ONLY GOOD NEWS 
JUNE/SEPTEMBER 2012 -- VOLUME TWENTY ~ NUMBER TWO -- PUBLISHED: 20 jun 2012

ONLY GOOD NEWS INDEX: REDEFINING SECURITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY / NEW BATTERY TECHNOLOGY TRIPLES RANGE OF ELECTRIC CARS / PARTNERSHIPS FOR CHANGE / SHARING THE RANGE / FIGHTING FOR WOLVES / BIOGEMS: SAVE WILD PLACES / BRINGING SAFE WATER TO THE WORLD / WATER EFFICIENCY SAVES ENERGY / A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR CLEAN AIR / SUSTAINABLE METROPOLITAN REGIONS / NEARLY 6,500 ACRES PROTECTED AS CRITICAL HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED MISSISSIPPI GOPHER FROGS / 90 PERCENT OF ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERING ON TIME / CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY PRESS RELEASE ARCHIVE / PLAN TO RECYCLE $300 BILLION WORTH OF SPACE DEBRIS / FIFTY NEW EXOPLANETS DISCOVERED / GLOBAL ALLIANCE AIMS TO TACKLE FOREST CRIME / NASA GLOBAL DEFORESTATION ALERT TOOL / FRANCE PROPOSES BANNING PESTICIDE LINKED TO BEE COLLAPSE / HAWAII FIRST STATE TO BAN PLASTIC BAGS AT CHECKOUT / WORLD'S LARGEST PRESERVE FORMING IN AFRICA / GREAT NEWS NETWORK + 5 PIECES OF GOOD NEWS FROM PLANET EARTH

ROPER WISDOM: "NO JUSTICE ~ NO PEACE"...

REDEFINING SECURITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY -- The good news is that in the United States the concept of redefining security is now permeating not only various independent think tanks but the Pentagon itself. A number of studies have looked at threats to U.S. interests posed by climate change, population growth, water shortages, and food shortages-—key trends that contribute to political instability and lead to social collapse > go to : http://environment.about.com/gi/o.htm?zi=1/XJ&zTi=1&sdn=environment&cdn=newsissues&tm=8&f=00&tt=3&bt=0&bts=0&st=8&zu=http%3A//www.earth-policy.org/

NEW BATTERY TECHNOLOGY TRIPLES RANGE OF ELECTRIC CARS -- Washington State University researchers have developed a new technology that could triple the capacity of lithium-ion batteries, which as anyone who owns a cell phone or laptop knows, can be frustratingly limiting. Led by Grant Norton, professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the researchers have filed patents on the nanoscale-based technology, which also allows the batteries to re-charge many more times and more quickly than current models. They expect to bring it to the market within a year > go to: http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/new_battery_technology_would_triple_the_range_of_electric_cars/

PARTNERSHIPS FOR CHANGE -- Over the years, NRDC has partnered with community-based grassroots groups across the country to help protect the health and environment of local communities from harmful industrial development and toxic pollution. Working together, we have reduced children's exposure to toxic pesticides, fought for green space in low-income urban neighborhoods, safeguarded drinking water on tribal lands, and improved air quality in urban areas. Some of these partnerships are highlighted below > go to: http://www.nrdc.org/ej/partnerships/index.asp

SHARING THE RANGE -- Tens of millions of wild plains bison once roamed the grasslands of North America, but the slaughter of the late 1800s -- The Natural Resources Defense Council believes it is time to recover bison as a wildlife species and give wild bison more habitat -- room to roam in the American West > go to: http://www.nrdc.org/wildlife/restore-free-roaming-bison.asp

FIGHTING FOR WOLVES -- NRDC has been battling to protect the gray wolf in the Rocky Mountains. Hear from their experts on Switchboard, the NRDC blog > go to: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/wolves.php + BIOGEMS: SAVE WILD PLACES -- Become a citizen activist and join the fight to preserve threatened wildlife and wild places across the Americas, from Alaska to Peru > go to: http://www.savebiogems.org/ + BRINGING SAFE WATER TO THE WORLD -- Environmental stewardship can help eliminate the world's biggest health risk: dirty water > go to: http://www.nrdc.org/international/safewater.asp

