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The votes are in...

🗳️ Following a campaign focused on affordability and issues like housing and child care, Zohran Mamdani was elected mayor of New York City, making history as the city’s first-ever Muslim mayor. The election also saw historic turnout, with more than 2 million New Yorkers participating for the first time since 1969.

🗳️ In Virginia, Abigail Spanberger was elected governor, making history as the first-ever woman to lead the commonwealth. Her campaign also emphasized affordability and economic issues.

Clean energy

Connecticut and Maine are teaming up to fast-track renewables, helping more projects qualify for expiring federal incentives

​Maine and Connecticut are collaborating to build renewable energy projects faster, as states with ambitious emissions reduction goals rush to take advantage of expiring federal tax credits. It could lead to a model for others to follow, too.

The two states are both working to get all their power from clean energy sources by 2040, and have been quickly looking for new ways to get projects underway.

Connecticut put out a request for proposals for solar and onshore wind projects in September, which included a provision to allow other states to participate. Maine took them up on it with the hope that by pooling demand and sharing information, both would have more efficient and viable projects at lower prices for residents.

Why is this good news? States have eight more months to take advantage of federal tax incentives on renewable energy projects included in the Inflation Reduction Act, which spurred massive investment in clean energy. The Trump administration is phasing those incentives out — states working together could help more projects meet the deadline.

→ Read more​

More Good News

​Finland “rewilded” some of its preschools, and it’s had incredible health benefits for children. The experiment was part of a growing body of research linking two layers of biodiversity, going deeper into existing knowledge that access to outdoor space is important for children and their development.

​A police chief in Colorado is pushing back against ICE following an altercation with a protester. (Gifted link) The state’s law enforcement office is investigating an incident where an immigration agent appears to put a protester into what the chief saw as a chokehold and then threw her down an embankment.

​Inspired by spiders, biologists are creating artificial webs to capture airborne DNA and monitor biodiversity. With the global crisis of diminishing biological diversity challenging scientists’ ability to monitor changes in ecosystems, this new technique aims to capture airborne DNA on a commercial scale to capture signals of land-based biodiversity.

​A couple in Salt Lake City builds and distributes beds to their neighbors in need. Together with a team of volunteers, Laura Potts and Andrew Heaton opened a local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, whose goal is to ensure no child sleeps on the floor.

​Canada introduced a new gravity battery that could power tall buildings using an elevator-style energy storage system. The system harnesses the energy generated by solar panels and wind turbines to lift a heavy mass within a shaft during the charging phase. This stored potential energy is then released to rotate an electric generator during discharge.

Technology

Tired of AI slop? Here are 5 ways artificial intelligence is actually being used for good

→ Read more​

People doing good

A Miami man has cleared over 35,000 pounds of trash from the city’s mangroves

At least once a week, you can find Andrew Otazo in the thick of Miami’s mangroves. To date, he’s hauled more than 17 tons of trash out, mostly from the islands around Biscayne Bay.

He’s aiming to clean up as much as he can, but also to convince his neighbors to demand their elected officials take action to curb plastic pollution and improve outdated waste systems that result in street trash ending up in these ​critical ecosystems.

He says if it’s only up to him, “we’re doomed,” but if his work can help other people see the problem, “and they agree we need to work toward a solution, that’s the idea.”

→ Read more (Gifted link)

Good Quote

→ Read the full victory speech (Gifted link)

More Good bits

🐺 AI is always listening … to help save wolves.

💕 Ms. Rachel wears her heart on her dress. (Reels)

📱 Messaging apps are life-saving in war times.

🥘 Let’s keep this kindness thing going. (TikTok)

🦽 Humans are so, so good. (TikTok)

What’s good?

I was so excited to see the news that NYC saw historic voter turnout — it’s so important to have your voice represented in your vote!

Which good news story encouraged you most today?

Reply to this email and let me know!

— Megan