News Made by/for People With Learning Disabilities... TV Bra covers news, entertainment and sports aimed at those excluded. 16 percent of world’s population experience disability, few newsrooms employ journalists with disabilities, making it unique. reasonstobecheerful.world/tv-bra-norway/

7 Steps to Starting an Organic Garden... Step One: Choose a good spot Step Two: Prep soil for planting Step Three: Pick your organic tools and materials Step Four: Prepare the bed Step Five: Select seeds and planting Step Six: Care and upkeep Step Seven: Harvest www.onlyorganic.org/7-steps-to-s...

New Quarter Honors Vera Rubin, Astronomer Who Revealed Universe’s Hidden Mass... Vera Rubin made her name by studying what couldn’t be seen. An honoree of American Women Quarters™ Program, she is recognized for how she changed the way we explore. womenshistory.si.edu/blog/new-qua...

More people buying electric cars and heat pumps than ever before... But those numbers need to increase further, according to The independent Climate Change Committee. But, governments need households to benefit from the switch to cleaner technologies through lower bills. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Jon Bon Jovi helps woman off pedestrian bridge while filming music video... Jovi and his team talked a woman down from ledge on Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge in Nashville last summer. While filming a video for “The People’s House,” which was open to the public. www.tennessean.com/story/news/l...

Why a Minneapolis neighborhood sharpens a giant pencil every year... Over 1,000 people gather for the sharpening of a gigantic No. 2 pencil. The 20-foot-tall (6-meter) pencil was sculpted out of an oak, which was damaged in a storm. The ceremony is now a community event. apnews.com/article/minn...

Wimbledon Tennis Balls Are Helping Save Mice... 55,000 tennis balls are used at the tournament, here's what happens to them afterwards. While many are sold to raise funds, All England Lawn Tennis Club has another use for the orbs – one that supports wildlife. www.countryliving.com/life/kids-pe...

Meet the Cambridgeshire dad whose alphabet tattoo helps his son communicate... The father of a non-speaking autistic boy has the alphabet tattooed on his arm to make sure his son can always communicate with him. Dan Harris, 45, got the tattoo for Joshie. www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/local-n...

Dog-scenting-dog? This Minnesota dog is training to find lost pets... “The Retrievers,” is dedicated to bringing lost dogs home. A new tool that could be a game-changer. The group is training dog-scenting-dog, likely to be the first trained to find lost dogs. www.mprnews.org/episode/2024...

Scientists Film Plant 'Talking' And The Footage Is Incredible... Imperceptible to us, plants are surrounded by a mist of airborne compounds used to communicate and protect themselves. Kind of like smells, these compounds repel herbivores and warn other plants. www.sciencealert.com/scientists-f...

Scientists Discover Practical Use For Coffee Grounds... Concrete that's 30 percent stronger by adding coffee grounds, Australian researchers discovered. The process is pyrolyzing and breaks down molecules, resulting in porous, carbon-rich charcoal called biochar. www.sciencealert.com/scientists-d...

Mud and Robots: Why Earthen Architecture Is the Future... What if buildings weren't made using glass and steel, but with earth? Though its composition varies across the planet, and techniques to build shelter with it are diverse. Soil is a material so diverse. vcresearch.berkeley.edu/news/mud-and...

A Food-Growing Tradition Finds New Roots in the Mississippi Delta... In a farming region where most crops get shipped elsewhere, a growing group of farmers is cultivating produce that makes it to local plates. reasonstobecheerful.world/local-food-m...

Angélique Kidjo first black African to get Hollywood Walk of Fame star... Musical icon Angélique Kidjo, who comes from the West African country of Benin and has won five Grammy awards, was among the 35 names announced as part of the Walk of Fame's class of 2026 list. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Get To Know the Five R’s Of Sustainability... Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, and rot — the new tenets of a low-waste lifestyle. Current recycling systems were never designed to support overconsumption. They were meant to help lessen waste problems. magazine.avocadogreenmattress.com/get-to-know-...

