Happy Wednesday 👋

Merry Christmas and happy holidays, everyone!

Did you know that concrete may soon have competition?

From bricks that grow, repair themselves, and fight climate change…

Scientists are harnessing living fungi and bacteria to create a self-healing building material that could reshape construction forever.

This means that houses that heal themselves could be closer to reality than you think!

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

• A living alternative to concrete that could cut construction emissions 🧱
• How a portable DNA test is exposing illegal shark fins 🦈
• The plant that could save chocolate from climate change 🍫
• Discussion of the week: a meaningful festive season 💬
• And more… 💚

🧱 Scientists Create Living Bricks That Can Heal Themselves

1️⃣ The big picture: Researchers at Montana State University have developed a new type of engineered living building material that combines fungi and bacteria to create lightweight bricks capable of self-repair. The material uses fungal mycelium as a porous scaffold, which is then mineralized by bacteria that produce calcium carbonate, the same substance found in limestone and shells, making the structure much stronger. Unlike earlier “living” materials that only lasted days, both the fungus and bacteria in this new material remained alive for at least four weeks, giving it real potential to heal cracks or adapt over time. This is a major step forward, as most previous versions were too weak or short-lived for construction use.

2️⃣ Why is this good news: This innovation is important because cement production accounts for roughly 7–8% of global CO₂ emissions, and construction waste is a massive environmental problem. Living bricks are grown at low temperatures using fungi and bacteria, not fired in massive kilns, which means far lower energy use and emissions. Even replacing part of conventional concrete could have a big climate impact.

3️⃣ What’s next: While the technology is still in early stages and not yet strong enough for large buildings, scientists see near-term uses in lightweight panels, temporary structures, and niche construction applications. With further testing and improvements, self-healing, biologically grown building materials could eventually become part of a more sustainable construction future.

📢 More Good News…

🐄 Brazil tests deforestation-free beef with new certification:

• Brazil is launching the world’s first deforestation-free beef certification, called Beef on Track (BoT), to bring more transparency and accountability to beef supply chains.
• BoT has four certification tiers—bronze, silver, gold, and platinum—that progressively tighten requirements around deforestation, labor rights, and supply-chain traceability. Lower tiers focus on direct suppliers, while the highest tier (platinum) requires a fully deforestation-free supply chain, including indirect suppliers.
• Overall, the BoT label represents a promising step toward reducing deforestation linked to cattle ranching in Brazil, with its success depending on widespread adoption, rigorous enforcement, and sustained demand from global buyers.

🦈 How a portable DNA test is exposing illegal shark fins: 

• Diego Cardeñosa, a shark conservation scientist, has developed a portable DNA testing kit that allows inspectors to identify shark species from fins on the spot, helping crack down on illegal shark fin trade. 
• Originally designed to identify a handful of protected shark species, the technology has evolved to distinguish more than 80 shark and ray species in a single test. The low-cost, backpack-sized system is now being used in multiple countries, including Hong Kong, the US, Brazil, Peru, Sri Lanka, and Tanzania.
• Cardeñosa hopes to expand the technology globally and adapt it to combat trafficking of other wildlife beyond sharks.

🍫 The plant that could save chocolate from climate change: 

• Researchers at National University of Singapore have developed new enzyme-based techniques that significantly improve the taste of carob, a hardy and climate-resilient plant, turning it into a more realistic and sustainable alternative to cocoa.
• Carob trees thrive in hot, dry conditions and require far less water than cocoa trees, making them much better suited to a warming climate. The goal is to help protect the future of chocolate as climate change, rising temperatures, and crop diseases increasingly threaten cocoa production.
• If adopted at scale, this innovation could diversify chocolate supply chains, lower costs, reduce pressure on cocoa farms, and make the chocolate industry more resilient to climate change.

💬 Discussion of the Week: A Meaningful Festive Season

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 does a “meaningful” festive season look like to you?

• Which moments or values matter most to you during this time?
• How do you personally define meaning beyond gifts or traditions?
• What’s one intentional choice that makes these days feel special?

Share your experience and help us all reconnect with what truly matters!

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

❤️🖤💚 December 26-January 1, Kwanzaa:

• Kwanzaa was created in 1966 by the American black separatist Maulana Karenga and his Organization Us after the Watts riots. 
• After its creation in California, Kwanzaa spread across and outside the United States, in countries like Jamaica, France, Canada, and Brazil. 
• Since the 90s, US Presidents have made official declarations marking this holiday. Nowadays, many African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa in addition to Christmas. 

🎄 December 25, Christmas Day: 

• Christmas Day honors the birth of Jesus and is a worldwide celebration that incorporates many pre-Christian and pagan customs into the festivities. 
• Traditions for many nations include caroling, gift-giving, decorating with Christmas lights, and installing the Christmas tree. Additionally, figures such as Santa Claus, Father Christmas, and Saint Nicholas are associated with bringing gifts to children on this day.
• Above all, this is a time that encourages social unity and enjoyment of loved ones, reuniting friends and family in many community events. 

💉 December 27, International Day of Epidemic Preparedness: 

• This day promotes investment in health infrastructure and emergency planning for D-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever for all governments and peopepidemics. 
• In light of the recent COVIle to have epidemic plans. 

Related: You can discover all the 50 most important awareness events (for the month, days, weeks) in our awareness calendar for December 2025!

📜 These Days in History

♥️🖤💚December 26, 1966: The first celebration of Kwanzaa officially began. This holiday was an important landmark in celebrating African American heritage. 

⛵ December 27, 1831: Charles Darwin set sail from Plymouth aboard the HMS Beagle for a five-year voyage that would lead to his theory of evolution. 

💭 Quote of the Day

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

― Charles Darwin; English naturalist, geologist, and biologist best known for developing the theory of evolution.

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

Stay impactful 💚