Photo: Kateryna Hliznitsova/Unsplash (CC0)
In today’s edition: a personalised mRNA cancer vaccine shows promising results in late-stage trials, festivals are finding ways to restore the land they use, and a mobile library is bringing books and creative activities to rural communities in Syria.
A personalised cancer vaccine, combined with an existing drug, has prevented high-risk skin cancer from returning in patients in a clinical trial. Developed by Merck & Co (known as MSD in Europe) and Moderna, the vaccine was given to melanoma patients after surgery.
Source: BBC News
Canada’s planned $70 billion investment in renewable energy could generate enough power to light, heat and cool every home in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver combined – a big step towards the country’s clean energy targets and the largest clean energy investment in North American history.
Source: Euronews
In Gateshead, heat from flooded coal mines is being used to warm homes and public buildings. A council-backed network draws heat from mine workings around 150 metres underground and distributes it through more than five kilometres of pipes. The project is expected to cut carbon emissions by 72,000 tonnes over 40 years.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
Legislation granting terminally ill adults the right to assisted dying has been formally adopted in France after the text was approved by the country’s highest constitutional authority and published in the official journal. It establishes a right to assisted dying for patients suffering from conditions that are assessed as incurable and are causing unbearable pain.
Source: The Guardian
Therapeutic forests are a model for using nature to support wellbeing, with their programmes mixing biodiverse woodland with dedicated spaces for relaxation, varied walking routes and trained forest therapists.
Source: Plant Based News
In Spain’s Basque Country, Mondragón has built one of the world’s largest networks of worker-owned businesses. Founded in 1956, the cooperative federation now employs more than 70,000 people across 92 businesses, spanning industries from retail and education to renewable energy and manufacturing.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
Festivals are increasingly using their platforms to do more than reduce waste. From restoring landscapes to supporting local communities and funding long-term environmental projects, organisers are exploring ways to leave a positive legacy long after the crowds have gone.
Source: Positive News
On the island of Gili Air, a women-led marine conservation programme is tackling two challenges at once: restoring damaged coral reefs and expanding career opportunities for local women. Thanks to conservation and leadership training, participants gain the skills to become long-term stewards of their marine environment.
Source: Reasons To Be Cheerful
In Colombia, subsidies, technical support and efforts to curb armed groups are helping former coca growers switch to crops such as palm oil and cacao. For some smallholders, the transition is bringing greater security, more stable livelihoods and new opportunities for their families whilst helping communities move beyond decades of conflict.
Source: The Guardian
A converted bus is taking books, puppets and art workshops to children in rural communities and camps across Syria. The Mobile Cultural Bus, launched by the Ministry of Culture with volunteer support, offers a practical way to reach families with little access to libraries or safe creative spaces.
Source: Positive News