Jon Stewart presses for breakthrough to get first 9/11 troops full care... First U.S. troops to deploy after 9/11 attacks are suffering from radiation exposure that the government hasn't recognize 23 years later. They are a final group that Jon Stewart can’t leave behind. apnews.com/article/sept...

no king protest in my city yesterday. fewer thumbs down and middle fingers than i expected. #nokings

London Children Now Walk And Cycle To School More, Thanks To Clean-Air Policy... ULEZ, an awkward acronym for a congestion-pricing policy. Ultra Low Emission Zone, enacted in April 2019. Under ULEZ, drivers of polluting vehicles are charged to drive within the zone. www.forbes.com/sites/christ...

LGBT+ rights become more protected in dozens of countries... Same-sex relationships legal in most countries, dozens of countries allow same-sex marriage and joint adoption, and a few countries recognize gender changes / third genders. Yet, there's still work to do. ourworldindata.org/progress-lgb...

Why Not Let Your Kids Have a ‘Wild’ Summer?... Nostalgia has taken hold over a lot of parents. All over social media you’ll find others trying to figure out how to re-create the ’90s summer for their kids, where the sentiment is generally just, “Let them get bored.” www.thecut.com/article/no-c...

'Space archaeologists' hoping to save our cosmic history... Infrastructure of humanity's journey into space may only be decades old, but some of it has already been lost. "Space archaeologists" are scrambling to save what's left. www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

Teens ditching vaping to lowest in a decade... Youth vaping levels fell, according to report from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Food and Drug Administration. 2.13 million in 2023 to 1.63 million in 2024, according to National Youth Tobacco Survey. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Australia's first women's sports bar built by fans, for fans... The Ladies League: Australia's first women's sport bar, on Oxford Street, a minute's walk from Taylor Square. Studies show that women's sport receive 12-15% media coverage, bar is rectifying imbalance. www.abc.net.au/news/2024-08...

World’s largest heat pump to warm homes in Finland... It will supply 200 GWh annually and save 26,000T of emissions in Helsinki. Keeping 30,000 homes warm, while reducing carbon emissions, and operate at as low as -4F(-20C), powered by renewable energy. interestingengineering.com/energy/world...

New 'platelet score' being used to gauge risk of stroke, heart attack... Experimental genetic test can gauge a person's risk of developing potentially deadly clots. Test assesses whether platelets are "hyperreactive," and prone to abnormal clotting that blocks arteries. www.upi.com/Health_News/...

Nigerian Teen Invents Glasses To Help Visually-Impaired Walk Safely... Khalifa Aminu, an 18-year-old from Nigeria, created revolutionary glasses to help visually impaired people. The sensory glasses can help those with sight issues walk safely by themselves. www.blackenterprise.com/nigerian-tee...

Eight ways to stay happy... Contentment doesn't just happen. We can change to coax more of it. Here are tips: •Embrace friendship •Practice "confelicity" •Volunteer •Connect with ancestors •Write lists •Look forward to activities •Do nothing •Don't drink too much caffeine www.bbc.com/future/artic...

YouTube is limiting videos about weight and appearance for teens... Aiming to prevent young users from falling into harmful content pipelines. Adjusting its algorithm to restrict videos showing aggression and physical appearances being promoted to teenagers. www.theverge.com/2024/9/5/242...

The 'Galápagos of Argentina' Has a New Park With 60 Islands and Islets—and It's Teeming With Marine Life... The new Patagonia Azul Provincial Park is in one of the most wildlife-rich corners of the South Atlantic Ocean, nicknamed “the Galápagos of Argentina.” www.travelandleisure.com/patagonia-az...

Decline in teen drug use continues, surprising experts... Teen drug use continues falling, a decline spurred by the pandemic that experts expected to reverse once acute phase ended. Factors that contribute to lowered substance use will continue to be investigated. arstechnica.com/health/2024/...

Low emission zones are successful in cutting air pollution... Belgium finds improvement in air quality after launch of traffic measures in Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent. The benefits of these zones far outweigh inconveniences, especially if it leads to clean air. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Amtrak’s high-speed electric trains are coming... Designed to be a better ride than existing trains, and are quieter and designed to minimize vibration. They weigh less and are more aerodynamic; old trains are electric, but new ones use less electricity to run. www.fastcompany.com/91242054/amt...

Are China's swap stations the future of electric cars?... China has been trialling battery swaps for electric cars. Battery swapping – which means changing out depleted (EV) batteries for recharged one. Are China's swap stations the future of electric cars? www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

Solar power is shattering global records... Solar has been gaining popularity for years now. A staggering 428 gigawatts’ worth of solar was installed worldwide. That’s more than double the industry’s recent growth rates. www.canarymedia.com/articles/sol...

