Only Good News: 20 News Stories to Quench Your Soul
Let’s face it. There has been a lot of bad news in 2020. Whenever you turn on the TV, read the paper, or scroll through social media, you get bombarded with negativity. At Waterfull, we figured you may need a break from all the bad news. That’s why we are dedicating this month’s newsletter to only sharing good news. We’ve rounded up 20 uplifting stories about how people are making our world a better, kinder place.
Hydropanels Create More Than 40,000 Liters of Clean Water in the Philippines
Binta’t Karis is located on the highest point in the Philippines, which makes it extremely difficult for the community to access clean water. SOURCE Hydropanels, powered by sunshine alone, will create more than 40,000 liters of clean water every year, with millions of plastic water bottles being offset. Read more
Solidarity Batman is Helping the Homeless in Chile During COVID
In Santiago, Chile, a man is dressing up in a Batman costume and delivering hot meals to the city’s homeless. As the self-proclaimed Solidarity Batman, he aims to uplift the community spirits and show that we are all in this together. Read more
Their Love for Origami Funded 170 Water Projects in 17 Countries
Two teen girls created the nonprofit, Paper for Water, which is dedicated to funding water projects around the world through making and selling their origami. They started their project in 2012 and have managed to raise more than $1.5 million in water project funding. Read more
Pup Separated Worlds Apart Reunited with Family
Pipsqueak the dachshund is a four-legged member of an Australian family who sails around the world. Unfortunately, the family was in the United States and had to hurry back to Australia when the coronavirus hit, and Pipsqueak was not able to journey home with them. Pipsqueak was finally reunited with her family after staying with a dog lover in the U.S. for 136 days. Read more
Two Beluga Whales Finally Swim in the Open Sea After Being Rescued
Two Beluga Whales were held captive at Changfeng Ocean World, Shanghai, and traveled 6,000 miles by land, sea, and air to finally be released in an open-water sanctuary located in the Westman Islands off Iceland’s southern coast. Read more
Miracle Malfunction at Lindt Factory Results in Chocolate Snowflakes
The residents of the town of Olten, Switzerland were in for a sweet surprise when a malfunction at the Lindt Factory resulted in a dusting of fine cocoa powder. The company offered to pay for cleaning costs, but no one has taken them up on the offer. Instead, the townspeople enjoyed the tasty surprise. Read more
A Forest in the Middle of a Desert All Because of Recycled Sewage Water
Scientists have used a program to decrease desertification by creating sustainable forests using wastewater. The 500-mile forest is feed and sustained by the sewage produced by the 400,000 people in a nearby city. Read more
Gene Therapy Helps Young Boy See Stars for the First Time
An 8-year-old boy who was diagnosed with the rare disorder retinitis pigmentosa, which causes progressive blindness, underwent gene therapy. Within a matter of weeks, the young boy’s vision improved, and he was able to see stars for the first time. Read more
5-Year Drought Ends with Introduction of Solar-Powered Saltwater Plant
A new solar-powered desalination plant in Kenya has ended a 5-year drought and is providing clean drinking water for over 35,000 people daily. Read more
Athlete Carries Disabled Friend Piggyback Up Mt. Olympus
Marios Giannakou, an avid long-distance runner and climber, heard that a friend wanted to see the top of Mt. Olympus. The only problem was that she was disabled. Giannakou didn’t think that should prevent her, so he used a modified backpack to carry her to the top. Read more
Strangers Have Spontaneous Water Gun Fights to Beat the Heat
During a heat streak in Richmond, Virginia, some college students decided to take water guns to the street and challenge strangers to a water gun fight. Many strangers joined in the #WaterGunChallenge and videos of the fun quickly gained attention online. Read more
Teen’s Good Deed Repaid in a Huge Way
When a frazzled mom forgot her purse and didn’t have money to pay for her children’s meals at McDonald’s, the teenager who rang her up paid for the meals. Later that evening, the mom returned to pay, and the teenager insisted the meal was on him. Taken by how kind the teen was, the mom wrote a Facebook post and a Go Fund Me account to raise a little something for the kind teenager. It raised $32,000. Read more
