Sam Bentley

Would you love to see these in your city? In Andalucia, summer temperatures can reach over 40°C (104°F), which is especially dangerous for elderly residents and vulnerable groups who struggle with extreme heat. So 300 local women got together to tackle the problem, and spent three years crocheting a massive shade canopy! It stretches 60 meters long and covers 500 square meters, made entirely from yarn. Not only is it a stunning alternative to plastic canopies, but it’s also drawn more visitors to the town, turning a local craft into a tourist attraction. Along the way, it brought the community closer together, with women of all ages working side by side to create something meaningful. And it’s even catching on, with other towns creating their own versions too! #goodnews #greendesign #crochet #sustainableliving #Sustainability #spain

This underwater speaker is playing a song that’s bringing coral reefs back to life! Tell me your best guess of what song it is? So healthy coral reefs are full of sounds from all the wonderful marine life in them, and these sounds attract young fish and coral larvae. But when reefs are damaged, they go silent. So scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution worked out that if they played the sounds of healthy reefs near damaged ones, it actually tricked fish and coral into returning to these areas. And it actually worked! In the Caribbean, they placed coral larvae on underwater speakers playing reef sounds and compared it to a control group nearby with no sound. They found that coral exposed to healthy reef sounds settled 70% more often, and in some spots, up to 700% more! Coral reefs are among the most biodiverse habitats on the planet, but over the last 30 years, 25% of them have vanished and many more are in poor health So simple solutions like this could help us initiate and accelerate reef recoveries! #goodnews #coral #reefs #savethereef #ocean #conservation

This new high-speed rail network is like a metro system for Europe, and it could connect 39 cities by 2040. It’s called Starline, a proposal by 21st Europe, to convert Europe’s rail network into one seamless system, simplifying things like ticketing systems and cross-border security, to make travelling across Europe less of a hassle. Designed like a metro, it would run at speeds of 300 to 400 km/h making journeys like Helsinki to Berlin possible in just over five hours, without the need for flights or multiple train changes. It includes 39 new stations, with connecting hubs in major cities like Paris, Berlin, and Milan, with routes going as far as Istanbul and Kyiv. On the trains there would be quiet zones for focus, open areas for work and conversation, and family-friendly sections too. Starline would also carry time-sensitive cargo, like fresh produce and medical supplies, reducing the need for short-haul freight flights and overburdened road networks. Would you want something like this in Europe? Let me know down below! #goodnews #Sustainability #travel #metro #sustainabletravel #train

In Switzerland, they're turning their train tracks into solar farms! Using the unused space between train rails, solar startup Sunways are installing solar panels, without disrupting train traffic. After getting the green light from the Federal Office of Transport, 48 panels are being laid across 100 meters of track in Neuchâtel, with the potential to generate 16,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity a year. The panels can help power everything from local homes to the trains themselves, and thanks to removable designs and built-in cleaning systems, they won’t interfere with rail maintenance. If the pilot is a success, it could scale up and potentially cover railways across Switzerland, supplying up to 2% of the country's electricity needs. It’s a great example of using overlooked spaces to meet growing energy demands, all while preserving natural landscapes. Would you like to see this in your country? #goodnews #solar #switzerland #innovation #cleanenergy #trains

This is how trees can call the police if they’re in danger of being chopped down! Tree are cut down illegally all the time. In fact, up to 90% of rainforest logging is illegal. So the Rainforest Connection created a system to help protect forests, by putting phones in the tops of trees with solars panels and a powerful microphone, that can listen constantly for any sound of illegal logging or other things that could threaten the forest. The very moment a chainsaw is used in the forest, the sound is picked up by the phones, and an alert is sent to local partners who can intervene immediately and halt the logging. The entire process happens in a matter of minutes! The devices cost very little too and have no negative ecological impact on the forest, and can detect chainsaw noises up to 1km in the distance. The devices have been used to help protect a variety of precious wildlife, such as Gibbons in Indonesia, and have helped local people fight deforestation. Would you like to see this solution being used around the world? Let me know your thoughts in the comments and share this video to help spread the word! #goodnews #Sustainability #conservation #saveourplanet #forest #rainforest

Who would you want to go on a coastal walk with this summer? The UK is building the world’s longest coastal path that goes around the whole of England! It’s called the King Charles III England Coast Path, and it will stretch around 2,700 miles, giving people access to some of the best landscapes in the country. The continuous walking route will pass through places like Durdle Door, with its iconic rock archway along the Jurassic Coast where the scientific study of dinosaurs originated. It’ll pass through adorable little fishing villages across Cornwall in the South West, like Mousehole and Port Isaac. And you can even step away from the coast, and follow the Hadrian’s Wall footpath along the Northern tip, which used to represent the boundary of the Roman Empire’s presence in the British Isles! I actually did a section along the east coast, called the North Norfolk Coastal Path and saw so many incredible birds, so I 100% recommend that section! All the major sections around the coast path are finished and ready to be walked, but it’s still technically under development until they finish linking them all together by the end of the year. Scotland and Wales are also constructing their own trails which will join onto it! Share this video with someone you want to do this with! #goodnews #sustainableliving #coast #england #travel #walking

