46 Positive Environmental Success Stories — October 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
World Vegan Month (1st November — 30th November) World Vegan Month takes place every November to highlight the growing popularity of the plant-based diet.
World Basking Shark Day (3rd November) is the day to raise the profile of the endangered basking shark by sharing information, photos, videos, and stories of the world’s second-largest fish.
National Tree Week (23rd November — 1st December 2024) is the UK's largest annual tree celebration, marking the start of the winter tree planting season
Buy Nothing Day (29th November) As a replacement to Black Friday, Buy Nothing Day encourages people to avoid buying items.
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 1st October
For the first time in 150 years, fifteen pine martens are darting through the woods of Dartmoor for the first time after the rare, but recovering species was reintroduced into south-west England. (The Guardian)
The state of California has become the first in the nation to prohibit the use of all blood-thinning rat poisons due to their unintended effects on mountain lions, birds of prey, and other creatures. (LA Times)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 2nd October
The Co-op wants to install solar panels at 700 of its stores by 2027. These stores include supermarkets, logistics centres, and funeral homes. (Edie)
The community of Isla Natividad in Baja California Sur, Mexico, has been working to adapt and be more resilient to climate-change impacts for more than 20 years. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 3rd October
An independent brewery in West Sussex is set to become the first in Britain to use an ultra-high-temperature heat pump to make its beer. A heat pump that can produce steam at a temperature of up to 130C will cut emissions from wort boiling, an essential step in beer-making to extract flavour. (The Guardian)
A skyscraper in Melbourne, Australia, has become home for two peregrine falcon chicks. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 4th October
Last month, pure electric models made up 20.5% of all new car registrations in the UK. Meanwhile, the uptake of plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) grew faster than any other fuel type in the month, growing by 32.1% to take an 8.9% share of the market. (Edie)
A new report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that the number of Americans who have a battery installed alongside their new rooftop solar system is on the rise. (Canary Media)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 7th October
A study that looked at the property values near many big solar farms in the Midwest found that the projects didn't hurt the property values too much. In fact, they actually helped them a little. (Canary Media)
Research reveals that sea walnuts fuse when they become injured, and nervous systems merge. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 8th October
In June 2024, Ullevaal Stadium in Oslo became home to the world’s biggest vertical solar panel installation on a roof. Euro News uncovered how it works. (Euro News)
The largest county in Oregon sued the biggest gas company for making people doubt climate change. This is the first time a company has been accused of lying about the climate. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 9th October
According to a recent report from the International Energy Agency, renewable energy is projected to account for nearly half of the electricity consumed globally by the end of this decade. The report also indicates that in nearly every country, large wind and solar plants are the most economical forms of renewable energy. (Yale E360)
The Fat Bear Contest at Alaska's Katmai national park and preserve was won by a brown bear named 128 Grazer for the second year running. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 10th October
A new type of glitter made from natural sugar found in cotton and wood doesn't hurt springtails, tiny creatures that live in soil and help keep it healthy by eating decaying materials and fungi. (The Guardian)
A brown bear that had brain surgery is doing well, but it's not out of the woods yet. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 11th October
Between 2024 and 2030, the world is expected to build over 5500 gigawatts — or 5.5 terawatts — of renewable energy capacity. China alone will build more than half of this total, which is 3.2 terawatts. The European Union and the U.S. will each build about one-tenth. India, which is expected to build 350 gigawatts worth of renewable energy between now and 2030, will likely be the next largest contributor. (Canary Media)
After state planning officials raised concerns about the development's greenhouse gas emissions, Glencore and Yancoal have withdrawn a proposal for the largest coal mining project in New South Wales from consideration under federal environmental laws. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 14th October
In the face of the climate crisis, mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue and malaria will become a bigger part of the curriculum at medical schools across Europe. (The Guardian)
The largest energy storage investment in Sweden, totalling 211 MW/211 MWh, went live, combining 14 locations. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 15th October
Researchers at Tohoku University set out to prove whether organisms without a brain show signs of intelligence. Yu Fukasawa explained said that “You’d be surprised at just how much fungi are capable of,” before saying that “They have memories, they learn, and they can make decisions.” (Good News Network)
Tribal leader Datu Julito Ahao has devoted nearly 40 years to safeguarding Philippine eagles, a threatened national bird, in the wild. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 16th October
The International Energy Agency (IEA) stated in its annual World Energy Outlook that the demand for oil, gas, and coal is expected to reach its peak by the conclusion of this decade. (Techxplore)
Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners has signed two long-term agreements to provide 100% of the power generated at Cleve Hill Solar Park. A 15-year agreement covering 65% of generation has been signed by Tesco, while Shell will handle the remaining capacity under a 10-year route-to-market arrangement. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 17th October
