❀ The Good News ❀

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Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

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Animal Euthanasia on the Chopping Block in Colorado

Attorneys from the not-for-profit organization AnimalsVote.org have submitted a ballot proposal called the Colorado No-Kill Pet Animal Act, which, if passed, would essentially make Colorado the first no-kill state in the nation. Animals Vote was founded on the belief that “the killing and the suffering of animals in deference to our own behest and gratification is an impediment to the moral and social progress of mankind.” 

(Read more) 

And you can Help Make Colorado the First No-Kill State by Signing Here! 

Victory! New York Cracks Down on Puppy Mills

At the beginning of January, a commercial breeder in Sprakers, N.Y., drew the ire of dog lovers for leaving dozens of small and medium sized dogs and puppies outside with nothing more than empty plastic barrels to keep warm as temperatures plummeted well below zero. Photos of the dogs at Flat Creek Border Collies were spread around Facebook, and a firestorm ensued. Canine advocates called on local law enforcement to investigate complaints about the breeder. The Lexus Project got involved and took the case to court. 

Since then most of the dogs have been removed and are being cared for by the Montgomery County SPCA, the New England Border Collie Rescue and Glen Highland Farm. The owner was allowed to keep puppies on the condition that they be brought inside if the temperature falls below 32 degrees, but things won’t be finalized until January 21 when everybody heads back to court and the owner answers to the charge of not providing adequate shelter – which comes with a maximum fine of a whopping $100.

The good news is Governor Andrew Cuomo finally signed A.740a, dubbed the puppy mill bill, which will help crack down on large-scale commercial breeders in the state by granting counties and municipalities the ability to enact tougher regulations than the ones that exist at the state level to protect dogs raised in puppy mills.

(Read more) 

Great News: PETA Closes Second Set of Bear Pits: New Life for 17 Bears‏

17 bears have been rescued from what would have been a life sentence in miserable concrete pits in Helen, Georgia. Thanks to a collaborative effort on the part of PETA, PETA patron and The Simpsons co-creator Sam Simon, the Wild Animal Sanctuary, and the Atlanta Humane Society, the bears now enjoy a full life in Colorado. They are now roaming acres of natural habitat at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, where they are already rolling in the grass, racing around their fields, and enjoying relative freedom and fresh mountain air in a stunning 60-acre habitat.

(Read more about the Rescue) 

Pit Bull Owner Takes Up Fight Against Breed Bans in Oregon

A potential breed ban in Medford, Ore., has divided residents and ignited debate about whether banning pit bulls will do anything to improve safety in their community.

Medford resident and pit bull owner, Tyler Woodard created a Care2 petition urging the City Council to focus on owners with aggressive dogs, instead of unfairly targeting pit bulls because of their breed. Woodard is calling for public support and asking canine experts to come forward to offer testimony about the breed and why breed bans are ineffective.

Numerous other organizations have also already come out against breed bans, including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Animal Control Association, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, the American Kennel Club, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors and the International Association of Canine Professionals, among others.

Last summer, the White House also came out with an official statement against breed bans stating that “research shows that bans on certain types of dogs are largely ineffective and often a waste of public resources.”

(Read more) 

(Sign the Petition Here) 

More Than 20 Retailers Have Dropped Angora!

Things are moving extremely fast in the campaign against angora. More and more companies are listening to their customers and ditching angora after shocking video footage released by PETA and its international affiliates showed how rabbits are abused on Chinese angora farms. It's such an amazing movement when we see the power of people changing the minds of so many retailers around the world about such vital issues. 

Check out PETA's summary of developments to date Here.

Palm Oil Company Gets What it Deserves for Destroying Orangutans’ Home

An Indonesian court issued a big blow to a palm oil company for illegally destroying forest land in Sumatra’s protected Leuser Ecosystem, which provides critical habitat for orangutans and other endangered species.

In what’s being called a groundbreaking verdict, the court found palm oil company PT Kallista Alam guilty of illegally burning large areas of the Tripa peat forest in the province of Aceh and ordered it to pay roughly $30 million in fines. An estimated $20 million was allocated for restoration efforts. The court also confiscated land and will be charging a fine for every day the palm oil company delays repayment, reports the Environmental News Service.

(Read more) 

China Takes a Commendable Stance Against Elephant Poaching

On January 6th, China took a huge public stand against elephant poaching by crushing over six tons of the ivory it has confiscated in a landmark ceremony held in the city of Guangzhou.

