1 MILLION people in our community?!

Hey fam,

You read the subject line right. I really can't believe that there are now over 1 million of us across social media platforms.

A couple years ago I started this newsletter & making videos about the things going right in the world to help myself and my friends realize it’s not too late to make a positive difference.

I’ve been quite lucky to have found the most amazing community of inspiring people dedicated to building a better future. Thank you all so much for being here, for reading these stories of progress, for taking action with me, and for believing a better future is possible.

This is still just the beginning. I’m so glad you’re here, and so much more is coming soon…!

Enjoy this week's stories, and have an amazing summer solstice on Saturday (AKA the longest day of the year)!

Friday, June 13 (watch)

📸 Scientists just captured never-before-seen photos of the sun’s south pole from a spacecraft called Solar Orbiter, as they aim to get a better understanding of how our star works to predict space weather and the impact flares and plasma ejection have on Earth (Meghan Bartels|Scientific American)

🧑‍⚖️ 22 young people between 7-25 years old just filed a US lawsuit arguing their constitutional rights are being violated by illegal government overreach, asking to block executive orders that violate citizens, ecosystems, and public health by boosting oil and gas while hindering clean energy (Dharna Noor|The Guardian)

🗺️ Hundreds of thousands of people are a part of a crowdsourced mapping project called the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team or HOT for short that go to vulnerable unmapped regions to create detailed maps to help first responders reach those in need following disasters (Amelia K. Bates|Grist)

👯 Kat Carlson (from our community) is in a weekly good deeds club cleaning trash, gathering supplies for those who need it, and helping local conservation centers.

Monday, June 16 (watch)

🦫 Beavers are officially back in their native Portugal home after 500 years of absence, having naturally come over the Spain border in a big rewilding milestone since the European beaver is a keystone species that plays a vital role in benefitting the ecosystem with their dams (Rewilding Portugal)

📜 The Indigenous Heiltsuk nation in Canada ratified their own constitution after two decades of development, declaring them as the original and rightful stewards of the land, with decision-making shared by elected officials, hereditary leaders, and the nation’s women council (Leyland Cecco|The Guardian)

🪸 A mind blowing bio-ink called SNAP-X developed by scientists from a rocky pink algae makes coral larvae 20 times more likely to settle on surfaces, showing promise for more natural reef restoration that’s inherently more genetically diverse and resilient (Linda Stewart|The Microbiologist)

🏫 salmonandsoup (from our community) is going to school district meetings to demand protections for vulnerable students.

What if every piece of furniture reduced waste and helped those in need… (watch)

Fallen trees and construction debris are transforming into rare tables built by immigrants, formerly incarcerated people, and veterans. 

When three organizations teamed up to figure out how to provide housing and support for women rebuilding their lives after incarceration, they came up with these “Healing Forest Tables”, which reclaim tree and construction waste to upcycle it into functional furniture while providing jobs for people from disadvantaged communities. 

And these are just the first release in a Donation Collection, each of which will dedicate the majority of proceeds towards helping women rebuild their lives after incarceration.

A nonprofit architecture firm focused on ending mass incarceration, a furniture company using salvaged wood as their main material, and a project helping women heal and overcome systems of oppression teamed up to make this happen in another example of how we build a better future together.

This woman is turning thousands of abandoned tents into bags to keep them out of the landfill... (watch)

Deserted tents from musical festivals are getting collected by a woman and turned into stylish bags.

When Lauren Mason volunteered to clean up after a festival, she was blown away by about 80% of the tents just left there to be sent to the landfill.

With 250,000 tents left behind at festivals every year just in the UK, Lauren knew there was a need for someone to do something about it, so she teamed up with her friend Benjamin to start ReTribe.

Taking out a startup loan to keep the project going from the floor of a small factory, pieces are sewed to order and upcycling workshops are taught to fight against overconsumption, focusing on tents since they’re usually made of petroleum-derived materials like nylon and polyester that take hundreds of years to break down.

And despite the uphill battle to give these fabrics a second life, convincing even one person to keep their tent prevents at least 10 meters of fabric from the landfill.

But when Lauren sees her products out there in the world, it keeps her going.

The biggest Indigenous LandBack deal ever in California history just happened... (watch)

The Yurok Tribe had 90% of their ancestral land taken in the 1850’s Gold Rush, when they were attacked by settlers and infected with diseases.

The land transferred to logging companies who tore down trees for commercial timber, but 23 years ago, a plan to acquire the land and transfer it back to the Yurok Tribe began by the Western Rivers Conservancy, and the last transfer just took place bringing the total to 47,097 returned acres.

And with this addition of 73 square miles along the Klamath River, which you may remember recently had the largest dam removal in US history, now more than doubles their land ownership and establishes a new Salmon Sanctuary and Tribal Community Forest.

Migrating fish get a needed refuge, giant redwood trees are permanently protected, and ancient Indigenous wisdom can now return to the land to benefit all the region’s diverse life. 

This win for the largest Tribe in California is really a win for all life on Earth.

What else is going right?

🌞 Rooftop solar, solar farms... and now, floating solar!

🎻 Music made from moth flight data is blowing my mind.

🍱 500,000 more kids from low-income families will now get free school meals in the UK.

🐦 More ways wind turbines can avoid killing birds.

Spread this breath of fresh air🪴

By supporting Climativity, you're helping these good stories reach more people around the world.

Support good news & independent publishing

This newsletter was written by Jacob Simon. Over 1 million people are in our community across Instagram, TikTok, Threads, YouTube, and Bluesky. You can say hi on LinkedIn, or by emailing jacob@jacobsimonsays.com.