A former tech hardware entrepreneur has refocused his efforts on tackling the problem of electronic device waste. His startup produces and programs precise robots that delicately disassemble products and separate still-utilisable components for reuse, rather than recycling. (Good News Network)
After the signing of an implementation agreement, plans for a 1 GW of new solar in Serbia are set to go ahead. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 18th October
A reusable plastic container can now be used instead of a single-use takeout box at some Ottawa restaurants and grocery stores. (CBC News)
One of several recent efforts to curtail fossil fuel advertising in major Canadian cities has been passed by the city of Toronto. (Desmog)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 21st October
A wildlife conservation and advocacy group is asking Americans to leave the leaves this year. To prevent damage to your grass and making paths slippery, move the leaves to other parts of your yard where there are no trees. (Good News Network)
Lidl is adding 28 new products to its Vemondo Plant brand with tofu and plant-based burger options will be available to shoppers, as well as Lidl GB's first own-brand plant-based sausages, mince, and nuggets. To coincide with the launch, Lidl GB has set an ambitious goal for plant-based protein to account for one-quarter of its total protein sales by 2030. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 22nd October
A French politician says that small plastic water bottles should be banned because they are “completely absurd” and “environmental nonsense.” (Euro News)
A Ph.D. researcher from Belgium's University of Liège is studying forest ecosystems in the Republic of the Congo and Cameroon to determine the presence of leopards and golden cats. Photographs obtained from her camera traps have provided evidence of the locations where golden cats and leopards reside and where they have been displaced. This has indicated that sustainably managed logging concessions can serve as a suitable habitat for these two felines, provided that poaching is strictly controlled. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 23rd October
Fab Materials has developed a process for converting end-of-life textiles into a valuable construction product, which has won the top pitch at The Greenhouse Demo Day. The Founder and CEO, John Somerville, explained it is, “our mission is to eliminate the worlds' unwanted fashion waste by turning it into MDF boards and composites.” John further explained their “process converts this textile waste into a drop-in replacement for the virgin wood that is currently used in MDF board manufacture.” (Imperial)
The UK's Labour-led Government has decided to continue the previous administration's commitment to ban disposable vapes. The Department for Food, the Environment, and Rural Affairs (Defra) confirmed the ban, which will take effect in England from June 1, 2025. All vapes that aren't rechargeable or refillable will be covered by the ban, preventing the equivalent of five million vapes from being littered or discarded every week. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 24th October
A fixed sum will be donated to fuel poverty charities for every kilowatt-hour of electricity exported to the grid under the octopus tariff. Octopus Energy is also offering free solar and battery installations to customers who are eligible for Warm Home Discount support, who claim to have contacted 10,000 UK consumers to offer free solar and battery storage installations. (PV Magazine)
LoCI Controls uses sensors that can be controlled from far away to help landfills stop leaking methane. If scaled up, the technology could have a big impact. (Canary Media)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 25th October
The UK has seen a record-breaking year for heat pump installation, and the number of licensed specialists has soared. Data from the certification body shows that 42,064 MCS-certified heat pump installations were carried out between January and September 2024, exceeding the record-breaking 40,426 installed for the whole of 2023. (PV Magazine)
New research has found that coral reef protection has boosted the number of fish they harbour by around 10%. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 28th October
A year ahead of schedule, the state of New York installed 6 gigawatts of solar power. (Good News Network)
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife identified a fall-run Chinook salmon on October 16th in a tributary to the Klamath River above the now-demolished J.C. Boyle Dam. The fish has become the first to return to the Klamath Basin in Oregon since 1912, when the first of four hydroelectric dams were constructed, preventing migration. (Good News Network)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 29th October
A recent report reveals that 17.6% of terrestrial areas and 8.4% of marine areas are currently under protection, ahead of the 2030 deadline for protecting 30% of lands and waters. (Mongabay)
After surpassing expectations by selling three times more units of pasta and rice in pre-filled refillable packaging, Ocado has decided to expand the trial to include laundry products. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 30th October
Andy Burnham, Manchester's Labour Mayor, has revealed that bus tickets in Greater Manchester will continue to cost £2 throughout 2025, despite the maximum charge allowed across England reaching £3. (Sky News)
Sunrun, the nation's largest rooftop solar installer, has partnered with Orange & Rockland, a utility serving approximately 300,000 customers in the suburbs and rural areas northwest of New York City, to present a compelling proposition: households who sign up for solar from Sunrun may also receive a complimentary LG Chem battery pack or a significantly discounted Tesla Powerwall. (Canary Media)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 31st October
Starbucks will soon stop charging extra for plant-based milk in the USA and Canada, after years of campaigning from vegan and dairy-free advocates. (Plant Based News)
As the continent continues to shut down coal-fired power plants and generate more electricity from renewable sources, the European Environment Agency has reported that the EU's greenhouse gas emissions fell by 8% in the past year. (The Guardian)
