Good News from the Resistance: Remember the good ‘ole days, back in the Reagan Administration, when a president who wanted to flip the bird at environmentalists simply ripped the solar panels off the White House roof? Today, the panoply of world-destroying actions our Climate Denier-in-Chief has in his treasure chest surely makes him giddier than a VIP pass to ADULTCON. The Good News? Democrats and swing voters are finally putting the environment at the top of the issues they care about. Cities, states, environmental groups and private sector companies are finding creative ways to fill in the gaps and mitigate the damage until the current resident of the White House is little more than a nasty stain in our collective memory.
Los Angeles, the second largest U.S. city, just launched its own Green New Deal, speeding up its efforts to have a carbon-neutral economy by 2050. Judicially, the state of California has emerged to be a formidable opponent to the White House’s efforts to dismantle Obama-era environmental regulations; federal judges have sided with the state and environmental groups in the majority of cases concerning air pollution, pesticides, and oil and gas extraction. Maine just became the first state to ban single-use Styrofoam. 187 countries signed an agreement to limit plastic waste pollution. And the nation’s top environmental groups recently joined forces to create GiveGreen, a fundraising platform to support candidates committed to accelerating action on climate change.
Clever scientists and everyday do-gooders continue to come up with lifelines. In Iceland, carbon sequestration technology, Carbfix, is capturing CO2 emissions from a power plant and turning it into stone. Last week, plant-based food company Beyond Meat enjoyed a wildly successful IPO, raising hundreds of millions for its expansion, while combatting the negative environmental impact of animal agriculture with a vegan product that tastes shockingly like real meat. And in Brazil, a single family has spent the last 20 years planting over 2 million trees in a deforested cattle ranch, which today is home to 293 species of trees, 172 species of birds, 33 species of mammals, and 15 species of reptiles and amphibians.
Our favorite environmental Good News of all? Last month, green-powered energy created more electricity than coal-powered plants in the U.S. Which means that despite our Coal Enthusiast-in-Chief’s best efforts, we’re moving in the right direction. As it turns out, there’s a growing market for renewable energy. Coal? Not so much. Hats off, once again, to our brilliant businessman president.
Yes, there’s even more Good News from the Resistance:
- Know that the Obamas are working on your Netflix watchlist
- Buy this board game
- Be grateful that Letitia James is on the case
- Smile as you watch this graduation tear-jerker
- Thank Microsoft for developing this software to protect your vote
- Count the criminal probes our Liar-in-Chief is facing
- Be impressed by the undocumented students graduating from Harvard
- Clap for Chobani Yogurt’s free lunch
- Don’t be shocked by this GoFundMe Build-the-Wall campaign update
- Take Action: Take this survey to help Indivisible set this year’s priorities
Sign Up. Show Up. Never Give Up.
WE 
THAT THE OBAMAS ARE MAKING MOVIES
What would you do if you could do anything? The Obamas have created Higher Ground Productions, and they’re producing films.
WE WHEN YOUNG PEOPLE TAKE THEIR GAMES TO THE SUPREME COURT
A family hobby turned into a game worthy of the Supreme Court.
WE THAT LETITIA JAMES IS SAVING OUR DEMOCRACY
James is the first woman and the first African-American to hold the position of NY Attorney General. In a few short months she’s earned the reputation of being one of the country’s most aggressive anti-special interest litigators.
WE A GOOD GRADUATION STORY
Bet you can’t watch this video without crying. Or at least “welling up.”
WE THAT MICROSOFT CREATED THIS OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE
Now the challenge is getting it into use before 2020.
WE WHEN THE LIAR-IN-CHIEF IS PROBED
With all the news about the Mueller report, sometimes the news of these investigations gets lost. Don’t forget about them.
WE THAT HARVARD IS LAUDING ITS UNDOCUMENTED STUDENTS
Imagine what it takes for an undocumented immigrant to get into, get through, and graduate from Harvard. These students did it – with the help of faculty and staff.
WE WHEN COMPANIES STEP UP
Student lunch debt is becoming “a thing.” And so is stepping up and paying it for people who can’t afford to do so themselves.
WE THAT THIS (PRICEY) EFFORT IS FAILING
The creator of the GoFundMe campaign to build “the Wall” is looking a lot like Humpty Dumpty.
WE TAKING ACTION: Take this survey.
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