44 Positive Environmental Success Stories — May 2025

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

30 Days Wild (1st — 30th June) The Wildlife Trust's 30 Days Wild is the UK's largest nature challenge, which encourages people to try one ‘random act of wildness’ every day, for 30 days in June.

World Environment Day (5th June) The World Environment Day, observed annually on the 5th of June, is an international day dedicated to promoting global awareness and taking action to safeguard our environment.

World Oceans Day (8th June) The World Oceans Day, which is observed annually on the 8th of June, aims to raise awareness of the pivotal role played by the oceans in everyday life. Our oceans are not only the lungs of our planet; they are also an important source of food and medicine.

Positive News Round up — Thursday, 1st May

Under the plans, builders will have to install solar panels on the roofs of new properties by 2027. (The Guardian)

As hurricane-damaged solar panels continue to flood Florida landfills, a startup is attempting to build one of the nation's largest solar recycling plants to recover valuable metals and ease supply chain pressures. (Daily Climate)

Positive News Round up — Friday, 2nd May

The largest solar farm east of the Mississippi River now provides 100% of the electricity used by Loyola University in Chicago. The solar array will also be part of the university’s lesson plans next fall. (Canary Media)

The Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT), which is already partially solar-powered, is doubling its solar panel count by utilizing an adjacent property that used to be a landfill. (Good News Network)

Positive News Round up — Monday, 5th May

Farmers are installing solar panels and fallowing land in California's water-stressed Central Valley to save water and provide financial stability. (Canary Media)

Incorporating sensors into recycling plants could reduce the amount of battery fires that occur. (Techxplore)

Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 6th May

According to researchers, if greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced, up to 250,000 deaths from poor air quality could be avoided annually in central and Western Europe by 2050. (Phys)

According to a study, individuals exhibited a stronger response to black-and-white data, such as whether a lake freezes each winter, than to gradual temperature graphs. (Daily Climate)

Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 7th May

In Australia, the primary power grid saw a significant increase in the production of renewable energy last year; between January and March, 43% of the electricity consumed in the ACT and the five eastern states came from these sources. (The Guardian)

The technical feasibility of operating the National Electric System without fossil fuel generation, with the integration of renewable energy storage and flexible demand, has been demonstrated in a study conducted by the Chilean Association of Renewable Energies and Storage and the Institute of Complex Engineering Systems. (PV Magazine)

Positive News Round up — Thursday, 8th May

ScottishPower has obtained a £1.35bn financing package to upgrade critical components of the United Kingdom's electricity grid. This initiative is intended to alleviate congestion and facilitate the country's transition to clean energy. (Edie)

Making small changes to brick kilns can lower pollution and make the air in Bangladesh better. (Techxplore)

Positive News Round up — Friday, 9th May

Seabed mining for nickel has been prohibited in the Pacific island territory of New Caledonia, which spans an area of 1.3 million square kilometres. With a landslide vote on Tuesday, lawmakers on the autonomous but sovereign islands approved the 50-year measure, which should allow for the preservation of about one-third of the world's pristine coral reefs. (Good News Network)

Helmeted honeyeaters, which were critically endangered, have returned to Cardinia in south-east Victoria for the first time in 42 years. They were previously discovered in the area before the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983. (The Guardian)

Positive News Round up — Monday, 12th May

Researchers in Washington have devised a novel approach to the recycling of deteriorating wind turbine blades, thereby converting the waste into usable plastic and addressing the increasing landfill burden. (Daily Climate)

Researchers from Tongji University, found the Wilkes Land and Queen Mary Land regions of East Antarctica experienced an average annual increase in ice sheet mass of 108 gigatons from 2021 to 2023. (Good News Network)

Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 13th May

Since the program's relaunch in October 2023, Virgin Media O2 has revealed that nearly 45,000 smartphones and tablets have been recycled or reused. (Edie)

A Massachusetts-based startup has developed and tested a solid-state battery that has the potential to transform electric vehicles into safer, more cost-effective, and longer-lasting alternatives to conventional vehicles. (Daily Climate)

Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 14th May

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), sales of electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to surpass 25% of all cars sold globally by 2025. (Edie)

