Happinewss

11/04/2021

Fruits, not fries; the Chilean war on sugar- here are some solutions stories on fighting obesity - https://mailchi.mp/398a06826cae/healthcare-access-virtual-counselling-vaccine-distribution-and-more-5009350

Child obesity is decreasing even among poor children. Making healthy food more widely available, as well as using financial incentive programs, has greatly helped in increasing habits of healthy eating. 

04/04/2021

Cash cards for Syrian refugees, a taste of home- here are some solutions stories on minimising the challenges of being a refugee - https://mailchi.mp/8b7c98fe1d50/healthcare-access-virtual-counselling-vaccine-distribution-and-more-5007538

Airbnb hosts are offering free short-term rentals to refugees. The option, called Open House, has attracted new hosts to the Airbnb platform and has given refugee families independence, privacy, and a sense of home while they find more permanent housing.

28/03/2021

Reusing banana waste, consuming food waste for the planet- here are some solutions stories on combatting food wastage - https://mailchi.mp/1c9688575eac/healthcare-access-virtual-counselling-vaccine-distribution-and-more-4746373

A Ugandan company called TEXFAD is taking the stems from banana trees that would normally go to waste and is turning them into new textiles like rugs, place mats, and hair extensions. Over its eight year existence, TEXFAD has grown to also employ 23 people, many of whom started in their internship p...

21/03/2021

Switching fishing gear saved birds, Native Americans restore beaver populations- here are some solutions stories on combatting biodiversity loss - https://mailchi.mp/6b51dfe3b42f/healthcare-access-virtual-counselling-vaccine-distribution-and-more-4744897

A unique partnership between the U.S. military, conservation groups, private landowners, and state and local governments has allowed the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker to grow in numbers. By working together, they’ve been able to protect the forests near military bases where these birds live. ...

14/03/2021

Buddy Benches and a Lonely Hearts Club- how the world is combatting loneliness - https://mailchi.mp/83336b42f0ca/healthcare-access-virtual-counselling-vaccine-distribution-and-more-4743557

Lonely Conservationists, an online forum that unites conservationists from around the world, has more than 2,500 members and 55 posts by conservationists who share their experiences of being exhausted, undervalued, underpaid, and isolated. Many members struggle with their mental health and the onlin...

07/03/2021

An Indian Stammer Association and Accessible Video Games- how the world is become more inclusive - https://mailchi.mp/f0935f0b23a4/healthcare-access-virtual-counselling-vaccine-distribution-and-more-4742385

Making the video game industry more inclusive means allowing a broader segment of the population to experience a popular and important aspect of recreation by implementing features that add in various accessibility features. Specific, accessibility consultants work with game developers to add in the...

28/02/2021

Bullying: how to report hate crime, teaching integrity in sports, and more - https://mailchi.mp/a0d3424677b5/healthcare-access-virtual-counselling-vaccine-distribution-and-more-4741129

Responding to growing attacks on Asian Americans, based on racist reactions to the pandemic, one young woman self-published a handbook, "How to Report a Hate Crime," in multiple languages. Though limited funding kept its print run small, the booklet found an audience through social media. Then its a...

21/02/2021

Healthcare access- virtual counselling, vaccine distribution and more - https://mailchi.mp/b883dfe8043b/healthcare-access-virtual-counselling-vaccine-distribution-and-more

While many high-income countries have called their spots on the top of the list for receiving vaccinations, the discussions are on for how low- and middle-income countries can also reap the benefits of these vaccines at the earliest. According to González, "the solution may be an advance market com...

04/01/2021

Four journalists experiment with kid-friendly podcast to inform under-12s about the news. - https://mailchi.mp/7f019cbeca0e/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-4725077

“Until recently, children have been a wildly underserved demographic when it comes to age-appropriate news,” says Kelmar, a veteran broadcast journalist who co-founded children’s news podcast KidNuz with fellow reporters and parents Rosemarie Schwarz, Tori Campbell, and Kimberly Hunter. Kelm...

28/12/2020

Fruits of shared labour: the Indian women joining forces for food security - https://mailchi.mp/682dc638843f/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-4724237

“We had sufficient grains and vegetables at home, while others in the village were seeking government support,” says 46-year-old Poongani, one of the widowed Dalit women among the nine members of the Sivanthi Poo farming collective in the village of Thottampatti.

