Words by Smiley Team
From helping to protect the planet to giving back to those in need – there are lots of people doing good every single day, and it’s our job to find, and share, their stories.
So here’s your weekly round-up of the positive news you might have missed this week.
[Find more positive and inspiring stories on our Smiley News homepage]
We all know fruit, veg and exercise is good for us, but did you know it can actually make us happier, too? Science says so. New research led by the University of Kent and University of Reading found that fruit and vegetable consumption and exercise can increase levels of happiness.
This research is the first of its kind to unravel how happiness, the consumption of fruit and vegetables and exercising are related, rather than generalising a correlation. Professor Kambhampati said: “There has been a bigger shift in recent years for healthier lifestyle choices. To establish that eating more fruit and vegetables and exercising can increase happiness as well as offer health benefits is a major development. This may also prove useful for policy campaigns around environment and sustainability.” Read the full study here.
[Read more about the science behind happiness]
An exciting new ‘Sustainable Futures’ exhibit has been launched in Flintshire-based education activity centre, DangerPoint, thanks to £35,000 funding from the Scottish Power Foundation. It’s an interactive space-themed display to help children and young people learn how to live a sustainable life and support climate change action.
The exhibit takes off with a ‘Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Rocket’ display which takes children on board a space rocket to virtually sort types of rubbish into recycling and waste bins in a group challenge set against the clock. The new feature supports the Welsh Government’s target of becoming a zero-waste nation by 2050 by moving towards a circular economy of reducing, reusing and recycling. Find out more here.
The UK has taken steps to ban the shark fin trade, announcing it will stop all importation and exportation of shark fins, as well as any products containing shark fins.
This is great news, as many species of shark face significant population pressures. Out of over 500 species of shark, 143 are listed as ‘under threat’ under the International Union for Conservation of Nature – with different species ranging from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘critically endangered’. Read the government release on the announcement here.
The manufacturer of the world’s first hydrogen-powered double deck bus unveiled two new single deck zero-emission buses this week. Jo Bamford, Wrightbus executive chairman, said: “At Wrightbus, we’re proud to be at the very forefront of zero-emission bus manufacturing.
“The creation of our new single-deck hydrogen and single-deck electric battery buses means Wrightbus is proud to be the only UK manufacturer currently able to offer four zero-emission vehicles to the market - which include the Hydroliner, the first hydrogen double decker bus in the world.”
Being kind to one another – even in a really small way – can really boost people’s mood. A new study, published by Dr. John-Tyler Binfet and Dr. Sally Stewart at the University of British Columbia, found including of a kindness assignment in an undergraduate course impacted student perceptions of themselves, their peers, and their campus.
[Read the story behind a selfless woman's crochet kindness stars]
For the study, the students completed 353 kind acts with themes of helping others, giving, demonstrating appreciation and communicating. “We know being kind yields a number of wellbeing benefits, such as stress reduction, happiness and peer acceptance, and we know mental health impacts learning,” says Dr. Binfet.