The event marks the first time the country has destroyed any of its ivory stock and is being applauded by conservationists, government agencies and environmental protection organizations around the world for raising awareness about the poaching crisis and sending a message to the public that the illegal trade in ivory will not be tolerated.

(Read more) 

VICTORY! Radio Disney drops "Rocking in Ohio"‏

Big news! After hearing from more than 100,000 parents and concerned citizens like you, Radio Disney has pulled out of "Rocking in Ohio," which promoted fossil fuels to kids in school in a song and game filled roadshow.

This is an important victory! But the fight isn't over: Disney runs science education programs in schools across the country and, so, they need to commit to not promote fossil fuels in any of their science and energy outreach to schools and kids.

Now is a key moment to share the news and to let Radio Disney know they need to publicly promise to support kid-safe, climate-safe energy!

Click here to share the news of our victory and to let Disney know we won't back down! 

Cyclists, Rejoice: Protected Bike Lanes Are Being Built More Safely--and that means More People Cycling! 

Physically separated bike lanes are awesome. They’re good for safety, they increase the number of people who cycle, they’re good for business, etc. What’s not to like?

But good things can get better. There’s been a boom in protected bike lanes in the U.S. in the past ±5 years, and most of them use parked cars or plastic poles to keep the bike lane separated from the car lanes. That works, but it’s not ideal, and so the next generation of protected bike lanes have started to use more permanent curbs to protect cyclists.

(Read more) 

YEESSS! The EPA just announced the first-ever, federal limits on climate change-causing carbon pollution from new power plants!

Big news! The EPA has announced the first-ever, federal limits on carbon pollution from new power plants.

Now the EPA needs to hear from millions of Americans like you in order to stand strong in the face of powerful opposition from Big Coal and its allies.

Be sure to click Here to fill out the form to submit a public comment telling the EPA you support these groundbreaking safeguards against carbon pollution. (takes two seconds of your time ;)) 

Washington D.C.’s Sewage Will Soon Generate Electricity

Construction has begun in D.C. on a 17.2 foot-high sea wall designed to protect its Blue Plains wastewater treatment facility from a 500-year storm surge that could otherwise flood D.C. with raw sewage. The sea wall will cost an estimated $13.2 million and is expected to be completed in 2021.

But, D.C. Water is also investing $450 million on an on-site digester that will transform its daily 120 tons of treated solid waste into enough natural gas to keep the plant running even if extreme weather knocks out power to the area.

(Read more) 

Rejected! Even Uganda’s President Dislikes the Anti-Gay Bill

Care2 Success: More than 46,000 Care2 members have signed a petition calling on President Museveni to reject the bill. 

Thank you to everyone who signed but please keep passing this petition around and make sure Uganda knows that no watering down of the bill could ever make it acceptable!

(Read more) 

(Petition Here) 

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Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change!  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

❀ The Good News ❀

. . . . . . . . . . 

Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

. . . . . . . . . .

U.S. Steps Up to Help White Rhinos Rebound From the Brink of Extinction

In response to the poaching crisis that continues to threaten rhinos, the U.S. has announced the southern white rhino will now be getting protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Four of the five rhino species still living in the wild–including the black, Sumatran, Indian and Javan rhinos–are already fully protected as endangered under the ESA.

Unfortunately for white rhinos, who live mainly in South Africa and have been left without protection and destructive genetic testing, it’s difficult or impossible to tell the difference between their horns and horn products with those that come from protected species. This loophole has allowed traffickers to get away with mislabeling products to avoid restrictions on sales and transport, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS).

Thanks to this move, white rhinos will be immediately protected under the “similarity of appearance” provision of the ESA, which is intended to “aid international law enforcement efforts to fight poaching and crack down on trafficking in rhino horn.” There will now be a total ban on importing products made from rhinos into the U.S., in addition to a ban on the sale or offer for sale in interstate commerce of white rhinos.

(Read more) 

A female elephant calf has been born to the elephant Flying Squad in Indonesia’s Tesso Nilo National Park.

The calf’s mother is part of an elite team of critically endangered Sumatran elephants that help protect communities from conflict with wild elephants. Four births have been recorded since the squad was established by WWF and the Indonesia Ministry of Forests in 2004. 

