11 Positive Pieces of News to Make You Believe In People Again

In 1980 Japan had to face a massive wave of suicides and social isolation. That was the side-effect of the technological progress the country was enjoying. The government decided to tackle the problem by introducing the shinrin-yoku scheme, which means 'a bath in the forest'.

It was proven that slow and relaxing walks in the woods lower blood pressure, decrease the fatigue and help to fight depression. Moreover, they had some positive influence on the immune system and the nervous system.

The population of white rhinoceros in Rwanda has been steadily declining since 1970's. It's all because of poachers. That is why at the end of 2021 a Boeing 747 carried 30 rhinos form a private wildlife reserve in the Republic of South Africa to Rwanda. These included 19 females and 11 males; they all were delivered to the National Wildlife Park of Akagera. The animals covered the distance of 3,400 kilometers – scientists hope that thanks to this effort their population in Rwanda will soon be restored.

Flash Forest is a Canadian company that uses drones to spawn new forests. The machines were adapted to drop tree seeds into the soil. They can work 10 times faster than people and manage to work even in hardly accessible areas.

Elephant Haven in the French town of Bussière-Galant is the first sanctuary for elephants in Europe. It received its first guest in October 2021 – it was a female called Gandhi, which was 52 years old back then. She was born free.

The sanctuary is a real shelter for circus elephants and those living in zoos. Bussière-Galant is where they can enjoy a peaceful life on 28 hectares of land, moving freely from one corner to another. The sanctuary is preparing to welcome two females more.

The Portuguese Socialist Labor Party has introduced an interesting law. It prohibited the executives from writing to their staff after office hours. They can no longer write emails or call their personnel when they are off-duty, for example in the evening or at weekends. And it's all with view to take care of mental health of the citizens. Moreover, when employees have to work from home, their employer has to arrange all the necessary equipment and cover all the costs connected with home office work, including gas and electricity bills.

The scientists from the Richmond University estimated that squirrels fail to find 74% of the nuts they hide. And this is their contribution to reintroducing forests as the lost and forgotten acorns begin to sprout to become a new tree in the future.

In Melbourne (Australia) each of the 70,000 trees growing there were given an individual identification number and... and email address. They can all be found using a special ma-p called Urban Forest Visual. This is how the citizens can report any issues connected with the trees (for example dangerous branches). The idea caught on so well that people from all over the world write messages to the trees. They include greetings, questions regarding some current issues or even love letters!

In Barcelona, people who decide to use public transport receive a free card called T-verda. It allows you to use public transport (for three years without any payment. Since 2017 12,000 tickets like that have been issued. Thanks to this there are 10,613 cars and 1,735 motorbikes less there. This is a fantastic way to decrease the traffic volume and reduce the air pollution.

Pineapple leaves usually end up in the garbage can. As a result they are often burned which contributes to carbon emission. A company called Ananas Anam decided to put an end to it and developed a special cloth called Piñatex. It is made of pineapple leaves fabric and looks like genuine leather. The Philippine farmers collect pineapple leaves and deliver them to the company, earning extra money. All the waste generated during production is recycled and used as fertilizers for next crops.

Mexico is the first country in North America where cosmetics must not be tested on animals. This law refers also to production, import and sale of cosmetics tested anywhere else in the world. Such ban is in force in 40 other countries and 10 states on Brazil.

Romanian soccer players from Liga Profesionistă de Fotbal encourage people to adopt dogs from shelters. Before every match they walk out onto the pitch carrying a dog in their hands. The puppies have got special labels attached to the scarves. This is how the fans can quickly identify the pet if they decide to adopt it.