The world is good

2021-05-07 10:31:51 Open / Comment

2021-05-07 10:31:41 4 projects that have saved thousands of lives

Reusing hotel soap to save lives
Diarrheal diseases kill approximately 1.8 million people per year. Globally, approximately 2.5 billion cases of diarrhea occur among children under 5 years old every year.
“Clean the World” is a non-profit organization from Orlando, Florida that recycles used hotel soap that might have been thrown away. They collect soap from millions of hotel rooms daily, send them to their recycling-plants and turn them into new soap bars to distribute to families, schools, and organizations who don’t have access to basic sanitation and experience hygiene-related illnesses.

Intelehealth
Developed at Johns Hopkins University, Intelehealth is a telemedicine platform that connects FHWs with remote doctors to deliver primary care services at a distance in countries such as India. The FHW is guided by a digital assistant to provide evidence-based health services.For conditions which are beyond the capacity of the FHW+digital assistant, she can connect with a virtual doctor over telemedicine.
“Through a digital assistant+telemedicine we ensure that the right medical expertise is made available, even when the expert can’t physically be present.”

Flare
Flare provides next generation 911 for billions around the world who do not have access to help during an emergency.
“We utilize today’s latest technology to coordinate ambulances on a digital map (like Uber) and offer an innovative membership product (Rescue.co) to ensure everyone has access. “
“Prior to Flare, it would take an average of 3-hours to get an ambulance in Kenya, our launch country. Since launching, we have reduced response times by 87% and saved over 2,500 lives.”
Access to 911-like services is important outside of COVID-19 pandemic, but is particularly important now.

Desolenator
Desolenator’s solar-powered water purification systems help remote communities produce clean drinking water, without the need for filters, chemicals or external energy sources. This helps them build water resilience in the face of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Inspired by nature, Desolenator replicates the water cycle by harnessing solar energy in a new way. After years of R&D, our team of engineers, alongside some of the world's leading water experts, have designed the next chapter in water innovation. Solar purification, evolved.” Open / Comment

2021-05-06 10:21:04 Open / Comment

2021-05-06 10:20:50 The largest wildlife bridge in America has opened in San Antonio

In recent months, we’ve shared a couple of stories about highway crossings for wildlife in the US.

The first came in October when it was announced that a giant wildlife bridge would be built in the Los Angeles area to help mountain lions and other native animals cross over the US 101 freeway. The second came a month later when we wrote about an already existing wildlife overpass in Utah that has been seeing success in allowing animals such as moose and chipmunks to cross over safely without becoming roadkill.

Before the year ends, we are squeezing in one more story about wildlife crossings as a new bridge for animals has just opened in San Antonio. Known as the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge, the overpass sits above a six-lane highway and is the largest completed of its kind in America. Animals that could benefit from the bridge include coyotes, ringtails, and deer.

Beyond its size, what makes this wildlife crossing notable is that it can accommodate both people and animals. In addition, it is serving as a natural habitat for native plants.

Wildlife crossings can be very important because they link habitats that have been fragmented by highways. Considering that 21 threatened and endangered species such as Alabama’s red-bellied turtles face extinction partly because of traffic accidents, we are pleased to be seeing a trend of wildlife crossings getting built in different locations across the US. Open / Comment

2021-05-05 15:29:10 Open / Comment

2021-05-05 15:28:59 3 scientific discoveries
We in the «All The Good Things» often talk about scientific discoveries. But scientific discoveries happen much more often. Therefore, we decided to launch a section in which we will talk about small but important scientific discoveries that have occurred over the past week.

Study suggests that silicon could be a photonics game-changer
New research from the University of Surrey has shown that silicon could be one of the most powerful materials for photonic informational manipulation—opening up new possibilities for the production of lasers and displays.
In a paper published by Light: Science and Applications journal, a Surrey-led international team of scientists has shown that silicon is an outstanding candidate for creating a device that can control multiple light beams.
The discovery means that it is now possible to produce silicon processors with built-in abilities for light beams to control other beams—boosting the speed and efficiency of electronic communications.

Researchers unveil oldest evidence of human activity in African desert cave
Few sites in the world preserve a continuous archaeological record spanning millions of years. Wonderwerk Cave, located in South Africa's Kalahari Desert, is one of those rare sites. Meaning "miracle" in Afrikaans, Wonderwerk Cave has been identified as potentially the earliest cave occupation in the world and the site of some of the earliest indications of fire use and tool making among prehistoric humans.
New research published in Quaternary Science Reviews, led by a team of geologists and archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU) and the University of Toronto, confirms the record-breaking date of this spectacular site. "We can now say with confidence that our human ancestors were making simple Oldowan stone tools inside the Wonderwerk Cave 1.8 million years ago. Wonderwerk is unique among ancient Oldowan sites, a tool-type first found 2.6 million years ago in East Africa, precisely because it is a cave and not an open-air occurrence".