20/12/2020

'A mindset for survival': how to help small businesses survive Covid-19 - https://mailchi.mp/7475beaa26ba/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-4723029

How did enterprise support organisations working in the global South keep small and social businesses up and running in a tumultuous year? Lessons from Ghana, Latin America and beyond. Anna Patton 17th December 2020 Courtesy of Pioneers Post

13/12/2020

Reshaping the approach to neglect and childhood trauma - https://mailchi.mp/52e05d0734c7/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3259569

“As a child, you don’t realize that it is abuse while you are facing a traumatic event as it becomes a natural habit, but it starts to unfold upon reflection”, says an anonymous interviewee, now in her early 40s, who was a victim of domestic hostility in her childhood that has since traumatize...

06/12/2020

Are Solar Panels our Ticket to Clean Energy across the World? - https://mailchi.mp/3f7bcbb5143e/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3256545

Solar panels are a prospect that have been present in a world following fears of fossil fuels becoming a source that will soon become redundant. Clean energy has almost always been a topic that seemed like a priority though never something that could be achievable any time soon. There are a number o...

01/12/2020

How Social Media Influencers are Improving their Followers’ Mental Health - https://mailchi.mp/52e1f2ebf9b3/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3254065

The rapidly growing internet has undoubtedly created a major breakthrough for convenience in today’s society, as services we previously had to work tirelessly for are now a few buttons away. From transportation, to food, to clothing- the list goes on! But, most recently, social media has claimed ...

22/11/2020

Fighting fire with fire: using plastic waste to beat plastic pollution - https://mailchi.mp/e2014bf16968/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3250113

Plastic pollution has become a major global concern. Of all the 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic produced since the 1950s, only 9% has been recycled and the other 91% has either been burned or has accumulated in landfills and in the environment. City authorities around the world are looking for ways to...

15/11/2020

How a small foundation is breaking cycles of poverty - https://mailchi.mp/7fb0f7ed7aac/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3246849

Source: Maria Cristina Foundation Education is a vital aspect of our daily lives, one that fuels our curiosity and drives our knowledge. Yet over 260 million children around the world don't have access to a solid education. This poses a major problem in our world, as a lack of sustained education ca...

08/11/2020

Mind the gap: the digital divide - https://mailchi.mp/22f2ab29085f/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3244317

While many countries are providing solutions suited for their own needs, it is important that global issues like these have global solutions. These can encourage international collaboration to provide low-cost, uniform quality internet services worldwide.  The digital divide is more than just a la...

01/11/2020

Germany rolls out new plan to close gender pay gap - https://mailchi.mp/6ab97aee24c3/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3241173

Germany Introduces the first National Strategy to curb gender inequality in the workforce Article by Anjali Jha, guest contributor at Happinewss   

25/10/2020

Thinking carefully about your next Halloween costume: Cultural Appropriation - https://mailchi.mp/651ad6912039/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3238513

Thinking carefully about your next Halloween costume: Cultural Appropriation Visual story by Leann Qadan and Rithika Abraham Article by Divya Manocha

18/10/2020

What's better than solar energy? Cheap and efficient solar energy - https://mailchi.mp/2e2342b8f21d/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3235941

What's better than Solar Energy? Cheap and Efficient Solar Energy Visual story by Rayan Salloum and Aya Nizameddin Article by Divya Manocha Within the past 4 weeks, I have come across 3 new nature documentaries and films from Greta Thunberg, David Attenborough and Woody Harrelson. If you found t...

11/10/2020

Jack & the Beanstalk: Indoor Plant Sales have Grown in the Pandemic - https://mailchi.mp/423ac3fb2211/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3233229

Jack and the Beanstalk: Indoor Plant Sales Have Grown in the Pandemic by Ritika Jain and Divya Manocha Staying put within four walls has not been easy for a lot of people. A study conducted in mid-July has shown that the mental health of 53% of adults in the US has declined due to stress and anxi...

07/10/2020

Check out some of this week’s wholesome headlines: 

1. With Arctic Sea ice rapidly vanishing as a result of climate change, scientists have been testing unconventional methods to stem the loss - scattering glass powder over Arctic ice to increase its reflectivity! 

Learn more at: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20200923-could-geoengineering-save-the-arctic-sea-ice

Image credits: BBC

2. Lunchtime for students in Beaverton, Oregon, looks a lot different than it did before the pandemic. Instead of the typical cafeteria, the school district has organized free meal pickups!

Find out more about it at: https://www.kxan.com/pass-or-fail/an-oregon-school-districts-unique-approaches-to-keeping-students-fed/?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker

Image credits: KOIN Photo

3. “It’s just nice helping people really, isn’t it?” says self-proclaimed vigilante Omar Terywall, who works to reunite cyclists with their stolen bikes!

