42 Positive Environmental Success Stories — September 2024
The media has an important role to play in combatting climate doom. Therefore, this monthly news round up of positive environmental and climate change news, is designed to spark joy and show that progress is being made. We pick two positive headlines a day, ranging from renewable energy and preservation to eco-innovation, and arrange the articles according to their publication date. We also include some dates related to nature and wildlife for your calendar.
Environmental and Animal Awareness Days In The Next Month
International Walk To School Month (1st — 31st October) a month-long event encouraging children where possible to travel by foot.
World Vegetarian Day (1st October) is an annual celebration of vegetarian food. Yum!
No Disposable Cup Day (4th October) encourages us to ditch the disposable cups, and embrace reusable ones. I wrote about the day here.
Positive News Round up — Monday, 2nd September
Airlines that fly from European airports will soon have to tell the European Commission how much vapour trails from jet engines affect the climate and how much carbon dioxide they emit each year. (Euro News)
In the latest tender for utility-scale solar, Germany's Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) has allotted 2,152 MW of PV capacity, the nation's latest tender for utility-scale solar. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 3rd September
Over the course of the past century, a new report indicates that the size of Norwegian forests has tripled in the last 40 years, as a result of increased CO2 emissions and warmer temperatures in Norway than in previous decades. (Good News Network)
The installation of a new solar farm at Hydebank Wood College and Women's Prison (United Kingdom) has the potential to significantly reduce electricity expenses at the institution by approximately £60,000 annually. Around 15% of the site's annual needs can be met by the solar farm, which consists of 668 panels and produces 356 kilowatt peak of electricity. (ITV News)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 4th September
The last week of August saw coal account for less than half of Australia's electricity, hitting a record low as renewable energy production soared, according to data released Wednesday. (Techxplore)
The supermarket chain Marks & Spencer (M&S) has removed an additional two million plastic units from its food packaging, in accordance with its objective to eliminate one billion plastic units by the year 2027/28. One example is a million plastic trays have been eliminated by the retailer as they switched to paperboard punnets for organic blueberries. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 5th September
A study, published in Nature Climate Change, shows that global food-system emissions would decline by 32% if people with higher dietary emissions swapped out red meat for legumes and nuts. (Carbon Brief)
The Norfolk snout, thought to have died out in the UK in 1971, was discovered in a garden by an enthusiast. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 6th September
The UK Government approved the biggest solar farm in the country, which will sit on farmland, generating enough electricity to power 180,000 homes. The 8 square mile solar farm on the border of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire was approved by Ed Miliband, who added, “This is a government in a hurry to deliver the change it promised for the British people.” (iNews)
The land beneath the panels is being used to nurture pollinator habitats as solar farms expand. (Daily Climate)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 9th September
This summer, rare wildflower meadows have bloomed, for the first time, after a two-year project on the north Devon cost (England). The meadow established from 1.3 tons of seeds, as part of the National Trust’s largest ever wildflower grassland project, filled an area the size of 197 football pitches – 90 hectares. (Positive News)
pMDIs account for 78% of all inhaler use worldwide and 0.04% of the global GHG emissions. Despite this, AstraZenece claims that the new propellant has a 99.9% lower global warming potential than those currently used in inhaled medicines. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 10th September
A new initiative by HSBC UK aims to assist farming enterprises in transitioning to greener methods by offering discounted loan arrangement fees. (Edie)
Schoolchildren are among those who have already tasted the results of the Plymouth Fish Finger Project, made using locally caught species that are usually discarded or used as bait. The project uses locally caught species that are often discarded or used as bait. (Positive News)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 11th September
Tonnes of litter from parts of the coast that are otherwise impossible to reach are being removed by Odyssey Innovation. The Devon-based organisation has so far collected 22 tonnes of plastic and other waste from the South Devon Coast using its kayaks. (ITV News)
There are 300 million tennis balls manufactured each year, and a significant portion of them are discarded. To tackle the waste problem, one Belgian eco-designer has begun to repurpose some of these into furniture. (Good News Network)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 12th September
Sri Lanka recently conducted a three-day elephant survey by counting the animals as they visited various watering holes across the country. (Mongabay)
According to an initial study, scientists have developed a “vaccine” for bees against pesticides, and it appears to work. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 13th September