This Flying Squad consists of four trained adult elephants and eight elephant handlers called mahouts, which are deployed to drive wild elephants back into the forest when they stray into nearby villages or farms. As elephant habitat shrinks, the animals become more likely to raid crops for food. 

Read the full story to learn more about the Flying Squad as a highly successful model for reducing conflict between people and elephants in a way that is safe for everyone

Victory! CA Governor Signs Law To Protect Mountain Lions

As a result of the public outcry that ensued after the unjustified and tragic shootings by wardens of an adult mountain lion and then later of two four-months old, merely 13-pound bobcat kittens, this landmark legislation is now in place to protect mountain lions in California.

This much-needed law prevents California Department of Fish and Wildlife wardens from killing lions that venture into populated areas unless they pose an urgent public safety threat. It also authorizes the department to work with rescue and other nongovernmental groups in capturing, tranquilizing or relocating the animals. This teamwork between the agency and local experts is exactly what IDA advocated after the tragic shooting of a young male mountain lion in Santa Monica CA, in May of last year.

IDA sends a heartfelt thanks to their friends at the Mountain Lion Foundation, who guided these efforts, to Senator Jerry Hill, who introduced this important legislation, and equally importantly, to all the CA supporters, who signed IDA's alert and helped make this legislation to protect mountain lions a reality!

Good News: Help for the Greater sage-grouse is on the way‏

It took nearly two years of legal wrangling, but it looks like the federal government is finally prepared to introduce emergency protections for Canada’s endangered Greater sage-grouse.

The announcement is a welcome breath of fresh air to a case that’s been mired in secrecy, delays and procedural roadblocks. In fact, our efforts may well have helped set another important legal precedent. To our knowledge, this is the first time Ottawa has explicitly stated its intention to introduce emergency protections for an endangered species.

(Read more and how you can help) 

IDA's Hope Animal Sanctuary Rescues Baking Dogs

On Thursday, August 29th, IDA-HAS received an urgent plea from the Coffeeville, MS Police Department asking for assistance for dogs confined in metal sheds in 101 degree weather. IDA-HAS Director Doll Stanley responded to the call.

Earlier in the day, Coffeeville PD officers had responded to a "dogs at large" report. Two young adult dogs had escaped from the yard where the other dogs were imperiled. The officers made the discovery when they attempted to meet with the property residents, who had been in court earlier in the year for non-compliance with an animal ordinance.

When Stanley arrived, officers had obtained a seizure order and the dogs were freed from the deplorable conditions they'd been kept in. Stanley will file cruelty charges and the Mississippi Animal Rescue League is aiding with the care of the dogs, one of whom had to be sedated for transport. 

IDA India - Success With Dog and Cat Adoptions

The IDA India team has developed strategies for ensuring good adoptions of local stray dogs and cats, slowly learning over the years that foster care really works to keep small animals healthy and growing well under individual care. Most of the little ones thrive under foster care while receiving timely medical treatment and good nutrition, and they also adjust well to a home environment.

The team then goes all out for adoption. Charming pictures are posted, advertisements are published, helpful other non-governmental organizations and friends are contacted to try and get good homes for each dog or cat who is ready for his or her new guardian. Adoptions of our local dogs and cats show a definite upward trend, and this is what the IDA India team works for all the time.

Victory! New Rule Brings Internet Puppy Breeders under Federal Oversight

Every year, thousands of puppies are sold over the Internet and shipped to consumers like any other product. Websites advertising happy, healthy puppies commonly conceal a grim reality: They’re often fronts for puppy mills—large-scale, commercial breeding operations that rear dogs in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions with complete disregard for the animals’ wellbeing.

All of this happens hidden from public view because outdated laws haven’t applied to Internet breeders. Until now.

Now, the USDA has stepped into the Internet age by issuing a rule that brings breeders selling animals to consumers sight-unseen under the regulatory umbrella of the Animal Welfare Act. That means for the first time, USDA inspectors will be laying eyes on animals who have been ignored for too long.

For more information about puppy mills and to see the conditions captured by USDA inspectors, please visit NoPetStorePuppies.com.   

Goods News about Toxic Chemicals!

Earlier this month, industry giant Procter & Gamble promised to phase out triclosan and DEP (a phthalate) from products worldwide. Following that announcement, just last week Walmart U.S., the largest retailer in the United States, launched a “Policy on Sustainable Chemistry in Consumables” , laying out their plans to phase out key toxics and to improve ingredient disclosure. 

