As I share this June’s “Good News, Planet Earth!” with my environmental focus, I’d like to also appreciate the progress that was made by the Black Lives Matter movement in this month. The awareness spread around the world was unprecedented, and while there is still SO much more change that is needed for equality and justice, my hope is that this awareness will continue to grow in order to bring more good news to black communities in the months and years to come.

These stories are all about saving lives. Whether it be saving human lives or saving biodiversity, it’s all connected and together will bring more wellbeing to this planet’s many beings.

Historic Deal to Protect Millions of Monarch Butterfly Habitat Acres is Unprecedented

By Andy Corbley – Jun 3, 2020

• 45 companies, along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, formed a new partnership and created a program to protect habitats and migration passageways for monarch butterflies and other pollinators that are vital to the health of our planet

• Farmers, landowners, energy providers and transportation companies, to name a few, will be working together to reduce or remove any threats, create new habitats, and maintain existing habitats annually

• This historic deal will involve an estimated 2.3 million acres of roadsides and other utility lands

This Good News is a huge win for environmental health and a great example of different individuals and companies all coming together to support and protect the planet for the wellbeing of life.

New Website “Pandemic of Love” Connects 132,000 People in Need of Aid With Those Who Can Help

By Michael Goonan – Jun 15, 2020

• Mindfulness teacher Shelly Tygielski started an online grassroots movement in her local community to create connections between those struggling from the pandemic and those who wanted to help

• Shelly wanted to turn the fearful environment into an opportunity to create community and strengthen the bonds of love between us

• People all over the world were inspired by her compassion and set up their own online exchanges through her website, Pandemic of Love

• This movement has now raised millions of dollars for hundreds of thousands of people in need all around the world

This Good News is a great example of how one person’s idea and action can have a ripple effect across the entire planet, improving the lives of so many through the love and generosity of people all over our world.

Tiny Forests Are Springing Up All Around Europe, Inspired By Japan, to Help Restore Biodiversity

By Andy Corbley – Jun 20, 2020

• Volunteers are growing tiny biodiverse forests in small areas within their cities by planting densely-packed seedling clusters from native plants to create small functional ecosystems that restore soil, protect water, improve air quality, and act as hotspots for biodiversity

• These tiny forests favor the cooperation between species, capturing more CO2 and allowing trees and plants to grow up to 10 times faster and possess up to 20 times more biodiversity

• In the 1970s, botanist Akira Miyawaki pioneered this method to restore indigenous forests in Asia, creating over 1,700 forests, 96.7% of which grew into resilient ecosystems within a decade

• Now, hundreds of these tiny forests are being grown all over the world to improve environmental health

This Good News gives hope that we can revive biodiversity in urban areas by using proven methods to grow highly efficient mini-ecosystems in areas that need them most, and together these forests will have a massively positive impact on the health of our planet.

They Recycle Electronics – And People’s Lives – By Giving Ex-Felons Good Jobs to Imagine a Better World

By Good News Network – Jun 15, 2020

• RecycleForce provides training, support, housing, and job opportunities to those who have fallen victim to the criminal justice system and struggle to find this support and opportunity elsewhere

• Brightmark is on a mission to re-imagine waste and partnered with RecycleForce to recycle electronics and plastics so that they aren’t wasted in landfills or the environment

• With this opportunity, only 23% of those working with RecycleForce re-offend, compared to the 60-75% average in the United States

This Good News is both a win for the environment, because this work will recycle millions of tons of plastic that otherwise would have been wasted, and for people, since ex-convicts are given a welcoming environment that allows them to support themselves and break free from the system.

EU Plans to Raise $22 Billion Annually to Protect 30% of Land and Oceans for Biodiversity

By Andy Corbley – Jun 1, 2020

• The European Commission made a concrete pledge to dedicate 30% of Europe’s oceans and land as protected areas by 2030

• They plan to raise $22 billion every year for a decade to restore damaged ecosystems, change agricultural land to support pollinators and wildlife, grow greenery in cities, reduce pollution, enhance organic biodiverse farming, and improve forest health through the implementation of stricter protections and restoration projects

This Good News is an example of how, now more than ever before, large-scale projects with massive amounts of money are beginning to focus on making changes that will significantly improve the health of our world.