This guy in Brazil turned a dead rainforest back into a thriving farm forest! Ernst Götsch, a Swiss farmer, wanted to swap farming with pesticides and fertilisers for a more natural solution instead. So in the 1980s, he moved to Brazil and found 480 hectares of barren, unproductive land. Using a method called Syntropic Farming, he planted in layers, just like a wild forest, so the plants could support and nourish each other. He covered the dry soil with organic matter and planted fast-growing trees that help keep moisture in the ground, making the soil healthier. As the plants grew, they released moisture into the air, triggering rainfall, this process is called “flying rivers,” and it’s how rainforests create their own rain! His approach eliminated the need for pesticides and fertilizers by letting plants, microbes, and natural cycles do the work instead! Why is this so important? Conventional agriculture in the region has stripped landscapes of biodiversity, depleted soil nutrients, and made land harder to farm. So Götsch’s work shows that regenerative farming can provide both food for local people whilst improving ecosystems too! Do you think more farms should work like this? #goodnews #conservation #brazil #regenerative #forest #nature

This bracelet helps protect you from Sharks when out at sea! They're called Sharkbanz, and they create a 1-2 metre magnetic field around you that sends sharks away. Here’s how they work. Sharks have powerful sensors that use magnetic fields to help them navigate and hunt, but the Sharkbanz use powerful magnets to overload those sensors with a strong magnetic field, that’s similar to shining a bright light into your eyes. (It doesn’t hurt but it’s uncomfortable so they leave.) They tested it on a dummy with bait attached to each limb, with about 15 bull sharks. Without the band, the dummy was attacked roughly every 42 seconds, but with the band, the dummy wasn’t attacked once. They’re backed by almost two decades worth of peer-reviewed scientific research and studies on the use of patented magnetic technology as an active and effective shark deterrent So something as simple as this wristband can keep both humans and sharks safe. Would you wear one of these? Let me know below! #goodnews #sharks #ocean #innovation #conservation #surfing

This tower captures clean water from thin air, helping provide remote communities with 100 litres of water every day! It’s called the Warka Water, inspired by the Warka tree that’s native to Ethiopia. The tower collects moisture from the air and brings it back down to the people. The structure is made from bamboo with an inner mesh that harvests and collects droplets of water by condensation. These droplets then trickle down the mesh down a big funnel and into a reservoir that holds the water, which is kept in the shade by a canopy that helps prevent the water from evaporating. So far, the Warka Water has been implemented in Ethiopia, Haiti, Brazil and many more places! And an amazing part of the project is that it’s an open source concept, meaning its design is publicly accessible, so local communities can be trained how to create it and repeat it as much as they like. For example in Ethiopia, their estimated cost per tower was only around $1000. Around 1 in 4 people don’t have access to safe drinking water, so solutions like this are really important to help transform millions of lives for good. #goodnews #sustainableliving #water #conservation #Sustainability #cleanwater

This Italian fisherman did something incredible to protect the ocean from destructive fishing! Meet Paolo Fanciulli, a 60-year-old fisherman who's been fighting against illegal trawling Trawling is a type of fishing that drags heavy nets across the seafloor, massively reducing fish populations and destroying marine habitats So how did Paolo fight back? He teamed up with local sculptors and created huge marble artworks which he then dropped into the Mediterranean Sea. These heavy sculptures created an underwater museum that would rip trawling nets as they pass by and help scare off illegal fishers. And the best thing about it is, it's working! Seagrass beds, an essential habitat and carbon store, are growing back, and the area is attracting more marine life like lobsters, turtles, and even dolphins! Thanks to Paolo and the hard work of local sculptors, there are now 80 statues standing guard over the ocean floor, and he wants to add more! Trawler fishing is illegal in Italy because of the damage it does to marine ecosystems, but it's hard to enforce and is often done at night. So sometimes, creative solutions like this and creative humans like Paolo are the best way to fight back and make positive change for our oceans. Would you like to see more of this happening? #goodnews #conservation #ocean #environment #italy #fishing

Some of the best good news from March you may have missed! #fyp #foryou #goodnews #sustainableliving #conservation #newstiktok

This toy is made from the most littered item on the planet. Cigarette butts! Every year, 6.5 trillion cigarette butts are littered, releasing harmful chemicals and microplastics into local environments. So two Indian brothers, Naman and Vipul, came up with an idea. They started Code Effort, and started collecting and recycling the cigarette waste, turning it into useful products like toys, paper, and decor. After being collected, the paper and the fiber is separated. The fibre is then broken down and washed in a biodegradable solution that remove the toxic elements. The fibres are then spin-dried and softened to become a wool-like material, which is then hand-knitted into toys or pillows by local women. To ensure the products are safe, every batch goes through certified lab tests to meet global standards before being turned into new products. So far, they’ve recycled 2 billion butts. And since a single cigarette butt can contaminate over 500ml of water, this has helped prevent over 1 billion litres of water from being polluted. They’ve created over 100 jobs for local women and set up bins that prevent litter in the first place too. What do you think of this idea, would you use a product made from cigarette butts? Let me know in the comments! #goodnews #india #innovation #sustainableliving #wastefree #waste

