Good News Headlines 1/8/2024
Photo courtesy Miko/The Nature Conservancy
Restaurants Find Companies To Take Their Spent Oyster Shells To Restore Oyster Reefs
by Andy Corbley, Good News Network
For everything that Hong Kong is and has become, a quiet constant among the rattle of construction and the sprawl of concrete, steel, and glass has been the humble oyster. Now, after decades of degradation of the oyster reefs, restaurants and municipal waste services are ensuring that consumed oysters have their shells returned to the reefs, ensuring they rebuild and thrive in the deep Hong Kong water. The Hong Kong oyster, Magallana hongkongensis filters more water of impurities than any other species. If properly cared for, each of the tens of thousands of oysters that make up the reefs can clean 200 liters per day.
Germany Reached 55% Renewable Energy In 2023
by Cristen Hemingway Jaynes, EcoWatch
In 2023, 55 percent of Germany’s power came from renewables — an increase of 6.6 percent, according to energy regulator Bundesnetzagentur, reported Reuters. Europe’s biggest national economy has a goal of 80 percent green energy by 2030. The country plans to get rid of most of its coal, has already ceased relying on nuclear power and in the future intends to use gas primarily as backup for its energy grid. “We have broken the 50 per cent mark for renewables for the first time,” said Robert Habeck, Germany’s vice chancellor and federal minister for economic affairs and climate action, in a statement, as The National reported.
California Dam Demolition Is Making History
by RTBC Staff, Reasons to Be Cheerful
The biggest dam removal project in U.S. history is now underway along the Klamath River, which flows from Oregon to Northern California: the first of four hydroelectric dams, Copco 2, has been removed. The restoration process will open up 400 miles of fish habitat that have been closed off for nearly a century. That’s good news for the river and its salmon and steelhead trout. It’s also good news for Klamath Basin communities, including Indigenous peoples who have long relied on the river for their fishing traditions.
A Simple Fix Lifts Single Moms Out Of Poverty In India’s Slums
by MaryLou Costa, Reasons to Be Cheerful
Pooja, a 27-year-old mom of two, was destitute and depressed in a slum of Jaipur, India, after her husband died in a work-related accident. Likewise Malti, 44, a mom of three living in a neighboring Jaipur slum, was forced to take her children out of school after the death of her husband from leukemia left her family broke. Five years on, the tables have turned for both women. Pooja has developed a business opportunity to manufacture and sell festival wristbands, and in turn, put her children through school. Malti, meanwhile, has since found retail work and put her oldest two children through college, while her youngest is back in high school.
Finding A Fix: Nigerian Women Lead Drive To Upcycle Plastics
by Rahma Jimoh, Aljazeera
For years, Maryam Lawani was really pained when it rained. She lived in the Oshodi Isolo area of Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital, where canals often overflow messily into the streets during downpours. Additionally, she was always struck by the huge amount of plastic waste on the streets after the rains receded and how this in turn affected mobility or even made the roads deteriorate. After even a little rain in Lagos, the streets get muddy and potholes brimming by the side with broken plastics, gin sachets, pure water nylons, used diapers and other items.