Read more at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/sep/19/vigilantes-on-a-mission-to-reunite-owners-with-their-stolen-bikes?utm_source=Solutions+Story+Tracker

Image credits: Keith Heppell

04/10/2020

Black Lives Matter in Hospitals too - https://mailchi.mp/5970ca4ec037/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3230553

The following statistics from 'In These Times' should help you build a better idea of how healthcare in the USA discriminates on the basis of race:

27/09/2020

Mental-health: Telehealth makes healthcare more accessible during COVID-19 - https://mailchi.mp/53f6400c05e8/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3227817

Mentele-health: Telehealth provides access to mental health services in the face of COVID-19  by Divya Manocha  Ever since COVID-19 used the spikes on its membrane to pull the shutter down on social gatherings, our physical interactions have been reduced drastically. Today, because there are fewer...

20/09/2020

Education during COVID-19; new tool for firefighters; new reforms post Breonna Taylor shooting; vet helps peers readjust through video games - https://mailchi.mp/66c2b068e446/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3225345

A glittering example of a non-profit that is not letting coronavirus obstruct learning for students across the UK is the Coronavirus Tutoring Initiative (CTI). Launched on the same day as the British government's announcement of a nationwide closure of schools due the the pandemic, CTI has till ...

13/09/2020

Balloons & Bricks end internet inequality; Comedy Wildlife Photo Competition; Life's an adventure; India's cardboard beds rescue overcrowded hospitals - https://mailchi.mp/3e2373a6a1c4/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3222781

Balloons and Bricks are Solving Internet Inequality. Here's How. by Divya Manocha  The internet has found a seat among the trinity that includes food, water and shelter. Today, it is a means of working, communicating, entertaining, learning and even exercising. What once might have seemed like dist...

06/09/2020

Instruments for all abilities; hotels to housing; seniors use enhanced video calling to call family after months; Unilever promises fossil fuel cuts - https://mailchi.mp/f1ed90c6e2c6/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3220345

It takes three to form a crowd. It takes two to tango. It takes one to feel the joy of playing a musical instrument. Unfortunately, for a long time, this pleasure was only reserved for those who are able to use both their hands to play said instrument. In October 2017, David Nabb walked on to a st...

26/08/2020

Check out some of this week’s wholesome headlines:

(First slide) They never had the computing power to figure it out before. But now, a NASA mission has unlocked some answers around the phenomenon of space auroras and how they form across the galaxy. Find out more about their work at

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/nasa-learns-about-space-auroras-and-how-they-form-over-earth/
Image by: Good News Network

(Second slide) Separated from his mother as a puppy, one lucky pooch by the name of Foxtrot has become a UN refugee camp mascot in a ‘bare bones to milk bones’ story that could bring a smile to any face. Read this beautiful story at:

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/foxtrot-the-dog-un-mascot-at-the-coxs-bazar-refugee-camp/
Image by: Good News Network

(Third slide) If you haven’t yet had enough of cute puppies in this week’s newsletter, learn about how lifelike ‘companion animals’ are now offering the elderly all the feel-good perks of pet ownership, but without the drawbacks:
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/robotic-pets-bring-joy-to-seniors/
Image by: Good News Network

23/08/2020

Angry Birds & Subway Surfers save the planet; NASA finds more on Aurora peal necklace; pup is symbol of hope in Rohingya camp; robot pets for seniors - https://mailchi.mp/1c3f6c2d6de9/free-rides-for-jobs-first-all-female-space-walk-a-shrinking-ozone-layer-3215277

21/08/2020

👤 Grace Nosek is a PhD law student at the University of British Columbia, and she has a particular interest in the intersection between law and climate change.

✅ Grace has already taken many steps to most effectively advance the climate movement. She has written and published three novels in a hopeful climate fantasy series, the Ava of the Gaia trilogy. She is a founding member of the UBC Climate Hub too.

She also created and hosts Planet Potluck, a podcast exploring stories of hope, joy, and community in the climate movement. After telling her own story of finding joy and fulfillment in climate work, Grace interviews the friends she has made through her years as a climate activist—students, professors, organizers, lawyers, activists on the front lines, engineers, and more.

“What emerges is an intimate look at the grief and joy of leaning into the climate fight and the beauty of standing shoulder to shoulder with friends to face an existential threat.“

Read more about amazing Grace Nosek in our sources:
http://planetpotluck.com/about-us/
https://www.trudeaufoundation.ca/member/grace-nosek

Images by: Planet Potluck and UBC Graduate School