🗞️ Good News: Trees provide more climate benefits than we thought

Plus: Historic investment in women's rugby and more good news to celebrate!  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

​Saturday, August 3, 2024​ Real, messy hope delivered to your inbox daily, from Good Good Good. Together with Help us improve Good Good Good! We need your help to make Good Good Good even better. By filling out our annual census, you will help us understand who you are, what you love, and what we can improve. Your feedback ensures we provide the good news stories and resources that matter most to you — across all of our platforms. Take a few minutes (it takes most folks just 5-9 minutes) to complete our census. Your responses will directly shape the future of the Goodnewsletter and have a big impact on the next year! → Start the census​ THIS WEEK IN GOOD NEWS Photo: iStock via Down to Earth Providing even more climate benefits than previously thought, researchers just discovered trees also absorb methane It's general knowledge that trees are excellent at sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, locking it in their trunks and branches, and storing it long-term. Now, a new large-scale study also found that tree bark absorbs the greenhouse gas methane. While methane doesn't last as long in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, it does trap significantly more heat in Earth's atmosphere. This discovery shows that forests provide even more climate benefits than previously thought. The team of ecologists and climate scientists acknowledged how important decarbonization is in addressing climate change — but this groundbreaking research offers another nature-based climate solution. → Read more​ ​ More good news about trees: The National Forest Foundation planted over 8 million trees last year, reforesting over 21,000 acres of land — which is about the same as 198,450 NBA basketball courts. ​​ To improve the health of residents, wildlife, and the watershed, and to combat climate change, Tuscon, Arizona is planting a million trees by 2030.​ Protecting them from logging, a program is helping small-scale forest landowners access fast-growing "carbon markets" for the first time. Hours after the women's team won bronze in the Olympics, USA Rugby received a $4 million donation The USA Women's Rugby team made history this week, earning USA Rugby's first-ever Olympic medal. Mere hours after earning bronze — and heeding the call of Ilona Maher for more funding — a longtime women's soccer supporter announced a $4 million donation. Owner of the National Women's Soccer League's Washington Spirit, Michele Kang has invested in women's soccer globally — and is now helping get USA Rugby's program ready for the Los Angeles 2028 games with her four-year donation. USA Rugby was "stunned" by the "transformative" gift and investment in USA Women's Rugby, saying it will allow them to "supercharge the progression" of the program — and perhaps earn it a gold medal in four years. Why is this good news? Take it away, Kang: "As corporate sponsors and broadcast networks increasingly see the value and enthusiasm for women's sports, now is the moment to unlock the full potential of these incredible female athletes and inspire generations to come." → Read more​ Together with The Run Our sponsors help keep the Goodnewsletter free — thank you for supporting them when you can! Find your inner champion Do the Olympics have you feeling like you can reach new limits? The Run might just be the newsletter for you. Get your weekly dose of running news, inspiration, and community by joining a like-minded group of runners who love to kick off their day the same way. You'll find inspiring stories about race runners, get tips to improve your game, find training motivation, and even discover hacks for getting over those pre-race jitters. It's all free — and you can subscribe now. → Lace up​ Photo: Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times California's first sports bar dedicated exclusively to women's sports just opened Just in time for the Paris 2024 Olympics, California just got its first sports bar dedicated to women's sports — Watch Me! Sports Bar is now officially open and playing women's sports on all its TV screens. Modeled after bars like A Bar of Their Own in Minnesota and the wildly successful Sports Bra in Portland, Watch Me! Sports Bar is currently one of just five sports bars in the U.S. devoted to broadcasting women's sports. And it couldn't have come at a better time, as women's leagues are seeing record-breaking popularity and viewership — the bar has even partnered with Angel City FC, the wealthiest women's sports club in the world. Why is this good news? Not only is it simply meeting a growing demand, but as its owner put it: it's giving younger generations the kind of place she wished she could have gone to watch her idols at, and the older generations a space to "get their due," too. → Read more​ A Michigan zoo just released more than 1,200 endangered butterflies back into their natural habitat Once common across the Midwest, the Poweshiek skipperling is a tiny butterfly species that is now considered one of the rarest butterflies in the world. As of 2023, conservationists estimate only a few hundred remain in the wild due to factors like pesticide use and habitat loss. Now, their numbers are rebounding thanks to the conservation work of the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan and its partners — they just celebrated the release of 1,200 of the butterflies in their natural habitat. The zoo's breeding program successfully bred more than 45 pairs of the butterflies and then returned them to places they hadn't been seen in years. → Read more​ ​ More good butterfly news: Right in his own backyard, a biologist brought the rare California Pipevine swallowtail back to San Francisco after it all but disappeared. ​The nickel-sized Fender's blue butterfly population has quadrupled in size in Oregon, making it only the second insect to have recovered in the history of the Endangered Species Act. Listed as federally endangered in 1997, the bright orange Behren's silverspot butterfly is making a return to Northern California thanks