers and brands in the outdoor industry. In tandem, we use our industry’s unified voice to support impactful policies at the state and federal level.
“Our efforts can be magnified by coming together with these other associations to collaborate and bring a stronger voice to the table in hopes of amplifying our impact in addressing this global issue.”
Some of the group’s key goals include raising awareness among policy-makers on the potential impacts of climate change on the outdoor recreation industry and stress the urgency and need for passage of comprehensive and bipartisan climate legislation; providing their members with education, tools and programs to reduce carbon emissions in their operations and green their supply chains; and supporting research and funding for adaptation and restoration measures that will protect outdoor recreation.
SIA’s President, Nick Sargent said: “As three associations representing outdoor retailers, brands, suppliers, and resorts across the country, we share a common desire to see progress on climate and are joining hands to amplify our impact. This kind of bold collaboration and commitment is what’s needed now if we’re going to effectively tackle this urgent issue.”
Kelly Pawlak, NSAA President and CEO, added: “An ‘all hands on deck’ approach is essential in meeting a challenge as significant as climate change, and together we‘ll have a stronger voice to drive change inside and outside of the outdoor recreation industry.”
Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media – Photo by Robinseed, CC
You might not expect an IHOP waitress to be a championship fighter, but that is exactly the case for Tori Nelson.
42-year-old Nelson from Sterling, Virginia is a women’s 11-time world champion of boxing. Her impressive record includes seventeen wins, two losses, and three draws – and her fighting career is only made more impressive by the fact that she fights and trains in between mothering her two kids, taking care of her own mother, and working as an IHOP waitress to boot.
Nelson’s introduction to the boxing world occurred almost by happenstance. She joined LA Boxing in 2007 as a means of losing weight after her two pregnancies, and it was then that Nelson suddenly discovered she was a fighter.
“You get into it by accident, you just end up there, and then all of a sudden, this is what you’re made to do. You find out your purpose,” she told The Washington Post.
It was at LA Boxing she met one of her coaches, Craig Fladagar. Fladagar admittedly didn’t think much of Nelson at first, due to her sedentary lifestyle –but after seeing her fight, however, his eyes were opened. “[Nelson] came at her with a force and a fury and just beat [her opponent] around the ring.”
Soon after beginning her career, Fladagar lost the gym, so he and Nelson trained in his best friend’s garage, even though they had to make room in the space every day. Nelson’s kids were there with her too as they got homework help from her new boxing family.
Despite this rough start, Nelson’s career came to fruition on the heels of a newfound respect for women’s boxing’s. In the 1990s women’s boxing was still considered a sideshow with the fighters being forced to wear scanty costumes. Now, however, it is considered much more of a serious sport.
Just as women’s boxing moves forward, so does Nelson – there is no end in sight for her either. She continues to fight women who are 20 years her junior or three weight classes above her and holds her own with a solid win or a hard-fought defeat. Whenever she is asked about when she will retire, she shrugs it off with vague statements of “next fight” or “next year.”
(WATCH the Tori “Sho-Nuff” Nelson documentary below)
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A post shared by EGG GANG ? (@world_record_egg) on
The internet once again displayed its bizarre sense of humor in January when more than 52 million people joined forces to like a photo of an egg on Instagram – and it has now turned into an endearing initiative to raise awareness for mental health.
The “World Record Egg” Instagram account sought to break the world record for the most-liked photo on the social media platform by dethroning Kylie Jenner’s birth announcement post as the title holder with over 18 million likes.
The account published a photo of an egg with the caption: “Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this.” says Buzzoid.
Just nine days after it was published, it cracked the record – and for a time, no one knew who was the mastermind behind the eggstremely popular post until a 29-year-old creative advertising agent named Chris Godfrey finally came forward as the account’s creator.
When asked by The New York Times about why he chose an egg as the record-breaking Instagram subject, he simply said: “An egg has no gender, race or religion. An egg is an egg, it’s universal.”
