Streets were for people, then cars took over and ruined cities. For the last hundred years cities transformed themselves from walkable places to sprawling buildings which were designed for heavy car use. Now, cities have seen how that’s a mistake. A design firm, Urb-i, has used Google street view to
Continue readingAuthor: Adam Clare
Things Are Good: Sucking Diesel Fuel From Thin Air
We’ve polluted so much that there are now companies that think there is profit to be made by sucking CO2 from the air. How they make money is by reselling the CO2 to make carbonation for soft drinks, or strangely, to make diesel fuel. What a world! German company Sunfire
Continue readingThings Are Good: India Drastically Reduces Deaths from Tetanus
India has an amazingly large population and I can only imagine the challenges with delivering health care to that many people. India has it somewhat figure out and they keep getting better at it. Recently the country has reduced the number of deaths from tetanus to an all time low
Continue readingThings Are Good: Rethinking Addiction
Johann Hari wanted to find out why people get addicted to drugs and ended up making some startling conclusions. Yet, not surprisingly, all the war on drugs policies countries have implemented have only increased the addiction problem. Addiction is more complex to solve than just hurting the people who use
Continue readingThings Are Good: How To Stop An Oil And Gas Pipeline: The Unist’ot’en Camp Resistance
The Unist’ot’en people have been fighting the deplorable people at TransCanada, Enbridge, and other companies who are trying to increase their capability to destroy the environment. The Unist’ot’en camp began in 2010 and has grown since to blockade the land from corporate tools trying to get pipelines through the area.
Continue readingThings Are Good: Germs Are Everywhere, Don’t Worry About it
Recently, a study by Weill Cornell Medical College found that the New York City subway is filled to the brim with germs. They are plentiful and easily get on you, but don’t worry. Most of the germs are good for you and the rest are more or less harmless. Over
Continue readingThings Are Good: You’re an Environmentalist?
In some parts of the world it seems that caring about the world around is what nerds do. Corey got sick of this attitude against environmentalists that they did something about it – published a post on Medium. It’s a quick read to reinvigorate your caring for the environment. Don’t
Continue readingThings Are Good: The Future of Green Burials Lies in the Past
The modern funeral industry took something that was natural and safe and converted it into a toxic-filled death. When people die we need to dispose of the body in an appropriate way to ensure diseases don’t spread, human civilizations have been doing this for millennia. However, in the past hundred
Continue readingThings Are Good: Look at Nature and be More Productive
Go ahead and let your gaze look out that window while you work. If you get caught, tell your boss that you’re just getting ready to be more productive! The challenge: Can looking at nature—even just a scenic screen saver—really improve your focus? How much can 40 seconds of staring
Continue readingThings Are Good: It’s OK, Envy Your Neighbour
Despite what a really old book may imply, envy can be OK. In english the word envy seems to mean one thing but in other languages envy has multiple meanings and thus when thinking about envy we require more nuance. Sure enough, modern thinkers point out that we need to
Continue readingThings Are Good: Artists Bring Peace to the Streets
Street art about peace is getting special attention in London these next few weeks. Artists from all over the world are going to explore the idea of ‘peace in our streets’ and what it means to them. It looks like it’ll be a great exhibit. If you’re in London you
Continue readingThings Are Good: Read This Book: The Optimistic Environmentalist
The Optimistic Environmentalist is a new book by environmental lawyer Dr. David R. Boyd. Much like this website, the book is also about taking a positive look on the otherwise endless onslaught of bad news we get in the mainstream media. David has worked in environmental law for many years,
Continue readingThings Are Good: Forget Burning Man, Go To Ephemerisle
Ephemerisle is a libertarian Burning Man on the ocean. It’s goal is like Burning Man’s insofar that it exists to explore new ideas while throwing a big party. Ephemerisle is really trying to figure out how people can survive on the ocean for an extended period of time while finding
Continue readingThings Are Good: Other People’s Poop May Make You Happy
OK, that headline is bit out there but stay with me. Poop transplants are proving super effective against a bunch of problems some people have with their bodies. Now there’s a field of research looking into why this works and how it can be used to impact our emotions. Until
Continue readingThings Are Good: Watch Naomi Klein Talk About Capitalism
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre Lecture presented by the Vancouver Institute. Webcast sponsored by the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Naomi Klein is the author of the critically acclaimed #1 international bestsellers, The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism and No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies which
Continue readingThings Are Good: Victims of Kodaikanal Mercury Poisoning Protest Unilever
One of the worst disasters in India since the Bhopal incident, the Kodaikanal mercury poisoning continues to cause harm. Obviously this is not a good thing. What is good is that activists in the area are using every tool at their disposal to raise awareness and call for a boycott
Continue readingThings Are Good: Iceland Wants to Help Journalists Expose Real Threats
Iceland continues on it’s quest to be the ‘Switzerland of data‘ and is extending its program to do so for journalists. Part of the country’s plan to become a haven for people exposing the immoral and questionable behaviour of powerful people is already in action. Iceland is quickly achieving its
Continue readingThings Are Good: Enter an Endangered Animal and Learn of Their Plight
Artist Evelyn Roth is using classroom sized animals to spread the word about endangered animals. She has created bright and cheerful looking versions of animals that are endangered to provide a pop-up space for kids to learn all about these animals. Her work is presently travelling the world and educating
Continue readingThings Are Good: Eating Less Meat is Getting More Popular
Having a vegetarian or vegan diet can be difficult for some people even though such a diet can make you happier than meat eaters. The message that eating less meat is being heard though – the benefits of a reduced meat diet are huge. By eating less meat you can:
Continue readingThings Are Good: Finally Americans Are Eating Less
The obesity problem in the USA may start to shrink. After years of constantly increasing they caloric intake Americans seem to be getting the message that eating too much can be bad for you. This is the first year that caloric intake has decreased and hopefully it’s a trend of
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