Happy Friday 👋

Did you know ice might be nature’s secret battery?

Scientists just uncovered hidden electrical behavior in plain frozen water: it can create electricity when it bends…

This not only helps explain how lightning starts but could also inspire new tech that actually works in the cold!

Here are the impactful insights that I have for you today:

• How ice generates electricity when bent ❄️
• The new plastic recycling catalyst that eliminates the need for sorting ♻️
• How a volunteer-led food rescue network saves 250 million pounds from landfills 🥗
• Discussion of the week: cutting food waste 💬
• And more… 💚

❄️ Common Ice Found to Generate Electricity When Bent, Solving Lightning Mystery

1️⃣ The big picture: Researchers from multiple international institutions have made a surprising discovery about one of Earth’s most common materials. They found that ordinary ice possesses flexoelectric properties, generating electricity when bent or unevenly deformed. This discovery places ice alongside sophisticated electroceramic materials used in modern technology. Beyond technical applications, the finding potentially solves a longstanding mystery about how lightning forms during storms, as the flexoelectric behavior may explain how ice particles in clouds become electrically charged before lightning strikes.

2️⃣ Why is this good news: This breakthrough transforms our understanding of a substance covering vast portions of our planet. The dual electrical properties discovered in ice – flexoelectricity at normal temperatures and ferroelectricity at extremely cold temperatures – open new possibilities for developing electronic devices that could be fabricated directly in cold environments. The research also provides valuable insights into natural phenomena like thunderstorm formation. Additionally, understanding these properties could lead to innovative applications in sensors, capacitors, and other technologies currently relying on manufactured electroceramic materials.

3️⃣ What’s next: Researchers are already exploring how to exploit ice’s electrical properties for real-world applications. Though still early in development, this discovery could lead to new electronic devices using ice as an active material. Scientists will likely continue investigating how these properties might be optimized and integrated into technologies specially designed for cold environments.

📢 Three More Good News

♻️ New Plastic Recycling Catalyst Eliminates Need for Sorting, Even Handles PVC:

• 📰 The quick summary: Northwestern University researchers developed a low-cost nickel catalyst that can break down mixed plastic waste without pre-sorting, converting common polyolefins into valuable oils and waxes while even handling PVC contamination.
• 📈 One key stat: The new catalyst targets polyolefin plastics that make up nearly two-thirds of global single-use plastic consumption, potentially addressing millions of tons of waste currently sent to landfills.
• 💬 One key quote: “One of the biggest hurdles in plastic recycling has always been the necessity of meticulously sorting plastic waste by type. Our new catalyst could bypass this costly and labor-intensive step for common polyolefin plastics, making recycling more efficient, practical, and economically viable than current strategies.”

🦪 Oysters Capture 2.4 Times More Carbon Than They Release, New Study Finds:

• 📰 The quick summary: New research from China reveals that oysters capture 2.4 times more carbon than they release during shell formation, offering a potential nature-based solution for combating climate change and ocean acidification.
• 📈 One key stat: Moderate densities of 1-2 oysters per square meter can sequester more than twice as much carbon as they release when forming their shells, making them effective carbon sinks in marine environments.
• 💬 One key quote: “This is indeed a very interesting and ambitious study, probably one of the most compelling in the field,” Fabrice Pernet, a researcher with the French Institute for Research on the Exploitation of the Sea, told Mongabay in an email.

🥗 Volunteer-Led Food Rescue Network Saves 250 Million Pounds from Landfills:

• 📰 The quick summary: Food Rescue Hero initiative has saved 250 million pounds of food from landfills, transforming it into millions of meals while preventing 450 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
• 📈 One key stat: 25,000 volunteer drivers have prevented 102 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions through food rescue, equivalent to removing 4,043 cars from roads for a year.
• 💬 One key quote: “We were founded on the principle that people are wired for good, and our Food Rescue Hero community has validated that belief many times over.”

📢 Even More Good News Headlines From This Week

🧋 Scientists make plastic that eats carbon

🐒 The Ecuadorian government announces the establishment of a new wildlife corridor

🏡 Urban greening is helping Singapore bounce back from widespread forest loss

☀️ How California is turning canals into clean energy highways

🇨🇳 How China’s new gas turbine can reduce 1 million tons of emissions

🐨 How a chlamydia vaccine can save koalas from extinction

💬 Discussion of the Week: Cutting Food Waste

Welcome to our new section, where we spark meaningful discussions about everyday topics that can create a real positive impact in our lives!

This week’s discussion topic: What’s one way you’ve cut food waste at home or away?

• Which small habits helped you waste less (meal planning, storage, sharing)?
• Why does reducing food waste matter to you—cost, climate, or ethics?
• What’s a simple idea others could try this week?

Your tips could help us save money and the planet, one meal at a time!

For our founding community members, keep the conversation going in our forum here.

Want to join our community when we reopen? Just reply to this email—I’d love to personally add you to our waitlist so you’ll be the first to know all about it 💚

🤝 Important Awareness Events at a Glance

🚮 September 20, World Cleanup Day: 

• World Cleanup Day is the biggest civic movement in human history, uniting nations worldwide to create a cleaner planet by setting up local trash cleanups. 
• This event is a unifying movement that transcends borders, cultural differences, and even conflicts, supporting volunteers and global partners to clean up litter and raise awareness of the global mismanaged waste crisis. 
• This observance fights to harness humanity’s power to achieve incredible things by joining together, from citizens to businesses and governments.

☮️ September 21, International Day of Peace:

• International Day of Peace is a designated 24-hour cease-fire dedicated by the UN in honor of peace throughout the world.
• With so many conflicts going on in the world today, this day is a crucial reminder of the power of peace. 

☀️ September 21, Zero Emissions Day:

• Zero Emissions Day advocates for an end to harmful emissions by campaigning to stop emissions for a day.
• Participants take on the challenge to see what it’s like to go without emissions and to envision a world without pollution. 

Related: You can discover all the 119 most important awareness events (for the month, days, weeks) in our awareness calendar for September 2025!

📜 These Days in History

🇳🇿 September 19, 1893: New Zealand grants women the vote, being the first country to do so. This paved the way for other countries to do the same. 

🇿🇦 September 20, 1989: F.W. De Klerk was sworn in as the president of South Africa. He was the leader who saw the official end of apartheid, preceding Nelson Mandela. 

🇧🇿 September 21, 1981: Belize gained independence from Britain, marking the beginning of their era as an independent nation. 

💭 Quote of the Day

“Do not think your single vote does not matter much. The rain that refreshes the parched ground is made up of single drops.”

― Kate Sheppard; Leader of the New Zealand women’s suffrage movement

Share the news with your friends to make a bigger positive impact on the world and society!

Stay impactful 💚