Pilot program turns Boise, ID plastic recycling into a bench”

Good News Notes: “When the Hefty EnergyBag recycling program was announced in Boise about three years ago, it asked residents to separate those hard-to-recycle No. 4-7 plastics into orange bags. The bags were shipped to a Utah company which planned to chemically deconstruct the plastic into diesel fuel. Equipment problems quickly forced the end of that destination,…

Utah-based nonprofit brings people to new heights with adaptive paragliding program

Good News Notes: “For the last six years, Chris Santacroce and his team at Project Airtime have been bringing people to new heights with their adaptive paragliding program.  The nonprofit, Project Airtime, is free for everyone – individuals with special needs, people with brain and spinal cord injuries or other illnesses, their caregivers, the elderly and…

Diesel Killing Locomotive of the Future Runs on Solar Power

Good News Notes: “The creators of the solar-powered locomotive of the future were aiming to set a Guinness record for speed last weekend, and that is more than just your ordinary attention-getting stunt. Demonstrating the functionality of PV panels on rail cars could help set the stage for solar power to knock diesel fuel out…

Utah tech company may hold the key to solving the world’s food problems and cutting water use while also fighting climate change

Good News Notes: “Before Utah’s searing, mega-drought summer, came the winter storm of 2021. In February tornadoes and ice storms swept across the nation causing massive damage. Hardest hit was Texas, where millions lost power, over 200 people died and economic damage exceeded $195 billion. Agriculture saw devastated crops and livestock killed in massive numbers….

Relief fund partners to donate shoes to Navajo children in New Mexico

Good News Notes: “Hundreds of children from several Navajo communities in northwestern New Mexico soon will have new kicks. A relief fund created by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and former Navajo Nation President Peterson Zah teamed up with four-time PGA Tour winner Notah Begay III and his foundation to deliver 300 pairs of…

Nebraska MRF adds plastic-lumber manufacturing line

Good News Notes: “Firstar Fiber is receiving a loan from the Alliance to End Plastic Waste that will help the processor convert hard-to-recycle plastics into building materials, all within the confines of the MRF.   Omaha, Neb.-based Firstar Fiber last week announced the project, stating that the company will develop an “integrated recycling facility” adjacent to Firstar’s…

Neighbors, strangers help Enoch woman clean-up after flood

Good News Notes: “One day after major flooding damaged at least 200 homes in Enoch, Utah, hundreds of people came together to clean up. In some cases, entire basements flooded nearly to the ceiling. Very little was salvageable. “The basement’s totally gone,” said Amy Howe, whose home sustained serious damage from the water that poured…

Utah nonprofit Eye Care 4 Kids donates eyeglasses to 400,000th child

Good News Notes: “Santi Morales, 9, was excited to get new glasses that looked “like a volcano.” “Just on the bottom of it, it’s like yellowish,” he said, describing the way the color of his new glasses melts from red to yellow. He said they’ll help him see better at school. Utah-based nonprofit Eye Care…