18 Good News Stories from 2021
If you get your news from traditional media or algorithm-generated feeds, you’re probably under the impression that there’s nothing but stories about the pandemic, extreme weather events, political division, corruption, violence, and everything else that’s going wrong in the world today. You might get the occasional feel-good story peppered in, but it often feels like an afterthought. If this rings true for you, you’re not alone.
Most news outlets focus on provocative, fear-inducing stories, boosting them to the top of our feeds because they tap into our deep psychological need to feel safer by being better informed about a problem or threat. You have likely experienced the widespread phenomenon popularly referred to as doomscrolling - compulsively reading troubling news articles, trudging through troll-infested comments sections, and losing track of time.
But we’re here to assure you that this type of content only represents one half of the big picture. There are plenty of good news stories about people, governments, non-governmental organizations, and private businesses working to address many of the issues we read about in those tragic news stories, you just have to know where to look. So, to close out this year, we’re highlighting a bunch of stories and milestones of positive change that will warm your heart, give you hope, and inspire you to work towards a brighter future as we step into 2022.
Good News!
The Great Barrier Reef Foundation shared the exciting news that the first IVF coral has officially reproduced on degraded reefs. No less than 22 colonies have grown into mature reefs!
New York City votes to electrify new buildings, ban natural gas
United Airlines logs first-ever commercial flight powered entirely with biofuel
Milan Is Helping People and the Planet With Its Mission To Cut Food Waste in Half
A restauranteur in Bali is feeding the local population by giving rice to those who collect and bring in plastic waste. In his first year, he recycled more than 20,000 tons.
A protected 15 million-acre superhighway has been created near Galapagos to preserve marine life
Humans have 3D printed the first house made of local, raw earth. This remarkable, beautiful, biodegradable structure was inspired by the brilliance of wasps.
Spain joins the UK and Brussels by formally recognizing animals as sentient beings
More than 50 countries commit to the protection of 30% of Earth's land and oceans
Bhutan, Suriname, and Panama are now “carbon-negative,” absorbing more emissions than they produce
The Ocean Cleanup project recovered more than 63,000 lbs of plastic waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Considering this was all during the test phase, we’re pretty impressed and even more grateful.
To keep receiving good news stories throughout the year, check out these positive news outlets below and consider subscribing:
Getting a dose of good news each day gives us inspiration, motivates us, and helps keep our spirits high as we work towards tackling the world’s most pressing issues. By staying current on progress happening around the world, you’ll be able to share good news with the doubtful or discouraged people in your social circles. You can help inspire others by showing them that change is already happening every day, and broaden their perception of what’s possible to achieve. Let’s all work together to create a more sustainable and just future for all. We can do this!