Researchers determine which dogs more often establish eye contact with humans
Eye contact plays a fundamental role in human communication and relationships. However, humans also make eye contact with dog companions. According to new research by Hungarian ethologists, at least four independent traits affect dogs' ability to establish eye contact with humans. Short-headed, cooperative, young and playful dogs are the most likely to look into the human eye. Forming eye contact with the owner raises oxytocin levels in both parties, which plays a role in developing social bonding. Open / Comment

2021-05-04 13:01:59 Open / Comment

2021-05-04 13:01:55 Pakistan Hires Thousands of Newly-Unemployed Laborers for Ambitious 10 Billion Tree-Planting Initiative

Although the novel coronavirus pandemic has driven thousands of workers into unemployment, the Pakistani government has found a way to provide jobs to their citizens while also reforesting the nation. According to Reuters, Pakistan has created more than 63,000 jobs for unemployed day laborers by relaunching the nation’s ambitious 10 Billion Tree Tsunami campaign.

The 5-year initiative, which was started by Prime Minister Imran Khan back in 2018, was temporarily shut down in mid-March as a result of the country’s quarantine. With thousands of agricultural workers facing unemployment amidst the lockdowns, however, the program was relaunched earlier this month. The laborers, who are still required to wear face masks and respect social distancing guidelines, are now being given daily living wages as “jungle workers” planting saplings and protecting the trees from fires and illegal logging. The Pakistani government has reportedly been planting the majority of these trees in rural, low-income areas where locals can benefit from the work.

The nation’s environmental ministers go on to say they hope to hire three times as many workers as last year in order to meet their goal of planting 20 million saplings by the end of 2020, bringing the project’s total to 50 million trees. This is not the first time that the nation has made headlines for planting trees; the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami is a continuation of another extensive tree-planting government effort which resulted in more than 300,000 new jobs and millions of saplings planted across the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province back in 2017.

Now Malik Amin Aslam, who is the climate change adviser for the prime minister, told Reuters that legislators hope to continue using the pandemic as a tool to ramp up their efforts against climate change.

“This tragic crisis provided an opportunity and we grabbed it,” Aslam told the news outlet in a phone interview. “Nurturing nature has come to the economic rescue of thousands of people.” Open / Comment

2021-05-03 12:07:56 Open / Comment

2021-05-03 12:07:54 Three socially responsible companies

Warby Parker
Warby Parker is an example of real-world experience problem-solving. When its founders confronted the obstacle of overly-expensive glasses, they launched into action providing an affordable eyewear company. 

2.5 billion people around the world need glasses but don’t have access to them; of these, 624 million cannot effectively learn or work due to the severity of their visual impairment. This company ensures that when you buy a pair, a pair is distributed to someone in need—you see, they see, we all see with Warby!

“To help address this problem, we work with a handful of partners worldwide to ensure that for every pair of Warby Parker glasses purchased, a pair of glasses is distributed to someone in need”.

Bureo
Since 2013, Bureo has been developing partnerships with fishermen in Chile, Peru, and Argentina. They collect nets near the end of their life, remove all organic matter, and deconstruct the nylon net back down to its most basic chemical form for repurposing. By providing fishermen with a small payment for their donated nets, Bureo encourages a circular system and boosts donation rates. 

Fishing nets discarded in the sea pose a threat to marine animals and break down into polluting microplastics. Apparel and gear company Bureo prevents these nets from ending up in our oceans and gives them new life as upcycled sunglasses, skateboards, and even Jenga blocks. Now, the company has partnered with sustainable apparel company Patagonia to create a whole line of fishing net-based clothing. 

Bombas
Bombas sells the most comfortable socks to ever exist. They are comfortable, don’t slide down in your boots as you walk, and they make the world a better place—what more do you want in a sock?

Bombas follows the bumblebee style of living: a lot of small actions making up remarkable, collective achievement—over 10,000,000 pairs of socks donated in the case of Bombas. When someone buys a pair of socks, a pair of “the greatest sock never sold” is donated to someone in need. 

With socks being the most requested clothing item in homeless shelters, Bombas is coming in hot with a solution we can all participate in. Check out our complete Bombas socks review to find which of their many styles and fits catch your eye.

As well as major impact from individual purchases, Bombas accepts applications for its Giving Partners for organizations providing clothing to people experiencing homelessness. Open / Comment