Some of the best good news from April you may have missed! #fyp #foryou #goodnews #sustainableliving #conservation #newstiktok

This house is made from just sandbags and barbed wire, and they’re a simple way to help house people in crisis! They’re called Sandbag Shelters, and they were designed by Iranian architect Nader Khalili, inspired by ancient Middle Eastern mud brick architecture. Long sandbags are filled with earth and stacked in circles, layer by layer. Barbed wire goes between each row to hold it all in place and make it strong enough to handle earthquakes. As the walls rise, they curve inward to form a cone, which becomes the roof. They’re cheap to build, durable, and no fancy equipment or training is needed. They’ve even been approved by the UN for emergency housing, used to shelter refugees, and have received building permits in California, thanks to CalEarth, a non-profit Nader founded before he passed away to continue his legacy. They’re also eco-friendly, as the thick earth walls keep heat out during the day and hold onto warmth at night, so the inside stays comfortable without the need for heating or cooling. Do you think we need more accessible housing options like this? Let me know in the comments! #goodnews #sustainableliving #housing #architecture #greenbuilding #Sustainability

#ad We're pretty good at playing spot the difference, but not every animal is. Animals like hermit crabs mistakenly use plastic waste as their shells, where they can get trapped, struggle to grow, and some sadly don’t survive. So to raise awareness about the impact of plastic pollution, I’ve partnered with @@JoinZuzu a little crab who is on a mission to save his home from plastic and do his part to end plastic waste, showing how small actions can spark big change. Like how I share solutions that help create a cleaner planet, Zuzu is taking action in his own way, and you can watch his short film all about his journey at the link in my bio. If it moves you, consider signing the petition to advocate for stronger environmental policies. By pushing for stronger policies and reducing our own plastic use, we can help create a cleaner planet for future generations! #JoinZuzu #PlasticPollution #SCJPartner #Pollution #Crab #marinelife

#ad Every beach needs a BEACH SIEVE! These look amazing! They filter trash from the sand, catching plastic, bottle caps, and more, while useful items like shells are put back where they belong. Developed in Brazil, the sieve helps to clean up beaches and inspire others to do the same. But while cleanup solutions like this exist, plastic production is still out of control. That’s why I’ve partnered with Zuzu, a hermit crab on a mission to fight plastic pollution. He’s set up a petition calling for Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), a policy that holds companies accountable for plastic waste. Signing this petition helps push for real change. Tap the link in my bio to sign, and follow @JoinZuzu for more solutions. #JoinZuzu #PlasticPollution #SCJPartner #Pollution #BeachCleanup #Sustainability

This Woolly Mouse could bring us one step closer to bringing Woolly Mammoths back! Colossal Biosciences, a company using genetic engineering to revive extinct species, extracted DNA from ancient mammoth remains and identified key genes for thick fur, cold resistance, and fat metabolism. They then applied these genetic changes to mice, and it worked! The mice developed denser fur, and other cold-adapted traits, and their coat color even altered, proving that mammoth DNA can be reactivated. This breakthrough is a major step toward Colossal’s goal of using similar genetic techniques on Asian elephants, the mammoth’s closest living relatives, to bring back a cold-adapted hybrid species. And it’s not just mammoths, they're also working on reviving the Tasmanian tiger and the dodo, while using this technology to help protect endangered species too. What do you think of this? Let me know your thoughts in the comments #conservation #wildlife #mammoth #deextinction #science #animals

This father did something incredible to help support his son who has autism! John D'Eri from Florida, noticed his son Andrew was struggling to find his place in the world. So with his other son, Thomas, he bought a failing car wash and transformed it into a place where Andrew, and other people with autism, would be given the right environment and support to thrive. It’s called Rising Tide Car Wash, and about 80% of its employees are on the autism spectrum. It’s been built around the needs of the team, with training programs that include clear and repetitive tasks, visual aids, and consistent feedback to help them learn and deliver high-quality service for customers and the results are amazing! They’ve hired over 500 individuals with autism, with over half moving on to other employment opportunities thanks to the skills they’ve learnt. The business has also created greater community understanding and acceptance of neurodiversity too. Approximately 85% of adults in the US with autism are unemployed, so Rising Tide hopes to serve as a model for other businesses, showcasing how inclusive hiring practices can lead to huge success for everyone involved! Would you like to see more places like this? Tap like if you would and share to help spread the word! ‌#goodnews #worldautismacceptancemonth #autism #autismfamily #florida #usa

#ad Have you heard the phrase ‘regenerative agriculture’ before and wondered what it actually means? To put it simply, it's farming in harmony with nature, rather than at the expense of nature. That means using practices that over time aim to protect soil health, improve biodiversity and make farms more resilient. For example, instead of monocultures, adding a diverse mix of crops which gradually aim to help boost crop performance. And introducing habitats to help wild bee populations and soil biodiversity to thrive in the long run! @McCain UK just launched a new AR game called Farms The Future which is all about this! It’s a super easy way to learn more about it, plus they’re giving away a bunch of cool prizes in it too. The link is in my bio if you want to check it out! #friesofthefuture #regenfries #tastegoodfeelgood