February has had some global and local sad moments. The news hasn’t been all fun and games and there have been some not-so-spectacular events as of late, that have even got me down, and I barely look at the news as it is.

So today’s monthly round-up feels more important than ever. There are hard times. There are bad things. There are incredibly sucky, overwhelmingly upsetting news stories that will make their way to you whether you have your eyes open or not.

But there’s also the good. There’s also the great. There’s also the wildly, beautifully incredible. Because humans don’t all suck. There are some out there trying to do better for this planet, for you, and some who want to make spaces more welcoming, more inviting, so that everyone feels safe and comfortable and loved.

So let’s take two minutes to sit down, breathe deeply, and read about the good news February had to deliver us. And there is some really good news.

• Spain passed a law allowing anyone over sixteen to change their registered gender
• Spain passed a law entitling all workers to paid menstrual leave (the first country in Europe to do so)
• Spain also expanded abortion laws and will be providing free period products in schools and prisons. What a good month for Spain.
• Red Squirrel population may be increasing in Scotland
• Brazil is taking further measures to prevent the deforestation of the Amazon rainforest
• Nordic Danske bank will no longer be financing fossil fuels
• Britain’s lost rainforests can regenerate, and just might with some conservation effort
• Eighty-year-old Romanian folk singer has created an album to fund habitat restoration
• For the first time, Australia has blocked a coal mine – it was planned to be built near the Great Barrier Reef
• Natwest to stop financing fossil fuels
• Wales has announced it will only support road building efforts that cut emissions and encourage active travel or public transportation 
• A low-traffic neighbourhood scheme has reduced crime by more than a third in a London area
• First-of-its-kind study on citizen science has revealed increased wellbeing after taking part in nature-based activities
• A study revealed that avalanches increase biodiversity by creating unique habitats for birds
• Lead shots banned for hunting in all 27 EU nations, as well as Iceland, Norway and Lichtenstein, due to wildlife pollution.
• Bournemouth has reduced litter up to 75% using AI and positive intervention
• Australia has recognised the therapeutic and medicinal uses of psychedelics
• World mobilization for the Turkey-Syria Earthquake appeal
• Brazil operation to oust illegal mining from indigenous and rainforest lands is underway
• Ancient woodland in Lewisham saved from development by a community-fundraising effort
• Home HIV tests that give results in 15 minutes made available in England
• Pioneering degree in sustainable futures launched in Wales
• Renewables will become the planet’s biggest source of energy by the middle of the decade
• …And all the good news under this link. So much good news. Loads
  

Feeling a little more positive? I hope so. If not, take five minutes to have a dance party wherever you are, be it your bedroom, office, or local bus stop. That always makes me feel better.

By Bethany Climpson, Sustainability Engagement Assistant