In its announcement, Walmart U.S. committed to reducing or eliminating 10 chemicals in the products it sells and also for its suppliers to disclose the ingredients in their products. Suppliers will be required to provide online public ingredient disclosure by January 2015. 

Both of these announcements happened because of the efforts of people like you. This is a sign that companies are listening.

(Read more and check out how You can get involved!) 

Free the CBC Ad Campaign making waves!

The FRIENDS' Free the CBC campaign to deter Stephen Harper from abusing his new power in Bill C-60 (to take control of CBC journalists' working conditions) is working! 

Paul Allen Research has demonstrated that the first volley of TV ads aired in August have been highly effective. One-in-five Canadian adults have already seen The Man Behind the Desk ad – and they get the message.

And Nanos Research has found that 81% of Canadians want CBC to remain free from political interference vs. only 12% who approve of what Harper was trying to sneak through in Bill C-60.

(Read More and watch the Ad) 

Israel Provides Incentives to Hire and Promote Women

Even though the amount of Israeli women in the workplace has been rising, women are still paid less than men, given mostly part time jobs, and are not given senior positions at the same rate as men. Economy Minister Naftali Bennett has now made it his goal to strengthen the involvement of women in the Israeli workplace. He solidified this goal by passing a new law that will give incentives to employers who employ and promote women and will help parents better balance their work lives and home lives. The Committee for the Advancement of the Women in the Workplace approved these new regulations on Monday, taking a huge step in the country toward equalizing women’s rights in the workplace.

(Read more) 

Yes on 522 Ad Airs on TV -- for the labelling of Genetically Engineered Foods

Goods new on the GMO Labelling food front! Check out the new ad and make sure everyone you know watches it by forwarding the link below to your friends in Washington..

(Check out the Video) 

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Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change!  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.

❀ The Good News ❀

. . . . . . . . . . 

Stop watching the News on T.V. filled with lies, propaganda, and made to make you feel helpless and afraid.

With all the negative news in the world, it's time to give you hope and inspiration. It's time to the weekly Good News! 

. . . . . . . . . .

Victory! Military Medical School Ends the Use of Live Animals

For decades, animal advocates have been campaigning to end the use of live animals to teach students medical procedures at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, Md., and their work has finally paid off.

USUHS, the only military medical school in the U.S., has announced it will stop using live animals in its training programs and will now be using simulators to teach surgical skills and physiology, reports the AP. The school said it began phasing out the use of live animals in 2000 with the opening of the National Capital Area Medical Simulation Center.

(Read more) 

New Remote Cameras Could Help Fight Poaching in Kenya

Remote cameras have been used for a while to help give us a glimpse of wild animals in their natural habitat that we may not otherwise ever be able to see, but now they’re going to be used to help protect some of the world’s most endangered species.

Real-time images of rare and endangered species are now being sent out as part of the Instant Wild project, which is the result of a collaboration between the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Cambridge Consultants and Kenya Wildlife Services (KWS).

Thanks in part to a generous grant from Google’s Global Impact Awards, the three organizations collaborated to come up with a new system to help keep track of endangered species in remote parts of the world and protect them from poachers. Together they came up with a system of cameras that are motion triggered and connected by the Iridium satellite network –  the only commercial satellite system with full coverage of the earth – along with an iOS app.

(Read more and check out how You can get involved!) 

New U.S. elephant announcement brings good news

Here's to another step forward for elephants! Back in July, President Obama signed an Executive Order outlining how our government would fight illegal wildlife trafficking and save elephants, rhinos, and other vulnerable animals from poaching.

Now, his administration is quickly making good on that promise. In a big announcement yesterday at the White House, Secretary of the Interior, Sally Jewell, flanked by former Secretary Hillary Clinton and Clinton Foundation Vice Chair Chelsea Clinton, announced the next steps in this plan and it couldn't be more exciting.