to a four-year conservation effort. A new initiative is helping compensate and tell the stories of Native tribes displaced from national parks While known for their stunning beauty, national parks have a darker history: one that displaced and dispossessed Native people. Yellowstone National Park, for example, is historically connected to around 30 tribes. Now, the Sacred Defense National Parks and Monuments Initiative will give visitors the opportunity to make a donation, which will directly benefit Tribes with historical connections to each national park site. The creators of the project hope it will help expand public awareness about tribal connections to the lands, help Native people share their own stories about the lands, and promote conservation. → Read more​ ​ More good news for Indigenous people: Through DeTours, Hawaii's Indigenous communities are working to educate settlers and tourists about the state's colonial past and present. The Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes collaborated with the Montana Department of Transportation to design and build one of the largest networks of wildlife highway crossings in the U.S.​ Addressing two common issues on reservations, poverty and a lack of reliable power, a Native-led company is installing solar farms for tribal nations across the U.S.​ More Good News ​Russia released a U.S. journalist and former U.S. Marine in a multi-country prisoner swap. In the largest prisoner swap since the Cold War, involving 24 people from seven countries, reporter Evan Gershkovich, former Marine Paul Whelan, and editor Alsu Kurmasheva were released. ​Helping make affordable meals more accessible, a home chef is teaching people to stretch $100 of groceries over 30 days. While it started as a creative challenge, Rebecca Chobat realized just how vital her recipes were for families struggling to afford groceries across the country. ​People are installing "pee-pee rocks" to protect native plants from the nitrogen compounds in dog urine. The landscaping feature is part of the movement to "rewild" lawns and gardens with native plants instead of turf grass. ​A medical group in California is exclusively treating patients experiencing homelessness. Healthcare in Action has cared for about 6,700 homeless patients, managed roughly 77,000 diagnoses, and placed about 300 people into permanent or temporary housing. ​Making wildlife conservation history, the Fort Worth Zoo just had the first-ever repeated breeding of endangered gharial crocodiles. The crocodiles are classified as critically endangered due to habitat destruction, pollution, and river fragmentation. [Related: Scientists are feeling hopeful after another near-extinct crocodile is showing signs of making a comeback.] ​Since it imposed a mandatory fee, the number of single-use plastic bags found on UK beaches is down 80%. Given the success of the 5-10 pence charge on single-use plastic bags, advocates are urging the country to implement similar measures for other single-use plastic items. ​A Colorado nonprofit is helping people who can't pedal themselves get outside to enjoy a bike ride. The Cycling Without Age movement started in Copenhagen, and its Littleton, Colorado chapter's over 100 volunteers gave 2,400 free rides last year. ​Using innovative technology, cylinder sails promise to reduce cargo ship fuel consumption by up to 90%. Facing the pressure of rising fuel costs, increasing government regulation will also require shipping companies to go carbon neutral "by or around" 2050. ​In great news for the endangered species, there's been a 250% increase in tiger numbers in a Thailand forest in the last 15 years. From 2007 to 2023, Thailand has seen remarkable success in increasing the number of tigers in WEFCOM from about 40 to more than 140. More Good Bits 🔥 One of the most iconic elements of the Games is doing its part to help Paris 2024 meet its ambitious sustainability goals.​ 🛹 Breaking records and fighting gender barriers, the youngest Olympian in Paris was born during the 2012 London Games. 🎨 A nationwide art project happened last weekend. 🏺 How much damage does gun violence really do? A ceramic artist has the (heartbreaking) answer.​ 🦭 Climate heroes come in all shapes and species.​ 📱 Really, the only Olympics content you need. (Except for our good news, of course.) 🇺🇸 The American Climate Corps pledge is something all of us should maybe go ahead and commit to.​ 🌳 Most climate solutions aren't simple. This one is.​ Introducing the Newest Goodnewspaper We're excited to introduce… The Science Edition! Not only is The Science Edition of the Goodnewspaper filled with good news thanks to science (like exciting inventions, discoveries, and cures), it's also full of the complexity and nuance that so many of us love about science — like milestones for equality and inclusion in the field, or the innately human experience of questioning our mere existence. You don't have to be a genius to read it; you just have to be curious. → Get a copy (free shipping!) → Subscribe and save!​ What's good? While it wasn't my best subject, I always loved science class growing up! What was your favorite subject in school? Reply to this email and tell me! — Megan The Goodnewsletter is created by Good Good Good. Good Good Good shares stories and tools designed to leave you feeling more hopeful, less overwhelmed, and ready to make a difference. We also create a monthly print newspaper called the Goodnewspaper. You should try it! This Goodnewsletter was edited by Megan Burns and Branden Harvey. ​Advertise with us​ ​Contact us​ ​​​​​​ Need help? Contact us for assistance. We've got your back. You received this email because you signed up for the Goodnewsletter from Good Good Good — or because you followed a recommendation from another newsletter or ordered a Goodnewspaper. Want more good news? Click here to switch to daily emails. To stop receiving The Goodnewsletter, unsubscribe. To opt in or out of other emails from Good Good Good, manage your email settings. To stop receiving all emails from Good Good Good — which may potentially include paid subscriber-exclusive content — you can opt out entirely. © Good Good Good | 188 Front Street, Suite 116-44, Franklin TN 37064