💚 Celebrating Humanity 🤝
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Happy Monday 👋
Did you know that more than half a million people work on humanitarian aid across the globe?
And they risk their lives to save others…
Unfortunately, their work has become even more vital in recent years due to the increased frequency of natural disasters, such as hurricanes, in the wake of climate change.
So, today, let’s celebrate the work of these selfless human beings and show them our appreciation!
Here are the impactful insights that I have for you today:
- How to celebrate our humanitarian aid workers 🤝
- Removing your carbon emissions for a day 👣
- The new liquid solution that can remove nano plastics from water 🌊
- The launch of the world’s first commercial hydrogen-powered ferry⛴️
- And more… 💚
🤝 Event of the Week: World Humanitarian Day
👉 Did you know that today (August 19) is World Humanitarian Day? This awareness event was founded to advocate for humanitarianism, an ideology characterized by a dedication to aiding others.
1️⃣ The big picture: World Humanitarian Day was founded by the United Nations in 2008 in response to the 2003 bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, killing 22 humanitarian aid workers including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sérgio Vieira de Mello. Each year, the event focuses on a particular theme to bring together partners from across the humanitarian system and celebrate their dedication and achievements.
2️⃣ Why is this important: Humanitarian aid workers risk their own lives to protect others. In fact, in 2023 alone, 595 aid workers were injured on duty, with 280 deaths and 91 kidnaps. However, no matter the danger, humanitarian aid workers are always on the front line, venturing deep into the disaster-stricken regions that need them most. Furthermore, humanitarian aid workers returning from humanitarian missions have increased symptoms of mental health disorders such as anxiety, depression, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
3️⃣ How can you get involved: One of the best ways you can get involved in World Humanitarian Day is to honor the humanitarian workers in your own communities. Perhaps you can send them a gift basket or organize an event to celebrate their bravery. You can also get involved in an emergency appeal or spread the word through your social media channels.
You can also consider donating to one or more charities that are providing humanitarian aid and helping people in crisis-stricken countries worldwide:
- 10 Best Charities for Humanitarian Aid
- 9 Best Charities for International Aid
- 9 Best Charities That Help Combat Natural Disasters
- 9 Best Charities for Helping Refugees
If you are looking for more inspiration, you can find a wider range of charitable causes to support in our charity support blog.
👣 Thanks A Ton: Helping to Offset Your Carbon Emissions as Part of The Most Impactful Advent Calendar
🎄📅 In case you missed it: We are currently creating The Most Impactful Advent Calendar for you, to provide an impactful alternative to the mainstream Advent calendars that mostly offer short-lived joy through unhealthy sweets or cheap toys!
🤝 And today, I’d like to introduce you to one of our charity partners that will do a good deed in your name: Thanks A Ton!
🫶 Thanks A Ton is an organization on the mission to combine carbon dioxide removal (CDR) with digital greeting cards to help reverse climate change. In this way, they transform the simple act of sending a greeting card into impactful climate action.
👉 Join the waitlist for The Most Impactful Advent Calendar today! After signing up, you’ll also be greeted with a quick questionnaire to share your feedback and input—alternatively, hit “reply” and let me know your thoughts about this project directly via email!
📢 Three Good News
🌊 A new liquid that can remove nano plastics from water:
- Researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia have created a liquid-based solution that eliminates over 98% of nano plastics from water.
- Nano plastics have been linked to respiratory problems and cardiovascular disease in humans, as well as harm marine life. Yet, they are invisible to the naked eye, being smaller in size than the diameter of a human hair.
- Initially, the liquid solvent sits on the water’s surface. Once it has been mixed with the water, it floats back to the surface carrying the nano plastics with its molecular structure.
The new method that could create a more sustainable manufacturing process:
- Scientists at Rice University have developed a new method called flash-within-flash Joule heating (FWF) that has been proven to reduce energy, water, and greenhouse gas usage in the development of synthesized solid-state materials.
- Traditionally, synthesizing solid-state materials, also known as the ceramic method, has been a time-consuming and energy-intensive process that produces harmful byproducts.
- The new FWF method enables gram-scale production of materials in seconds, whilst reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50%.
⛴️ The launch of the world’s first commercial hydrogen-powered ferry:
- The world’s first hydrogen-powered commercial passenger ferry has started operating in San Francisco Bay as part of plans to phase out diesel-powered vessels.
- Currently, the shipping industry produces nearly 3% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change.
- The new 21-meter catamaran called the MV Sea Change is capable of transporting up to 75 passengers along the waterfront, which will be free to board for the first 6 months of operation. In total, the ferry can travel around 550 km and operate for 16 hours before it needs to refuel.
🤝 Three More Important Awareness Events
🏳️⚧️ August 19, Transgender Flag Day:
- Transgender Flag Day celebrates the creation of the transgender flag on August 19, 1999.
- This flag was integral to solidifying a community for and uplifting the voices of the transgender community.
🐒 August 19, International Orangutan Day:
- International Orangutan Day celebrates the unique qualities of orangutans and advocates for their preservation.
- Many orangutan species have declined over the past few decades due to forestation, making this day incredibly important to acknowledge.
❤️ August 20, Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day:
- Southern HIV/AIDS Awareness Day draws attention to those living with HIV/AIDS in the American South, where there is a high concentration of the illness.
- This awareness day promotes more testing facilities and access to health resources in particularly underserved communities in the South.
Related: You can discover all the 65 most important awareness events (for the month, days, weeks) in our awareness calendar for August 2024!
📜 These Days in History
👚 August 19, 1883: French fashion designer Coco Chanel, known for her elegant and casual creations, was born.
👑 August 19, 1274: Edward I was crowned king of England at Westminster
🪐 August 20, 1975: The robotic US spacecraft Viking 1, was finally launched to explore the surface of Mars. Nearly a year later, the device landed on Chryse Planitia, a flat lowland region on the northern hemisphere of the planet.
💭 Quote of the Day
“In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.”
Coco Chanel, French fashion designer
Share the news with your friends to make a bigger positive impact on the world and society together!
Stay impactful 💚