Here's the rundown:

• She named eight members to the Advisory Council on Wildlife Trafficking, including WCS President and CEO, Cristián Samper. This group will develop a national strategy to work with international groups and governments to crackdown on trafficking. 
• Secretary Jewell announced a plan to crush six tons of ivory seized over the years by the federal government. When countries destroy their ivory stockpiles, it eliminates opportunities for corruption and guarantees the ivory doesn't land back on the black market. They're leading the world by example and encouraging African and Asian nations to do the same.
• She announced that wildlife trade is becoming part of our government's official Strategy to Combat Transnational Organized Crime. Adding wildlife trafficking under this umbrella means more resources to help dismantle the criminal organizations that drive poaching across Africa. African countries have everything to lose from the instability and economic disruption created by poaching. 

Nature Makes a Come Back in New England

Nature is making a comeback in New England. According to researchers from Harvard University, the region can now boast that it is the most heavily forested in the United States.

80 percent of New England is now covered by woodlands, Colin Nickerson writes in the Boston Globe. Back in the mid-1800s, only 30 to 40 percent of most parts of the region was still forested, the result of logging, farming and leveling by generations of settlers since the time of the Pilgrims.

Native species including beavers, moose, bears, gray seals, pileated woodpeckers, hawks and white-tailed deer that had been all but wiped out have reestablished themselves. There are now some 85,000 white-tailed deer in Massachusetts; only a few hundred were alive in the state at the start of the 20th century. And, while there were no bald eagles in Vermont ten years ago, 14 nesting pairs are now rearing 24 chicks!

(Read more and find out the 5 reasons nature is making this comeback!) 

Animals Win (sort of) vs Big Ag

Good news for animals from California courts: two important animal welfare laws intended to mandate humane conditions for food animals will remain in place, despite the best attempts of the industry. In two different cases, big agriculture attempted to strike down ballot measures giving more rights to animals raised for food products, and in both, the court shot them down.

While I stand firmly on the side of the debate that animals shouldn't be raised for food at all, this is at least good news while they still are. We can agree that if people are going to be eating animals, they should at least be raised in more humane conditions where they have access to the best possible treatment. Because all animals deserve respect, and fighting for better conditions for food animals is an important step in improving conditions in the agriculture industry.

(Read more) 

First Success in Preventing an Attack in Syria

Last night President Obama conceded that his proposal to bomb Syria is unpopular and can’t get through Congress. This was thanks to public outrage, emails, petitions, and so forth--thank to You! Members of the House and Senate heard the message loud and clear.

While this is good news, it's not over yet. Yet again, Obama argued for attacking Syria. The threat is still very real -- which is why it’s so important that we tell Congress and the President not to attack Syria.

Sign the petition and spread the word! 

A Bunch Of Young Geniuses Just Made A Corrupt Corporation Freak Out Big Time. Time For Round Two.

Still feeling like you can't do anything to change the world? Well, just take a look at this Colorado nonprofit's video that has gone viral and feel that apathy just wash right out of your mind.

In 2011, Boulder voters approved a charter amendment that authorized the city council to form a municipal electric utility based on renewable, affordable energy, rather than coal. It was a big victory for the little guys -- while supporters of the local energy utility spent $106,760 on their campaign, Xcel Energy spent a whopping $960,689 on theirs. Despite being outspent nearly 10-1, the local effort won and the amendment passed.

Now New Era Colorado, a small Boulder, Colo.-based nonprofit, is faced with another fight against energy giant Xcel. If a new Boulder ballot initiative supported by the company passes, it could stop the local electric utility movement in its tracks. New Era is hoping to spread the word and gain support for the grassroots effort to preserve the progress toward renewable, independent energy. 

Please check out the video in the link to see how they did it, what you can do, and the challenges they still face with the greedy corporate greed of excel trying to step back in. 

http://www.upworthy.com/a-bunch-of-young-geniuses-just-made-a-corrupt-corporation-freak-out-big-time-time-for-round

A Pastor Asks A Politician Why He Supports Gay Marriage. It Seems He Wasn't Prepared For His Reply.

This video is just too priceless not to share. Change is happening, people are waking up and marriage equality takes steps closer every day! 

http://www.upworthy.com/a-pastor-asks-a-politician-why-he-supports-gay-marriage-it-seems-he-wasnt-prepared-for-his-reply

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Thanks for reading this week's "Good News!" Join us every week and feel inspired! 

Be sure to sign up for Care2's newsletter for some real news around the globe, to make a change, and to open up your mind to the Real World!

See that your actions count and get out there and do good! Be the Change!  

If you found this article to be helpful, please consider a small donation or visit the shop. Thank you for your love and support.