Crisis Survivors in Australia Are Rebuilding Their Wardrobes in Style... Instead of clothes in landfills, Thread Together turns them into wardrobes for those in need. There’s something with new clothes offering a boost of confidence to those at their lowest. reasonstobecheerful.world/thread-toget...

At 99, David Attenborough shares strongest message for the ocean... Sir David is telling a story like never before because Ocean - a feature-length film - is not just a love-letter to the planet’s support system but a direct call to arms to protect it. oceanographicmagazine.com/news/at-99-d...

Spain introduces bill to combat online disinformation... Bill will demand platforms to publicly correct false information. Bill extends a requirement to publish corrections to posts by platforms and influencers. Law replaces legislation from 1984. www.theguardian.com/world/2024/d...

These Are the Happiest Cities in the World for 2025... The Happy City Index ranks 200 cities across 82 metrics that add up to a global happiness quotient—these cities made the cut. With New York City and Minneapolis only U.S. cities making the list. www.cntraveler.com/story/these-...

Colorado’s cash-for-gas-guzzlers program is a lot more popular than expected... Colorado launched a program to offer lower-income drivers discounts on electric vehicles in exchange for their old gas- or diesel-powered cars. So far, it’s working better than expected. www.cpr.org/2024/09/04/c...

As Trump pushes public land sale, advocates rally... As it gains traction, most Americans, regardless of political beliefs remain united in their love for public lands, especially the west. Forcing Republicans to break with party, setting the stage for political alliance. www.hcn.org/articles/as-...

World's largest laptop company will help you fix your computer from home — or pay you to recycle it... Lenovo, which makes ThinkPad, is hearing consumer demand for sustainable tech. Partnered with company iFixit to increase the repairability of its ThinkPads. www.thecooldown.com/green-busine...

Could ‘motionless’ turbines solve wind noise and wildlife problems?... Described as ‘breakthrough scalable renewable energy solution.’ Motionless wind designs are quiet and safer for birds. Prototype being trialled on roof of BMW’s MINI manufacturing plant in Oxford. www.euronews.com/green/2024/0...

Form Energy set to build world’s biggest battery in Maine... DOE grant money to construct a massive iron-air battery intended to help the New England grid. Money will support terminals to collect power from offshore wind farms and distribute it across the region. www.canarymedia.com/articles/lon...

Homeowner Associations Can’t Ban Native Plants, Thanks to Illinois Law... HOAs have prohibitions against native plants–arguing: They’re tall, weedy, and attract rodents. Illinois state legislature passed a new law baning the bans. HOAs can no longer bar native gardens. news.wttw.com/2024/08/27/h...

USDA goes after ‘greenwashing’ in new guidance for meat labeling... FSIS study reveals 20% of meat products labeled “raised without antibiotics” tested positive for residue. Regulators urge companies claiming environmental/animal welfare claims show evidence on labels. www.eenews.net/articles/usd...

‘Better than medication’: prescribing nature works, project shows... Major scheme helping people in England connect with nature led to big improvements. Prescribing of activities in nature to tackle mental health has benefited thousands across England. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

FDA approves automated insulin system for Type 2 diabetes... FDA approves Insulet's Omnipod 5 automated insulin system. The interoperable automated glycemic controller is software that automatically adjusts insulin by connecting to a pump. www.upi.com/Health_News/...

Donating a kidney is safer than ever... Advances in care, and careful donor selection, have improved the odds. Nearly 90,000 are waiting for transplants in the U.S., with average wait time five years. Kidneys are the most common transplant, with 27,000 annually. www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...

Women Plumbers in Jordan Are Breaking Taboos... For hundreds of women, this career in male-dominated field provides life-changing independence. Over 20 years, various training for women in Jordan offer skills in installing water-saving devices to plumbing. reasonstobecheerful.world/women-plumbe...

'Meadowscaping': Turning lawns into meadows... Turning traditional lawn into a meadow, is a burgeoning trend, especially among younger generations more climate-aware. Meadows are less expensive to maintain, require less water, and encourage biodiversity and pollinators. www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...