Though the entire campaign could seem like another example of the internet’s absurdity, Godfrey is now using “Eugene the World Record Egg” to spread messages of positivity. The egg was recently featured in a mental health commercial that was produced by Hulu and aired during the Super Bowl. In the ad, Eugene can be seen cracking and breaking into pieces. After reassembling itself, Eugene tells its fans: “The pressure of social media is getting to me. If you’re struggling, too, talk to someone.”
The commercial then directed viewers to a website that was created in partnership with the nonprofit Mental Health America, featuring dozens of mental health websites and resources for various countries around the world.
Despite how he accidentally became the creator of a bizarre international icon, Godfrey says that he hopes the egg’s newfound fame will continue to serve its devoted fans.
“It’s not really about me,” he told The Times. “It’s just about the egg and sort of where we can take it and what we can do with it. It’s a fluke that [it] caught the world’s attention, [but] it’s what you do with that attention that counts.”
(WATCH the endearing mental health awareness promo below)
Quote of the Day: “When you’re down on your luck and you’ve lost all your dreams there’s nothing like a campfire …” – Tom Waits
Photo: by Joe Jacob
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?
Several bee hive products offer their own value as a medicinal treatment, though many people know only about the value of honey—with a sizable portion of Americans just familiar with the commercial plastic bear on the grocery store shelf. These other materials produced by bees can be used as bastions to improve all manner of ailments, from auto-immune disfunction to microbial infections.
In this podcast, guest Carly Stein shares her experience as founder of Beekeeper’s Naturals, moving between the economic hives of Wall Street to the quiet hives in her backyard—spilling the beans about all things bee. In detailing the therapeutics behind multiple hive products, such as honey and propolis, Carly provides a scientifically-oriented guide for those looking for holistic medicines. She explains why it’s important to buy local, and how we need to keep bees thriving in our ecosystem.
The Host: At the forefront of functional medicine, Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac is a globally recognized leader in the fields of ancestral health, Paleo nutrition, and integrative medicine. He is the co-director of California Center for Functional Medicine, and author of the New York Times best-selling author of The Paleo Cure.
The Podcast: Revolution Health Radio features Kresser interrogating all manner of guests on a variety of topics. His favorite pastime is debunking common medical myths, but frequently invites guests, like Carly Stein, whose work interests him.
LISTEN to the podcast below… (Photo by Allagash Brewing, CC License)
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Instead of being angry at his son’s bully, this man approached the boy with compassion – and now, they are all enjoying the wonderful results. Hear our Good News Guru tell the inspiring story on the radio in Los Angeles—during the February 8, 2019 Ellen K. Morning Show on KOST-103.5.
Even though it may seem like people will try and find a reason for disagreement, these two kids in North Carolina agreed that showing respect for the American flag was an important thing to do – and they were not the only ones who thought so.
Last week, the Roseboro Fire Department of North Carolina posted a picture to their Facebook page depicting the two kids putting their hands over their hearts as firefighters raised the flag.
According to the post, the kids had been riding a scooter and a hoverboard down the road when they paused, put their hands to their chests, and made the pledge of allegiance as the U.S flag was being raised to full staff.
An officer quickly took a picture of the heartwarming gesture and asked for permission to post it to social media, which was promptly given by the two kids.
Though this little piece of land was only expected to survive for a few months, scientists are “giddy” over what they are discovering on one of the “world’s youngest island.”
Known by locals as Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH), the island formed in the South Pacific kingdom of Tonga following a volcanic eruption in 2014.
Although many islands are formed as a result of submarine volcanic eruptions, only 3 of them have lasted more than a few months over the course of the last 150 years.
“In this case, the ash seemed to have a chemical reaction with the seawater that allowed it to solidify more than it usually would,” volcanologist Jess Phoenix told BBC.
Having only observed the small island via satellite, a team of researchers from NASA and the Sea Education Association set out in October to study the rock formations, erosion patterns, and wildlife.