WATER EFFICIENCY SAVES ENERGY -- Water systems nationwide consume a tremendous amount of energy and release as much global warming pollution annually as 10 million cars > go to: http://www.nrdc.org/water/energywater.asp

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION FOR CLEAN AIR -- EPA's new standards would reduce carbon pollution and protect public health > go to: http://www.nrdc.org/air/carbon-emissions

SUSTAINABLE METROPOLITAN REGIONS -- The shape of our metropolitan regions – cities and suburbs – defines our footprint on the landscape, the length of our commutes, our ability to interact and function economically. A sustainable metro region replaces poorly defined sprawl and traffic congestion with strong central cities and suburbs, efficient transportation networks for getting around, and respect for natural systems. NRDC pursues good metropolitan planning that promotes the environment and economy, distributes infrastructure logically and efficiently, and minimizes intrusion on nature and the working landscape > go to: http://www.nrdc.org/sustainable-communities/default.asp

NEARLY 6,500 ACRES PROTECTED AS CRITICAL HABITAT FOR ENDANGERED MISSISSIPPI GOPHER FROGS -- In response to a lawsuit and advocacy by the Center for Biological Diversity, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today designated 6,477 acres of protected critical habitat for endangered Mississippi gopher frogs. The critical habitat, which includes areas in both Mississippi and Louisiana, is more than three times the acreage proposed by the Service in 2010 > go to: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2012/mississippi-gopher-frog-06-11-2012.html

90 PERCENT OF ENDANGERED SPECIES RECOVERING ON TIME > Wolves, Whooping Cranes, Panthers, Sea Lions Among Species in All 50 States Improving Because of Endangered Species Act > A new Center for Biological Diversity analysis of 110 endangered species finds that 90 percent are on track to meet recovery goals set by federal scientists. The review examined population trends of plants and animals protected by the Endangered Species Act in all 50 states, including gray wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains, Florida panthers, Aleutian Canada geese and California condors. Again and again, the analysis finds species on a positive trajectory toward recovery — and in some cases exceeding expectations > go to: http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2012/esa-success-05-17-2012.html

CENTER FOR BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY PRESS RELEASE ARCHIVE
http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/index.html

PLAN TO RECYCLE $300 BILLION WORTH OF SPACE DEBRIS -- NASA is talking about using a ground-based robotics system and eventually they hope to set up a satellite servicing station. Smaller particles can be destabilized by firing lasers so that they plunge out of orbit and burn up. The challenge for the future, would be using advanced materials technology to ensure that future space crafts can be easily recycled > go to: http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/plan_to_recycle_300_billion_worth_of_space_debris/

FIFTY NEW EXOPLANETS DISCOVERED
http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/fifty_new_exoplanets_discovered/

GLOBAL ALLIANCE AIMS TO TACKLE FOREST CRIME http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/global_alliance_aims_to_tackle_forest_crime/

NASA GLOBAL DEFORESTATION ALERT TOOL -- The global forest disturbance alert system is a new deforestation fighting tool which offers the potential to pinpoint areas that are being deforested on a quarterly basis > go to: http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/global_deforestation_alert_tool_developed_from_nasa_satellite_imagery_launc/ 

FRANCE PROPOSES BANNING PESTICIDE LINKED TO BEE COLLAPSE -- Following research linking neonicotinoid pesticides to the decline in bee populations, France has announced it plans to ban Cruiser OSR, an insecticide produced by Sygenta > go to: http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/after_damning_research_france_proposes_banning_pesticide_linked_to_bee_coll/

HAWAII FIRST STATE TO BAN PLASTIC BAGS AT CHECKOUT
http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/hawaii_first_state_to_ban_plastic_bags_at_checkout/

WORLD'S LARGEST PRESERVE FORMING IN AFRICA -- Five nations in Africa have come together to create the world’s largest conservation area for wildlife > go to: http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/index.php/news/article/worlds_largest_preserve_forming_in_africa/

GREAT NEWS NETWORK
http://www.greatnewsnetwork.org/

5 PIECES OF GOOD NEWS FROM PLANET EARTH
http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2012/04/good-news-stories-earth-day