42 Positive Environmental Success Stories — August 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
Second Hand September – (1st — 30th September) An Oxfam-led initiative encouraging people to limit their purchases to used goods for 30 days in September.
Zero Waste Week – (1st — 5th September) A week dedicated to reducing the waste we create from a personal level all the way up to businesses.
World Clean Up Day – (20th September) A day that unites millions of volunteers, governments, and organizations in 191 countries to address the global waste issue.
Positive News Round up — Friday, 1st August
Together with the transportation app Uber, Octopus Energy has partnered to give 1,000 Uber drivers free EV chargers for their homes, saving them nearly £1 million. (Edie)
An 80% decrease in environmental crimes detected was linked to community-led voluntary environmental patrols, according to a study that looked at 11 years of patrol data from two sustainable development reserves, Mamirauá and Amanã. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 4th August
Ecosystems in California which were once damaged are now being restored thanks to a unique approach to native seed production that prioritizes local adaptation over generic solutions. (Happy Eco News)
A U.S. Air Force bombing range in Florida has become a sanctuary for endangered species like the red-cockaded woodpecker. (Science Daily)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 5th August
The UK Government has launched a grant offering £1,500 discount on first approved electric car models. (Edie)
After waiting three decades, the lotus flowers have bloomed again in Kashmiri lake. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 6th August
An agreement has been reached for a 120 MW solar project in Bhutan by a partnership between India's HILD Energy Ltd. and the Bhutanese construction company Rigsar. (PV Magazine)
A new sustainable plant-based leather substitute that feels and looks like real leather but is free of plastics and animal products has been created by Melbourne-based Alt Leather, which is made entirely from natural fibers and agricultural waste. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 7th August
Glasgow has managed to achieve its air pollution target for the first time, thanks to a decrease in vehicle emissions in the city centre. (STV News)
A 5-month-old jaguar cub has been spotted along the Bermejo River in northern Argentina's Gran Chaco region, marking the first wild-born cub in the area following a rewilding program at El Impenetrable National Park led by conservation nonprofit Rewilding Argentina. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 8th August
In the second quarter of 2025, the demand for second-hand electric vehicles (EVs) increased by 40%, according to recent research conducted by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). (Edie)
Shipping containers made from coconut husks could replace millions of wooden pallets across Asia thanks to a Dutch company. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 11th August
According to a new report examining Ireland's energy transition, solar will reach its 8 GW target by 2030, helping renewable energy sources account for 80% of Ireland's electricity generation by 2030 and 93% by 2050. (PV Magazine)
In an attempt to reduce food waste, Iceland Foods has introduced a digital system that notifies consumers of discounted items that are about to expire. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 12th August
Three white-tailed eagles have successfully left their wild nests in England, setting a record for the south coast's reintroduction program. (ITV News)
Under new UK government regulations, online retailers of electronics and electrical goods, such as Amazon and eBay, will have to report sales and contribute more to the costs of recycling e-waste. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 13th August
By installing 240 MW of solar power in the first half of 2025, Lithuania increased its total solar capacity to 2,230 MW. (PV Magazine)
15 outstanding young activists, between 8 and 16 years old, who are making a significant impact on the environment in their communities across the globe, are the 2025 International Young Eco-Hero Award winners. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 14th August
More than one in four teenagers want to work in the expanding green economy as soon as possible, according to a survey of 2,007 of teenagers between 16 and 18 years old. (Edie)
Recent research has confirmed that there is a third species of manta ray that glides through the oceans with grace. Mobula yarae, a newly described species found in the western Atlantic, was named by researchers after the Indigenous Brazilian water spirit Yara. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 15th August
The ministry of the environment and energy in Italy has authorized six utility-scale battery storage projects in the regions of Lazio, Campania, Basilicata, and Puglia. (PV Magazine)
In the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, researchers this week formally named Janjucetus dullardi, a cartoonish creature with tennis-ball-sized eyes, thanks to a discovery of a 25 million-year-old fossil on an Australian beach. (AP News)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 18th August
A company based in Denver has created the first mobile energy storage train system, which uses existing railroad tracks to transport electricity in battery-powered railcars. This method avoids new costly power lines and could overcome America's largest barrier to the growth of clean energy. (Happy Eco News)
Previously, conservationists and experts considered Sumatran rhinos to be extinct in Way Kambas National Park, located in southern Sumatra. However, dogs from the NGO Working Dogs for Conservation have recently identified multiple samples of what is believed to be rhino scat within the park. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 19th August
A Swiss start-up is utilising the space between rail lines to lay removable solar panels helping to minimise for large-scale solar farms or additional land use, by using this often un-used space. (Happy Eco News)
Great British Energy will contribute £10 million to help community facilities, care facilities, and fire stations install solar panels, batteries, heat pumps, and electric car chargers. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 20th August
By 2051, emissions from coal mining on federal lands could drop by 86%. (Phys)
Sixteen critically endangered western Santa Cruz tortoises, offspring of elderly parents, got a slow walk and the red carpet treatment at a Philadelphia Zoo event to show off the highly prized hatchlings. (Mongabay)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 21st August
A small village in Finland took a former peat mine and turned it into a wildlife paradise where more than 190 species of birds live. The North Karelia rewilding project shows how environmental disasters can be turned into ecosystems that are thriving. (Happy Eco News)
A German enterprise, is rewetting previously drained peatlands to cultivate a specialized variety of moss intended as a sustainable alternative to peat in horticultural soil. The sphagnum moss cultivation initiative is designed to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and offer farmers an alternative income stream from wetlands that have been degraded through prolonged drainage. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 22nd August
Last month, Chinese government officials demonstrated what they claim will be the world's largest solar farm when completed high on a Tibetan plateau. It will cover 610 square kilometres, the size of Chicago. (Euro News)
To monitor and boost biodiversity, a heritage dairy brand best known for its English Cheddar is implementing birdsong monitoring technology powered by artificial intelligence (AI) across farms. (Edie)
Positive News Round up — Monday, 25th August
Starting in 2026, the government of Jordan will provide funding for a five-year initiative to install grid-connected solar systems in 1,000 homes of disabled people and their families. (PV Magazine)
With the help of a 50,000-violet-planting initiative, the world's largest former landfill on Staten Island is being turned into an environmental showcase. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Tuesday, 26th August
The Democratic Republic of Congo has implemented a national decree on August 13 that prohibits the capture and trade of African gray parrots, thereby safeguarding one of the most trafficked birds in the world. (Mongabay)
A novel chemical process has successfully eliminated dyes and separated fabric blends, providing the first viable solution for the implementation of large-scale textile recycling technology. (Happy Eco News)
Positive News Round up — Wednesday, 27th August
Researchers found that wild bees visit different flowers purposefully to get the right amount of protein, fat, and carbs. (The Guardian)
In the first half of 2025, India put in 18 GW of solar projects, which is 31% more than the same time in 2024. (PV Magazine)
Positive News Round up — Thursday, 28th August
As a global partnership grows to encompass 90% of the world's reefs, new coral reef protection technology will further the cause. (Happy Eco News)
According to an analysis, households could save hundreds of pounds annually on heating expenses by implementing straightforward energy system reforms, such as the use of heat pumps. (The Guardian)
Positive News Round up — Friday, 29th August
Fewer than two dozen bison lived in Yellowstone National Park at the turn of the last century, but now there are about 5,000 of them. According to a study, the grasslands in the area have seen a notable change since their return. (YaleE360)
Sweden is embracing second hand shopping with malls dedicated to this way of shopping, helping change retail and our buying habits. (The Conversation)