Phoenix called the island’s durability a “big deal”, saying: “We’ve only had one chance to see an island like this since we had modern satellite imagery. It’s a fascinating volcano.”
Dan Slayback / NASA
Not only is the island enduring longer than expected, the 3-year-old stretch of ashy terrain is now nurturing pink-flowered plants, barn owls, and a breeding ground for tern birds.
“We were all like giddy school children,” Slayback said in a NASA blog post. “There’s no map of the new land.”
The stability of the new island is simultaneously what drew scientists to study it and allowed them to visit. Typically, increased rates of erosion leave only remnants of these volcanic ash islands behind – but researchers say that the HTHH could exist for another 30 years.
This gives scientists like Dan Slayback and his team a rare chance to better understand how these islands form and what leads to their dissolution. Furthermore, the island reportedly provides a kind of template for studying island formations and conditions on Mars.
“Everything we learn about what we see on Mars is based on the experience of interpreting Earth phenomena,” said Jim Garvin, chief scientist of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “We think there were eruptions on Mars at a time when there were areas of persistent surface water. We may be able to use this new island and its evolution as a way of testing whether any of those represented an oceanic environment or ephemeral lake environment.”
Dan Slayback / NASA
One of their more notable discoveries was a light-colored, sticky clay mud that left Slayback’s team bewildered as to how it got there.
“We didn’t really know what it was and I’m still a little baffled of where it’s coming from,” said Slayback.
Upon leaving the HTHH, much had been left unexplored, such as the topography of the surrounding ocean floor, and the role of hydrothermal vents in volcanic ash solidification – but Slayback is already planning a return visit to the island next year.
“It really surprised me how valuable it was to be there in person for some of this,” said Slayback. “It just really makes it obvious to you what is going on with the landscape.”
(WATCH the fascinating 2017 NASA video below)
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One man’s trash is another man’s treasure – but Amarildo Silva is turning other people’s trash into cute little beds for animals on and off the streets.
Silva, who lives in Campina Grande, Brazil, first got the idea for the recycled animal beds when he noticed how many stray dogs used tires as shelter on the street.
When he is not tidying up the streets for his eco-friendly business, he volunteers by helping abandoned animals and mentoring young students at local public schools.
If you would like to learn more about Silva’s business, you can either visit the Cãominhas Pets Instagram or Facebook page for more information.
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Quote of the Day: “Lovers don’t finally meet somewhere. They’re in each other all along.” – Rumi
Photo: by David Leicken, 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?
This installment of the Science of Kindness is reprinted with permission from Envision Kindness.
In addition to being a physician, I am also a scientist – someone who likes to understand how things work and loves doing experiments that ask (and answer) these questions.
In this session, I am going to dive into Envision Kindness’ own research, which focuses on defining how images of kindness affect people. Short answer? These images potently inspire large increases in joy, hope, love, gratitude, and compassion, much more than even pretty pictures like puppies in a basket or a beautiful landscape. My aim for this lesson? To convince you, the reader, to rebalance your visual diet and improve it by adding more pictures of kindness. Your sense of joy and connection could change markedly.
Doing experiments allows for discovery—the pursuit of the truth; because if we understand the truth, we can better make sense of, and benefit from, our world. I’ve been doing experiments for as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, maybe 9 years old, I was taking clocks apart to see how they worked (my parents were less than thrilled when I couldn’t put them back together).
After my son Jesse and I set out on the road to build Envision Kindness, Jesse was a strong proponent of measuring people’s responses to images of kindness. We already knew that we (and other people) felt good after looking at pictures of kindness – a warm, relaxed, and uplifted feeling.
We also knew that other scientists – some of whom were described in the second installment of the Science of Kindness — had shown that a few minutes of a video about kindness caused significant changes in people, including how they felt and their willingness to volunteer. So we decided to measure the response not to a single video, but to several still photographs of acts of kindness and compare them to other types of images.
I have done a lot of research on people—although it has always been in human metabolism or physiology. Since this was about psychology, we designed a study with the help of our scientific advisors that asked how people responded to a variety of types of images.