Woman Uses a Traffic Cone to Clear Flooded NY Expressway
A 50-year-old woman took it upon herself to do something when she and other drivers came upon a flooded Long Island Expressway with no way to get past. She used a traffic cone to the expressway drains. Read more
Toddler Obsessed with Garbage Trucks Gets His Own Parade
Birthday parades became popular during COVID-19 quarantines, but one parade was extra special. A garbage truck obsessed toddler befriended two trash collectors. These men surprised the toddler with a giant parade of garbage trucks on his special day. Read more
Man Goes House to House to Stop Water Pollution
A 26-year-old man in India was disheartened by the water pollution in his local waterways. So much so that he started going door to door to teach others about water pollution and recruit others to help in his cause. So far, he has revived 10 polluted lakes. Read more
Meet the Glitter Unicorn Hero with a Prosthetic Arm
A 14-year-old with a prosthetic arm found a way to shower the world with glitter by using a 3-D printer to create a glitter shooting unicorn horned shaped prosthetic arm. Her arm has inspired people with disabilities all over the world. Read more
Singapore Planting 1 Million Trees
With hopes to restore Singapore’s mangrove forest ecosystem, they are planting 1 million trees. These trees will protect several species of wildlife. Plus, the nation is striving for a park within 10 minutes of every Singapore citizen. Read more
Bullied Elementary Student Creates Huge Food Pantry for the Community
A bullied 7-year-old chose to rise above by collecting donations to help others rather than himself. He started by making care packages for elderly neighbors, but he received so many donations that he started a food pantry. He eventually gathered enough donations to fill a 53-foot semi-truck more than once. Read more
COVID-19 Lockdowns Helped Scientists Study the Earth
One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that the lockdowns allowed scientists to hear the earth in a new way – all the background seismic noise went away. This allowed scientists to learn more about the Earth’s crust. Read more
Little Free Pantries are Popping Up All Over the U.S.
When grocery shortages and job losses affected many across America, people found a neat way to meet needs with Little Free Pantries. These wooden structures hold essentials with the idea to take what you and give what you can. Smaller than a traditional food pantry, a Little Free Pantry holds just a few things that people may need and struggle to find, such as hand sanitizer. Read more
Barrel Feature: Have Waterfull Barrel Peace of Mind
The Waterfull Barrel hooks up to your outdoor faucet to stay full as it recirculates with use. If a disaster ever happens, you can rest easy knowing you have drinkable water for you and your family.
Disaster News: Listen to Mr. Rogers
Photo: PBS Press Room
The next time you face a disaster or simply feel overwhelmed by bad news, remember what Mr. Rogers said.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world.”
DIY: Little Free Pantry + Random Acts of Kindness
Photo: https://nj1015.com/local-eagle-scouts-free-little-pantry-helps-people-in-need/
Starting in 2016, individuals, families, and community organizations started building Little Free Pantries to provide food and essentials to those in need. Generally, a Little Free Pantry is a 3×3 wooden box structure with a roof and door that holds a few basic essentials for neighbors to take when in need. Little Free Pantries appear in front yards by mailboxes, neighborhood parks, churches, and more. If you want to build a Little Free Pantry, see the official building plans.
The good news is you don’t have to build a Little Free Pantry to support one. Find one in your community using their online map and help keep it stocked. Here is a list of items to place inside a Little Free Pantry in your community:
- Canned meats
- Protein bars
- Canned vegetables
- Canned fruit
- Dried fruit
- Baby food
- Pasta
- Rice
- Beans
- Cereal bars
- Granola
- Crackers
- Trail Mix
- Pretzels
- Soups
- Mac and Cheese
- Water bottles
- Juice boxes
- Dog/cat food
- Ponchos
- Baby wipes & diapers
- Deodorant
- Toothpaste
- Shampoo & Conditioner
- Hand Sanitizer
- First aid supplies
- Toilet Paper
Want to do some more good in your neighborhood? Check out this list of 35 kind acts you could perform for neighbors from Zillow.