According to a Cleanview analysis of U.S. Energy Information Agency data, Texas is planning to build 35 gigawatts of clean energy over the next 18 months, more than the next nine states combined. (Canary Media)
The UK's first new deep coal mine in 30 years won't be allowed to proceed following a ruling by the Supreme Court. Campaigners have called the decision a “victory for the environment”. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 16th September
One of the world’s rarest penguins has been crowned New Zealand’s bird of the year. (The Guardian)
A $1 million grant from Patagonia is helping to transform California's farms (Good News Network)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 17th September
New statistics revealed that Jersey's greenhouse emissions achieved a reduction of 47% between 1990 and 2022. (ITV News)
Outside Chelsea College of Arts in London, a 10-meter-high structure called “urban greening” has been unveiled. It shows how natural materials can be used to help wildlife. (Positive News)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 18th September
About 300 endangered sea corals from South Florida have been moved to the Texas Gulf Coast for research and restoration. The marine research centre at Nova Southeastern University houses rescued corals, which are then processed for regrowth and before being reintroduced back into the ocean. (AP News)
10.23 GW of newly installed PV capacity was contributed to by Germany's new solar installations in August. (PV Magazine)
Positve News Round up — Thursday, 19th September
Plans for an updated Clean Air Zone (CAZ) in Greater Manchester are being processed and will be submitted to the government. One aspect includes greater investments into new buses and a fund to help taxi drivers upgrade their vehicles. (ITV News)
Ember, a UK-based energy think tank, says that 593 GW of solar will be added this year, a 29% increase than in 2023. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 20th September
To allow introduced bison, which are classified as dangerous wild animals under UK law, to cross the maze of public footpaths in the ancient woods without interacting with humans, four bridges costing a total of £1 million are being constructed. (The Guardian)
In Jersey, eight living sea walls have been constructed to draw more marine life into the harbour. The 3D-printed tiles have been attached to smooth sea walls in Elizabeth Marina to look like the nooks and crannies found on naturally rocky coastline. The ports of Jersey hope this will make the marina more ecologically valuable. (ITV News)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 23rd September
Rob Bonta, the attorney general of California, has filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corp. for allegedly lying to the public about the potential for plastic recycling. (LA Times)
Ed Miliband, the Secretary for Energy Security and Net-Zero, said his team will reinstate energy efficiency requirements for rented homes. This was stopped by Rishi Sunak. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 24th September
If the law is approved, people in California can bring unwanted or damaged clothes and household textiles to thrift stores, charities, or other places where they can sort and recycle them. (The Guardian)
The subways in Barcelona are generating power for trains, stations, and nearby electric vehicle charging stations. (Grist)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 25th September
Over 23,000 photos were entered into the Bird Photographer of the Year 2024 competition. Here are the top 10. (Positive News)
On Sept. 23, caretakers released six Guam kingfishers, which are birds called sihek in Guam, into the wild on Palmyra Atoll. It was their first time flying since they were considered extinct.sihek, into th wild on Palmyra Atoll on Sept. 23, marking their first free flight in nearly four decades and a triumphant return from being classified as “extinct in the wild.” (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 26th September
Some Germans are turning to balkonkraftwerk, or balcony solar. Unlike rooftop solar panels, the tech doesn't require property ownership, and anyone capable of connecting a gadget can set it up. The simple hardware is usually purchased online or at the supermarket for about $550. (Grist)
A new report from the University of Maryland's Center for Global Sustainability says that climate-action policies could cut U.S greenhouse gas emissions by 65% by 2035 compared to 2005 levels. (Techxplore)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 27th September
The International Olympic Committee has awarded Imogen Grant an environmental award for her efforts to address climate change and make sport more sustainable. (ITV News)
Enough electricity to power 88,000 homes will be generated by a new solar and storage facility in Emery County. The $1 billion Green River Energy Center will generate 400 megawatts of solar energy and store it for times of high demand (Daily Climate)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 30th September
On Monday, Britain’s last coal-fired power plant closed, ending 142 years of coal-generated electricity in the nation that started the Industrial Revolution. The shutdown makes Britain the first nation in the Group of Seven to phase out coal, though other European nations, such as Sweden and Belgium, did so earlier. (AP News)
China Datang Corp. is building a 263 MW solar power plant in Uzbekistan's Buka district. (PV Magazine)