The images we studied included “negative” images—those of violence, destruction, and neglect; “neutral” images—hammers, towels, or doorknobs; and “positive” or pretty images—puppies in a basket, bunnies, flowers, etc. These three types of images were from a standard set that psychologists have used for years.
The last type of photo we used was images of kindness. Examples of these included a woman in distress on a dark stairwell being comforted by a police officer and a young man with a shaven head looking up from a sea of shaven heads.
This young man was going for chemotherapy and his friends shaved their heads in support – Josh Meltzer / Envision Kindness
Before they saw any of the images, every one of the 400 participants completed questionnaires on how they were feeling. All were feeling pretty happy at the beginning of the study. They were then each assigned to look at images in one of the groups—so 100 people saw negative images, 100 neutral, etc. After seeing one type of image, they again completed the questionnaires on how they felt.
The negative images did exactly what they had been shown to do before, and it was really impressive how quickly and dramatically the negative images affected the participants. People reported marked increases in sadness, fear, and anxiety and decreases in joy, optimism, gratitude, etc.
The “neutral” images didn’t do much of anything, which made sense. The “positive” or pretty images—the usual go to images for people who may be sad—like puppies in a basket—did make people feel more happy, more optimistic, or more grateful. Positive images increased their reports of feeling love or trust. These responses were consistent with what has been observed before, which is great.
What was really interesting was that the 100 people who saw the images of kindness experienced roughly twice as much joy, optimism, and gratitude than the 100 people who saw the positive images. Double the effect on self-reported love and trust and a bunch of other measured emotions and states.
I have looked at a lot of data in my scientific career and these results impressed me. Although they are not yet published in peer-reviewed literature, they are consistent with (and expand upon) what had been observed by others.
So why would people respond to these kindness images more than pretty pictures? Especially when the images weren’t pretty—each had a problem or challenge to meet and someone trying to help, but not necessarily being able to fix their problem.
Maybe it’s because these images touched on real life situations that people could relate to. They had emotion associated with them, rather than just being cute or beautiful. Or maybe it is because at birth we are already “programmed” or “equipped” to recognize these scenes and respond to them. Or some combination. I welcome suggestions from our readers.
Altogether, the results suggest that images like these can help people a lot. As part of Envision’s work, we are using the images from our large portfolio and combining them into unique presentations to amplify the responses further. Our goal: to inspire people as much as we can by stirring the inborn quality of kindness and compassion. This, in turn, allows for connection to one another (and ourselves) through our shared humanity. When people feel connected to others, joy, love, optimism, and compassion flow much more naturally. From that, as connection, collaboration, and cooperation are all strengthened, more of all of these good things manifest.
Just think of the possibilities.
Interested in learning more about the science of kindness and its role in your life? Visit EnvisionKindness.org to learn more.
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You may have already heard of goat yoga, but if you live in England, you can now attend alpaca yoga classes too.
Rosebud Alpacas has become the first place in Britain to offer yoga classes in a field full of fuzzy alpacas.
The tiny farm is located in the rolling English countryside of Devon. The owners, Nick and Lucy Aylett, say that the sanctuary has been hailed as the perfect place for calming exercise – so they decided to run their yoga classes in the same field where they keep their alpacas.
SWNS
They say their alpaca yoga classes are a “unique experience” which are “great for mind, body and soul”.
“The alpacas live outside and the chickens are protected by the alpaca herd who are quick to alert everyone to any unwelcome visitors,” added Nick – although he says that they also want their land “to be an inviting place for others to come and enjoy.”
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The pair say all their animals are “raised ethically with freedom of choice, their welfare being paramount”.
In addition to the alpaca yoga, the farm also offers alpaca walking, alpaca picnics, alpaca art sessions, and a special “alpaca connection” package.
The alpaca connection session is where guests are guided in meditations and have the opportunity to “walk amongst the herd in mindful observation”.
