This startup uses the cooling towers on buildings as carbon capture devices

Good News Notes: “On top of a nondescript industrial building in the Bay Area city of San Leandro, a company is pioneering a new way to fight climate change: Hacking a cooling tower—the equipment used for air conditioning in large buildings—to help pull CO2 from the atmosphere. So-called direct air capture machines are already in use elsewhere….

Tesla Says It Can Now Recycle 92% of Battery Cell Materials

Good News Notes: “Tesla released its 2020 Impact Report this week, in which the electric vehicle (EV) automaker claims it has the capacity to recover approximately 92 percent of battery cell materials thanks to ongoing improvements to its recycling process.  The company has been working with third-party recycling firms for years to improve its capacity for end-of-life…

Salvation Army Orlando unveils new type of homeless housing

Good News Notes:  “They are small, simple, shiny and a lot less expensive than a traditional homeless shelter. And The Salvation Army in Orlando wants to raise $1 million to build a community of 50 of them — part of an urgent effort to create new emergency housing for what community leaders expect to be…

Downtown San Antonio hotel transitioning into new home to the homeless

Good News Notes: “Members of San Antonio’s unhoused population will soon be able to seek shelter at a former Days Inn hotel on East Houston Street. On Thursday, June 17, City Council approved a Department of Human Services pilot project that seeks to serve as a bridge for those chronically experiencing homelessness to permanent housing. …

Mary Kay Inc. Joins Ellen MacArthur Foundation to Commit to Circular Economy

Good News Notes: “Mary Kay Inc., the multibillion-dollar direct-sales cosmetics company, has joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation as a member of its network, the mission of which it states is to lead the transition to a circular economy with the most influential organizations to demonstrate what is possible, based on the principle of eliminating waste and…

Ikea Buys 11K Acres of Land in Georgia for Conservation

Good News Notes: “Ikea’s investment group recently acquired nearly 11,000 acres of land in southeast Georgia, taking it under its wing to protect it from development, and to keep its hundreds of plant and wildlife species safe. The Ingka Group, which owns and operates most of the popular Swedish retailer’s stores, recently acquired approximately 10,840 acres…

Indoor Vertical Farming Expands Retail Presence

Good News Notes: “Indoor vertical farming company AeroFarms is expanding the retail presence of its leafy greens in the Northeast with current long-time customers – Whole Foods Market, FreshDirect and Amazon Fresh – and with Walmart in the Mid-Atlantic region. AeroFarms’ retail brand of leafy greens is grown using proprietary aeroponics and indoor vertical farming technologies, which yield annual…