Good News! 9 Positive Environmental News Stories from February

It is an exciting time for reforestation! The world now knows that trees matter and are the best nature-based solution for climate change. One thing that's always evolving is the technology behind environmental initiatives. After all, it's crucial to monitor and collect data to better understand exactly what kind of impact our forests have. And according to NASA, "using ground, airborne, and satellite data, a diverse team of international researchers – including NASA scientists – have created a new method to assess how the changes in forests over the past two decades have impacted carbon concentrations in the atmosphere". 

Humans have created a plastic world and now we're experiencing the consequences of that. But one engineer from Kenya has figured out a way to turn our plastic problem into a solution! The Nairobi based company "Gjenge Makers" realized that plastic waste pollution had become a severe problem — a study supported by the National Environmental Management Agency (NEMA) found that more than 50% of cattle near urban areas in Kenya had plastic in their stomachs. By creating a plastic brick 7X stronger than concrete out of recycled materials, the company strives to spark hope that there are ways to end this crisis. 

A white and yellow penguin was spotted on a South Atlantic island for what is believed to be  the first time ever. The bird was seen living among many other penguins on a beach and just so happened to find itself striking a pose for a wildlife photographer. Yves Adams said: “I’d never seen or heard of a yellow penguin before. There were 120,000 birds on that beach, and this was the only yellow one there". How exciting!

One Tree Planted is partnering with Global Forest Generation to support Accion Andina, the first multi-country, large-scale, grassroots initiative to restore the high altitude native forests of South America's high Andes.In 2020, together with Accion Andina's indigenous and local communities, we planted 50,000 Polylepis trees in highland Bolivia, and around Mount Chimborazo National Park in highland Ecuador. The overall objective is to restore 1 million hectares of high Andean forests across 6 countries over the next 25 years, so we'll be planting many more!

Texas dominated the news in the second half of this month when a historic snow storm shocked the state. While the storm was devastating for many, sea turtles were uniquely challenged — they get stunned and freeze up when the temperature goes below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This of course had local experts concerned, but luckily, over 3,500 sea turtles were rescued and cared for at a local convention center.  It took many volunteers, kiddie pools, and generators to get the job done! 

For many students around the world, February presents a break from school. Knowing this, Prince Charles presented a challenge to help young people connect with nature. Each day of February vacation, a new challenge was released — and every challenge was both eco and pandemic friendly. Tasks included planting seeds, drawing an elephant using leaves, creating a miniature plate garden, and even making a pet rock!

Researchers at the University of Zurich in Switzerland posed the question, "Do differences in the socio-ecological environment experienced by individuals influence their survival?" The study observed giraffes in Tanzania over a period of 5 years, and the verdict is clear: females with besties live longer. "Grouping with more females, called gregariousness, is correlated with better survival of female giraffes, even as group membership is frequently changing," according to Monica Bond who led the study. 

It started with a tree, a bare valley and an audacious dream. 25 years ago, the ‘Survivor Tree’ rowan was one of very few trees remaining in the sheep grazed valley of Carrifran in the Scottish Borders. The dream was that one day this whole valley would be filled with trees to create a Wildwood. Now this aspiration is well under way and more than 700,000 trees surround the lone rowan. This project has now evolved and expanded to include more valleys and upland areas at Talla & Gameshope. Slowly but surely, the Wild Heart of Southern Scotland is being revived!

The “Firefall” is back! But don’t worry, it isn't really fire! Every year around February, a light phenomenon occurs in Yosemite Park that makes it look like orange lava is flowing from the 1,575 foot Horsetail Fall! Because, nature. There are no guarantees of seeing this glowing wonder from day to day, but it normally happens around sunset — and there has to be water flowing from the fall. Clear skies are ideal, as even the slightest haze can prevent this natural wonder.