Good News Headlines 5/29/2023
Photo©Sean Pavone/123rf
Lights Turned Off At The Gateway Arch Every Night To Assist In Bird Migration For 325 Species
by Good News Network
From the majestic whooping crane to the smallest songbird, an iconic American landmark in Missouri is making the skies safer for spring migrating birds who follow the Mississippi River to reach their summer nesting grounds. Since 1965 when it was unveiled, the Gateway Arch in St. Louis has punctuated the cityscape at night with lights that illuminate its most visited US National Park. But all during the month of May officials will turn off the lights at night to facilitate safe passage for more than 325 bird species following the route each year on their spring migration.
Bronx River Dolphins Are Back!
by Grant Brown, Happy Eco News
The recent sighting of Bronx River dolphins is a rare and significant event that suggests an improvement in the river’s ecosystem health. This achievement is a result of the collaborative efforts of various groups that have worked to improve water quality, restore habitats, and promote fisheries in the Bronx River. Over the years, various groups have come together to work towards restoring the river by improving water quality. The Bronx River Alliance was instrumental in this effort. They have partnered with other organizations, such as the New York City Department of Environmental Protection and Riverkeeper, to ensure that the river stays clean (and healthy enough for dolphins).
‘Our Joy Is Ours’: Amid Mounting Attacks, Youth Hold Trans Prom Steps From Us Capitol
by Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams
Amid relentlessly rising attacks on the rights and even the very existence of transgender people in the United States, a group of trans students and their supporters on Monday held a prom on the National Mall within sight of the U.S. Capitol. Around 150 youth from 16 states—along with parents, friends, and other allies—attended the first-ever Trans Prom, according to Vice. As Time reports, the event was organized by activists including students Libby Gonzales, age 13; Daniel Trujillo, 15; Grayson McFerrin, 12 ; and Hobbes Chukumba, 16. “The Trans Prom is meant to emphasize the pride and joy and happiness that is within the trans community that cannot be broken,”
Small Acts Of Kindness Are Universal: Global Study Finds People Help Each Other Every 2 Minutes
by Andy Corbley, Good News Network
An international study of people on five continents has found that humans help each other with small things about every 2 minutes, and acquiesce to calls for help overwhelmingly more often than reject them. For sociologists, understanding the root of any kind of human behavior first requires them to attempt to parse out how much influence on it comes from nurture, and how much from nature. Kindness, generosity, anger, curiosity—how much are these expressions amplified or tamped down by the culture a person grows up in, and how much is built-in to the human animal?
Ukraine Is Planning Its Green Reconstruction Even As War Rages On
by Laura Millan, Bloomberg
Valeriya Izhyk was excited when she arrived at the Ukrainian ski resort of Bukovel, in the Carpathian Mountains, last Christmas Eve. The 28-year-old would be reunited with her parents for the first time since February 2022, when she had fled her home in Kyiv for Brussels in the wake of Russia’s invasion. “The first thing we heard when we stepped outside was the noise of the generators. Every hotel had one, and they were huge,” Izhyk said. “The second thing we felt was the polluted air — worse than in any city. It was impossible to breathe.” The memory stayed with Izhyk after she’d returned to Brussels and her job at CEE Bankwatch Network, a consortium of environmental groups.
