GOOD NEWS

Even though the tragedy of Ebola magnifies daily there are some good things happening, and we should throw up our hands in praise. Microsoft's Bill Gates has donated $50 million dollars, and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg $25 million towards fighting Ebola.

Stories abound regarding the selfless work being done by volunteers in Africa, and now in the United States, to assist the vulnerable victims of the dread disease. Here is one story of the healthcare workers such as Doctors Without Borders, who have lost at least 7 of their doctors treating Ebola in Africa, the International Medical Corp, and the difficulties they face daily. These and members of other volunteer organizations lay their lives on the line daily to help their fellow man.

How much better a legacy to die like this than on a foreign battlefield -- saving lives rather than killing people?

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(Save the Children)

The Nobel Peace prize was recently awarded to Malala Yousafzai, the young teenager who survived being shot in the head by the Taliban for publicly supporting girls' education in Pakistan. The prize was shared with Indian children's rights activist, Kailash Satyarthi. The plight of children all over the world deserves the attention and benefits brought through the words and works of these two courageous human beings.

Too many of us take for granted the government-funded educational opportunities available in the U.S. Now we need to implement a system for the college-bound students that doesn't leave them or their families burdened with debt.

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Some politicians go too far to protect their own interests by appeasing their corporate contributors and playing to the uneducated beliefs held by many citizens where climate change is concerned. As the above cartoon points out, they are not scientists. Thankfully, there are many scientists in the world -- both young and old -- who don't pay attention to the politics that deny the earth is getting warmer at a faster pace than ever before, and it is we humans and our technology who are causing it. A few continue to research and invent items that will, or in some cases already are doing so, assist in helping delete the pollution of industry as well as to explore new energy sources and the ways to use them.

"The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities,

But to know someone who thinks and feels with us,

And who, though distant, is close to us in spirit,

This makes the earth for us, an inhabited garden." Goethe

The numbers are growing -- those "who think and feel with us" -- that it is our duty to make certain the earth will be "an inhabited garden" for the generations to come. We must not give up hope that it can and will be done. Here are some innovative ideas that caught my eye recently...

How about flexible, printable solar panels? They can easily be mounted on the sides of buildings as well as many other uses. The video is only three minutes long. 

Printable Solar Panels

The 2013 Science in Action winner for 2013, sponsored by Scientific American as part of the Google Science Fair, was Elif Bilgin, a 16-year old girl from Istanbul, Turkey, who developed a bioplastic from discarded banana peels. Scientific American had this to say about her project: "The ingredients to make Bilgin’s plastic are relatively benign. As she wrote in her entry materials, 'it is possible to say that one could do it at home.' In her research, she learned that starch and cellulose are used elsewhere in the bioplastic industry (such as from the skin of mangoes) and made the leap that banana peels might be suitable feedstock sources as well. She hopes that the use of the bioplastic could replace some of the petroleum-based plastics in use today for such applications as insulation for electric cables and for cosmetic prostheses."

Think of all the banana peels that are going to waste (maybe they are composted?) at our nation's zoos! Read more about Elif Bilgin here: Banana Peels to Plastic

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What drives people more than anything to take risks such as fighting Ebola -- either by hands-on or in the laboratory -- to protest against a repressive government (such as the Hong Kong students have been doing), or to make dramatic lifestyle changes that result in better health? Dr. Dean Ornish has written an excellent article about the recent U.N. Climate Summit where he explores the reasons behind people's actions, and what motivates them. His answer is "Love is more powerful than fear as a sustainable motivator."  (Please read it here: Love Not Fear) He aptly concludes that in order to "fix" climate change it will take love to carry us over the long haul.

It will take many innovators, inventors, and lots of love for our planet and the future of our children to make the strides that are necessary. And every good thing starts with an idea! 

"Ideas are scary..."

(“Green is green,” captures the spirit of GE's aggressive push into clean technology, alternative energy and eco-friendly infrastructure. Daily Reckoning.com)

It goes without saying, we need to support and encourage the innovators in our society. The children of the world should receive the finest of educations and their ideas cultivated. And we need to insist that our politicians pay more attention to the people, the planet, and our future rather than the demands for profits by the large corporations who are guilty of continually despoiling our planet.

Peace and love,

Marilyn