Good news for humankind!

From the week of September 25 – October 1 2023 C.E.

#1

Harvard University inaugurates Claudine Gay as school’s first Black president

Gay received her Ph.D. in government from Harvard in 1998 and joined the Harvard faculty in 2006. She previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. She is now the President of perhaps the world’s most prestigious university.

#2

World Bank approves $365 million USD for advancing girls and women empowerment in Africa

The SWEDD+ project has the potential to directly benefit over 2 million vulnerable girls aged between 10 to 19 years old who are at risk of child marriage, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, and leaving school in Burkina Faso, Chad, Senegal, The Gambia, and Togo.

#3

Nissan commits to exclusively sell EVs in Europe by 2030

Nissan’s Ambition 2030 aims to globally introduce 27 electrified vehicles, with 19 being EVs, by 2030. Additionally, Nissan plans to implement cobalt-free technology to reduce the cost of EV batteries by 65% by fiscal year 2028.

#4

California becomes third U.S. state to pass right-to-repair legislation

California will now require corporations to offer access to repair resources like parts, tools, documentation, and software for three years for products priced between $50 and $99.99 and seven years for those priced at $100 or higher. The act applies to gadgets and appliances made after July 1, 2021.

#5

U.S.-China collaboration creates the cheapest and fastest way to desalinate seawater yet discovered

“For the first time, it is possible for water, produced by sunlight, to be even cheaper than tap water,” said Lenan Zhang, a research scientist from the team from MIT and Shanghai Jiao Tong University. “This opens up the possibility for solar desalination to address real-world problems.”

#6

Oslo to replace almost all diesel buses with electric buses by end of 2023

Ruter, the public transportation operator for Oslo, announced this week that it expects to take delivery of 137 more electric buses before the end of December 2023. That will make its bus fleet almost 100% electric 4 years ahead of the company’s initial schedule.

#7

New online map tracks threats to uncontacted Indigenous peoples in Brazil’s Amazon

Mobi draws information from public databases, government statistics, and field observations to paint a comprehensive picture of the threats facing uncontacted Indigenous peoples in the Brazilian Amazon. Activists hope the platform will help create a vulnerability index that can promote stronger public policies.

#8

Millions more children to receive free school meals under expanded U.S. program

At schools where 25% of families participate in income-based public benefits, such as the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, the U.S. federal government now will cover the cost of free meals for all enrolled students. Previously, the qualifying threshold was 40%.

#9

Indigenous community fighting a mine in The Philippines wins a milestone legal verdict

In a move celebrated as a victory by an Indigenous community that since 2005 has been fighting plans to mine nickel in a protected area, the Philippine Supreme Court issued a verdict mandating the company and government agencies involved in the project to address Indigenous concerns about forest destruction.

#10

World’s first drug to regrow teeth enters clinical trials

Japan’s Toregem Biopharma is slated to begin clinical trials in July of next year after it succeeded growing new teeth in mice five years ago. If successful, the medicine could be available for regulatory approval by 2030.

Remember

Harvard University is now the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Its influence, wealth, and rankings have made it one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

Imagine

By 2023, dozens of states already offered free college at community colleges, public 4-year colleges, and tribal colleges. The College For All Act made this benefit available to all Americans, greatly expanding access to education and preventing crippling debt for millions.

Your gifts to the world

Each of us is born with gifts: the skills and capacities at which we naturally excel. For some, they are intellectual. For others, they are artistic. For others, they are interpersonal or simply in their humor, compassion, patience, etc. But everyone has gifts.

We usually think of these as gifts from God, life, or the universe. We call them gifts because we know we can’t really take credit for them. We were simply born with them. They were gifted to us.

But I like to think of it a bit differently. Yes, they were gifted to us. We can’t really take credit. But these gifts are not meant for us. We are just the middle man, the delivery mechanism. They are not just gifts to us. They are ultimately meant as gifts from us.

Sometimes sharing our gifts feels like an indulgence. Many of us hide them away because we don’t want to take up too much space or come off as egotistical or showing off.

But what if we truly saw ourselves as simply shepherding them to their final destination? From that lens, it’s not at all indulgent to share our gifts. In fact, we might actually think of it as selfish or unethical to hold them back from the world. The world needs these gifts. It’s up to each of us to make sure they get delivered.

What are the gifts you are meant to deliver to the world?

Peter Schulte

Purpose & Leadership Coach

Founder & Executive Director, Spark of Genius

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