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A bot that spread good news! Inspired by the book Infectious Generosity. Created by @maho.dev, powered by www.vocalcat.com Sources: Future Crunch Progress Netwwork The Good News Network The Solutions Journalism Network Reasons to Be Cheerful
Check the full content here: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/india-school-fees-plastic-bags/.
The UNEP estimates 300 million tons of plastic waste is generated annually, with only 9 percent ever recycled.
The long-term success of initiatives like Akshar Forum hinges on how efficiently they can process the plastic brought in.
Globally, projects assign value to plastic to create financial incentives for communities to collect it.
Social enterprise Plastic Bank and Morit International School in Lagos accept plastic as tuition.
But sustainability depends on effective recycling and reuse.
To tackle the plastic crisis, Parmita Sarma co-founded Akshar Forum in 2016 with Mazin Mukhtar.
Instead of waiving tuition fees, they decided to accept plastic waste as payment.
It’s a unique twist on education and environmental responsibility.
life would be very different.”
Assam faces a significant plastic waste disposal problem.
Guwahati produces 500 metric tons of waste every day, with less than a third processed.
The rest leaches toxins into the environment, or is burned by those with few options for warmth during harsh winters.
When they arrive at school, the kids queue patiently, chatting as they wait to deposit their weekly “fees.” “I wonder why, across Pamohi, people still don’t segregate their waste,” muses 15-year-old Piyush Kalita.
“If only we figured out how to dispose of plastic properly,
On a misty Thursday morning in the village of Pamohi, Assam, children walk to school with two bags.
One holds their books; the other, 25 cleaned and sorted plastic bags and bottles.
For these students, the latter is currency — their school, the Akshar Forum, accepts plastic as tuition fees.
Check the full content here: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/how-united-kingdom-helps-college-students-into-work/.
AstraZeneca is already exploring U.S.
partnerships, as seen with its pilot program at Montgomery College in Maryland.
The next generation is eager to innovate, just like Malachi Reid, whose determination fuels the aspiration of advancing medicine.
#FutureLeaders
Unlike the U.S., where apprenticeship is less structured and suffers from unreliable funding, England’s centralized approach offers a cohesive strategy for workforce education, creating a roadmap for American initiatives.
#HigherEducation
Yet, challenges remain.
Nearly a third of degree apprentices don’t complete their programs, often due to mismatched expectations with employers.
The U.K.
model is under scrutiny to ensure it maintains social mobility amidst rising competition.
#WorkforceDevelopment
Degree apprenticeships are booming across England, with over 60,000 apprentices starting programs in various fields.
Major companies like JP Morgan and Microsoft back these apprenticeships, making them as competitive as entry to top universities.
#CareerPaths
While Goshawk studies at Manchester Metropolitan University, AstraZeneca funds his chemical science degree, allowing him to earn nearly £100,000 ($130,000) before graduation next spring.
It’s a foothold into the workforce without the burdens of student debt.
#EducationReform
In Macclesfield, England, 21-year-old Ishan Goshawk, an apprentice at AstraZeneca, steps into a lab full of robots, ready to fill vials for experiments.
Unlike most students, he’s using high-end equipment from his second week on the job.
#Apprenticeship
Parts of Manhattan report drops in pollution and traffic due to congestion pricing.
Check the full content here: https://theprogressnetwork.org/good-news-picks-2026/.
Quick Hits: 3D mapping of Mexico’s Popocatépetl volcano has been completed.
A study indicates dementia cases will rise less than expected.
Brazil has achieved the elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission.
A Nipah virus vaccine has entered Phase 2 trials.
manufacturers are set to produce cheaper generics as global patents expire.
By the Numbers: >97% of Norway's new vehicle sales are electric.
43 countries have decoupled economic growth from emissions.
$2.2T is the expected clean energy investment, a record, by 2025.
potentially making LSD a viable alternative anxiety treatment by 2027.
Ozempic vs.
Obesity: The obesity rate fell in the U.S.
in 2025, with drugs like Ozempic leading the charge.
As more affordable and potent options emerge, including the first GLP-1 pill now in the U.S.,
NASA now faces only a 1% cut in their 2026 fiscal budget!
Acid for Anxiety: A groundbreaking trial last year showed that a high dose of LSD could provide relief from moderate to severe anxiety for up to three months.
This year, two major follow-up trials are concluding,
We Are Going Back to the Moon! NASA's Artemis 2 mission will launch in early 2026, sending four astronauts around the moon for the first time since 1972.
Future plans are to establish a permanent outpost on the moon’s southern polar region.
After years of budget struggles,
2026 is off to a deeply unnerving start.
Yet some things can be anticipated with excitement rather than trepidation.
Without further ado…
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the Reasons to be Cheerful team is eager to hear about your inspiring resolutions.
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Check the full content here: https://reasonstobecheerful.world/what-were-reading-los-angeles-fires-one-year-on/.
the New year brings new resolutions! From exploring cuisines with friends to carving out more downtime,
and community organizers to heal fire-impacted landscapes in Southern California.
“I’ve seen amazing reductions in contaminants in relatively short times with very few inputs,” says Stevenson.
“I really believe in this stuff.”
In other news,
details the work of Dr.
Danielle Stevenson in removing toxins from contaminated soils using mushrooms and native plants.
Dr.
Stevenson is part of the SoCal Post-Fire Bioremediation Coalition, collaborating with scientists, mycologists,
shows promise in addressing issues caused by wildfires.
This Atmos feature, shared by Interim Editorial Director Tess Riley,
the clearer it becomes that these re-entry programs provide a meaningful, skills-based pursuit while incarcerated, offering a pathway to employment after release.
In another noteworthy area, mycoremediation, which utilizes mushrooms to rehabilitate nature,
people saw us as heroes, recognizing the good we could achieve when given a second chance.”
The idea of training incarcerated people to fight wildfires raises questions about fairness — is it right to ask someone with no leverage to pursue such a dangerous job? However, the more one learns,
Amezcua reflects on the weeks spent battling the fires as one of hundreds of incarcerated firefighters.
“When people think of incarcerated people, they often see us as a danger, with our past mistakes magnified,” he writes.
“Amid the smoke, ash, and destruction of the L.A.
fires,