"Hope Highlights"

5 (genuinely!) hopeful notes to take into the week...

Hello and happy Monday, everyone! Who is ready for some hopeful climate news? This certainly sounds refreshing to me. In a moment where everywhere you look there are pictures, headlines, and stories ready to jump out and trigger climate anxiety, I think we all could use a dose of positivity. After all, I didn’t create earthlove to share doomsday stories. In fact, quite the opposite. I want to uplift and inspire, so we each feel more confident sharing our unique earthlove, our deep love of the earth, with the wild world.

With this in mind, here are 5 fantastic and fun “hope highlights”. Reading these stories made my heart feel a little lighter and I hope they do the same for you.

1. Bravo! Paris votes to make 500 more streets car-free.

   Here’s a great reason to love the city of love, if you don’t already… Paris residents voted in favor of making 500 more streets car-free. Since 2020, the city has already closed 300 streets to cars. Residents will continue to enjoy a decrease in air and noise pollution with this new referendum, which will eliminate 10,000 parking spots.

   Get ready for increased opportunities to embrace your earthlove in this iconic city. Take a bike ride around the arrondissements with a baguette in hand (very Parisian of you), nap under a sycamore or European ash tree, or simply stop at one of the countless cafes and listen to bird song, made possible by the absence of cars.

   Source: Bloomberg

2. These old wind turbines are riding the waves:

   Most wind turbines have a life span of about 20 years. Professional surfer Josh Kerr, and his surfboard brand, Draft Surf teamed up with ACCIONA to create the world’s first surfboard made from decommissioned wind turbines. It’s inspiring how Josh is channeling his love for the earth in such a clever and innovative way. I’d love to interview him one day!

   “Sustainability isn’t just about reducing waste—it’s about product stewardship, ensuring that what we build today doesn’t become tomorrow’s environmental challenge.” - ACCIONA Energia’s Global Sustainability Director Mariola Domenech.

   Source: Good Good Good Co.

   

3. Mighty marine fungi are hungry for plastic:

   Fungi in the ocean may have never crossed your mind and if I’m being honest, they never crossed mine. Not surprisingly, very few people study these microscopic organisms. However, that may soon change due to this hopeful news! Researchers at the University of Hawaii collected fungi from the ocean and the large majority had the ability to ‘eat’ (degrade) plastic, and some can even be trained to do it faster and more efficiently. This shows us the potential for natural solutions to plastic pollution, which are needed now more than ever.

   Microscopic and miraculous, marine fungi are unsung heroes of the sea.

   Source: Good Good Good Co.

   

4. Los Angeles Trees are the real celebrities:

   Is it just me, or are trees far more interesting than most A-listers? In any event, the trees in LA are absorbing much more carbon dioxide than expected. Using sensors set up across central Los Angeles, researches found that over the course of a year, trees absorbed up to 60% of carbon dioxide on average during the day. Far more than anticipated.

   This is a fantastic reason to plant more trees in the concrete city! If you live in the LA area, check out organizations like Tree People to get involved. Volunteering is an awesome way to share your earthlove (and to meet new people in a big city).

   Source: Los Angeles Times

   

5. An upward trajectory for the Eastern Monarch Butterfly:

   The population of eastern monarch butterflies has nearly doubled over the last year! The beautiful orange-and-black butterflies can be seen in Canada, the US, and Mexico depending on the time of year. This growth in numbers follows years of continuous conservation efforts, creating optimism among nature preservationists.

   Let us see this hopeful news as an example of the importance of continuing to show up - hard work pays off, even if it takes time.

   Source: The Guardian

   

Please let me know if you’d like to see more “hope highlights” in the comments below. And feel free to forward this email to anyone who could use some good news - which may just be everyone you know. ;) Hope is contagious!

Until next Monday,

Mimi

Thanks to Free the Ocean for the ongoing support.