Oatly recently unveiled a comprehensive Global Sustainability Plan that includes updated goals for water use, packaging, agriculture, and workplace equity in addition to more aggressive climate targets. (Edie)

Positive News Round up — Thursday, 15th May

A coating made of algae may increase coral settlement by more than 20 times, according to a recent study that was published in the journal Trends in Biotechnology. The research team hopes that this finding will help to rebuild coral reefs all over the world. (Good News Network)

Despite the rapid increase in power demand, China's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have decreased for the first time as a result of the country's expansion of clean power generation. (Carbon Brief)

Positive News Round up — Friday, 16th May

Researchers have discovered that low emission zones work to cut down on air pollution and its negative effects on health. (The Guardian)

In honour of Endangered Species Day, here are three endangered species that are beginning to recover. (Mongabay)

Positive News Round up — Monday, 19th May

The Bundesnetzagentur's most recent data indicates that Germany installed 838.5 MW of new PV capacity in April. (PV Magazine)

By the end of March, Italy had installed 38.5 GW of PV capacity overall, according to new data. (PV Magazine)

Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 20th May

According to Rystad Energy, China added a record 60 GW of new solar capacity in the first quarter of 2025, with rooftop installations accounting for 36 GW. This is the largest quarterly total for distributed PV in the nation's history. (PV Magazine)

Brown howler monkeys are gradually recovering in one of the world's largest urban forests as a result of targeted vaccination and reintroduction initiatives, which were implemented after a fatal yellow fever outbreak in 2016. (Mongabay)

Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 21st May

Researchers have discovered that plants are capable of “hearing” the buzzing of bees and will produce more nectar when bees are in proximity. (The Guardian)

New guidelines to enhance waste management in the building and demolition sector have been announced by India's environment ministry. When the 2025 rules go into effect on April 1, 2026, they will make people who make trash more responsible and set mandatory recycling goals. (Mongabay)

Positive News Round up — Thursday, 22nd May

Tohoku University led a new study that found that rooftop solar panels and electric vehicles (EVs) as batteries could meet 85% of Japan's electricity needs and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 87%. (Techxplore)

Recycled shoes gain new life thanks to a unique Miami recycling business. (Good News Network)

Positive News Round up — Friday, 23rd May

In an effort to increase the conservation of forests, Bangladesh is compiling a list of sacred forests, aged trees, and other socially significant flora. (Mongabay)

A Mexican rabbit that had not been observed in 120 years was captured on camera by a camera trap that was designed to capture jaguars. (Mongabay)

Positive News Round up — Monday, 26th May

Trees are helping to keep classrooms cool in two of Niger’s largest cities, additionally the trees are helping to illustrate the value of urban forests. (Mongabay)

Recently seen golden jackals (Canis aureus naria) in Sri Lanka's capital city show how important urban wetlands are as wildlife refuges in the midst of rapid urbanisation. (Mongabay)

Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 27th May

Bulgaria has completed the construction of the largest battery energy storage system in the European Union, with a capacity of 496 MWh. (PV Magazine)

A mobile application is supporting the monitoring of bird species in Rwanda by a young tour guide and his group of student mentees. (Mongabay)

Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 28th May

A woman from Millicent, a town in South Australia, has successfully completed her objective of producing 10,000 fabric shopping bags in time for a local sustainability festival. (ABC News)

Spain's government is working on a law that will require companies that make wet wipes to pay to clean out the country's sewers and water treatment plants after huge piles of their product get stuck there. (The Guardian)

Positive News Round up — Thursday, 29th May

A regulation that required homes in England to obtain planning approval before installing heat pumps within one meter of a property boundary has been scrapped by the UK government. (PV Magazine)

New studies on the relationship between floating photovoltaic systems and water temperature and evaporation have been carried out by the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) in Germany. (PV Magazine)

Positive News Round up — Friday, 30th May

As long as the nation can let go of the filthy past of the industry, the future of steel and ironmaking in the United States is expected to become cleaner. (Canary Media)

A DHL logistics hub in Sydney, New South Wales, is to be retrofitted with a solar rooftop carport. (PV Magazine)