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“The farm is our home and is a very special place that we would really love other people to enjoy too,” says Nick. “It’s a place where people can come to escape, take time out from technology and busy lives, a chance to spend time connecting with the land, the animals and each other.
“Our dream is for this place to also be a sanctuary for people to come and feel at home as well.”
SWNS
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This 7-year-old boy was lucky that his elementary school teacher was in the right place at the right time last week – otherwise, his father may have been in big trouble.
Cameron Simoncic, a second-grader at Ellen Woodside Elementary in Greenville, South Carolina, had just returned home from a day of school when he found his dad had fallen unconscious on their kitchen floor.
The episode was a result of his dad’s diabetes, and Cameron knew that he had to call for help.
When he tried to use his father’s phone, however, he got locked out because he did not know the password. Cameron ran to his neighbor’s house, but no one was home.
The trepidatious youngster then grabbed his bike and started pedaling down the highway in hopes of reaching his grandmother’s house.
Meanwhile, elementary school teacher Keller Sutherland told WSPA that she had been having a lousy day. Upon questioning her career decisions, she had left school earlier than usual and started driving home when she saw a boy riding his bike through traffic.
Her instincts told her to turn her car around and check on the boy – and she was stunned to find that the youngster was actually a former student of hers: Cameron.
Cameron told Sutherland about his predicament and she did her best to keep him calm. Once paramedics were called to the scene, Cameron gave them directions to his house so they could help his father.
Thanks to emergency responders delivering the necessary injections to Cameron’s dad, his blood sugar levels quickly returned to normal – and Sutherland says the whole experience renewed her faith in her profession.
“There’s no doubt that God placed me where he did when he needed me,” Sutherland told WSPA.
(WATCH the WSPA News coverage below) – Photo by WSPA
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Legislators from both sides of the aisle are rejoicing in the sweeping bipartisan approval of the biggest public lands package of the decade.
Earlier this week, the Senate passed a 662-page measure that will designate over 1.3 million acres as nationally-protected wilderness and create four new national monuments honoring Civil Rights and Union heroes.
The bill was passed in a 92-8 vote, and White House officials have divulged that the president has agreed to sign it, according to The Washington Post.
The S. 47 legislation includes a provision that will ensure the federal government fulfills its decades-old promise to provide allotments to Alaska Natives who served in the Vietnam War. Another provision will ban mining practices on more than 370,000 acres of land surrounding two national parks.
The bill also expands the boundaries of six national parks, including Death Valley and the Mojave; it will allow elementary schoolers in fourth grade or below to visit parks with their families for free; and it will offer various protections against damming and pollution for roughly 620 miles of rivers.
“We have worked for months on a bipartisan, bicameral basis to truly negotiate every single word in this bill — literally down to one one-tenth of a mile for [a] certain designation,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who is also the Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairwoman and co-author of the bill.
Additionally, the legislation includes a notable provision that will permanently reauthorize a program that finances these conservation efforts by diverting money generated from off-shore drilling projects, which is expected to save taxpayers over $9 million.
In the past, the program – known as the Land and Water Conservation Fund, has been “described as one of the country’s most important conservation programs.” Over the course of the last five decades since its creation, it has supported more than 42,000 state and local projects throughout the United States.
The LWCF has also been described as a key component of the nation’s booming outdoor recreational economy, which generates over $887 billion in annual consumer spending and supports 7.6 million American jobs.
Congress failed to reauthorize the program in September, which was the second described as one of the country’s most important conservation programs – but thanks to S.47, the fund is now permanently authorized so that it can continue to support public parks and recreation spaces.
“Today marks an overdue but critical victory for America’s most important conservation funding program and for protecting our wild lands,” said Jamie Williams, President of the Wilderness Society. “It’s encouraging to see the new Congress immediately moving bipartisan legislation that conserves our land and water for today and for future generations.”
Be Sure And Share The Good News With Your Friends On Social Media; And On The Other Side Of The Aisle – File photo by Phaedra, CC
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