Casa Bonita Paying Employees To Perform Community Service During Renovation Period

Good News Notes: “While Casa Bonita remains closed for renovations, the iconic restaurant and entertainment venue in Lakewood’s workers are staying busy. Since November, several dozen employees have been paid to serve the community in the Denver metro area full time.   On Tuesday, the wait for a helping hand stretched dozens of cars deep in the parking…

Council Bluffs nonprofit Promise 4 Paws cares for senior dogs

Good News Notes: “Cathy Graeve’s life’s purpose is bringing care and comfort to dogs who need it most. “I love all dogs, but old dogs, they just get me. Even when they’re peeing on the floor, it’s just like, what do you do?” Graeve laughed. Her passion was sparked about fifteen years ago as a…

A sweet breakthrough: Scientists develop recyclable plastics based on sugars

Good News Notes: “Researchers from the University of Birmingham, U.K., and Duke University, U.S., have created a new family of polymers from sustainable sources that retain all of the qualities of common plastics, but are also degradable and mechanically recyclable. The scientists used sugar-based starting materials rather than petrochemical derivatives to make two new polymers,…

Veganuary 2022: The new food to know, from Burger King nuggets to M&S

Good News Notes: “In 2021, a record number of people signed up to take part in the Veganuary, a challenge that encourages meat-eaters to adopt a plant-based lifestyle throughout the month of January. Organisers suggested that the surge could have been due to larger numbers of people experimenting with animal-free diets during the coronavirus pandemic. And…

Going vegan can help reduce greenhouse-gas emissions

Good News Notes: “India is the world’s third-largest carbon polluter, behind China and the United States. It accounts for about 6 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions. If India—along with the US and China—doesn’t take steps to combat climate change, we will continue to suffer the consequences: a warming climate, changing rainfall patterns, droughts,…

Levi’s Is Upcycling the Liquified Remains of Old Jeans

Good News Notes: “The denim industry is fraught with environmental problems. This is largely because denim is made with cotton, a pesticide-fed, resource-intensive crop. In fact, it takes around 10,000 liters of water to grow enough cotton for just one pair of jeans (that’s about 65 times the amount an average person uses in one…

A local nonprofit is planning transitional homes in Joplin

Good News Notes: “A nonprofit is getting help from the community to get up and running. Vita Nova Village is raising funds to build several transitional homes. “Vita Nova Village was born out of the idea of creating something to provide the next step to homeless people once they were ready to leave the shelters,”…

PA parks make switch to paper, compostables at concession stands

Good News Notes: “Pennsylvania state parks are making a move to go plastic-free and reduce waste, starting with their concession stands, to help meet the Commonwealth’s sustainability goals. By the end of this year, more than 15 state park food concessionaires will have updated contracts, including eliminating plastic straws, cutlery and food packaging. The renewed agreements…