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With so many things happening in the world, it can be easy to miss small wins and signs of progress. But it is important to remember that each day, people are innovating, advocating for positive change, and driving us to a better future.
When you look beyond the big headlines, you find plenty of reasons to stay hopeful, like these stories:
- Community activists, including a nine-year-old girl, saved a salamander habitat in danger from a new development in Alabama.
- Scientists are getting closer to a universal allergy cure.
- A grant program is enabling young social entrepreneurs to bring big ideas to life, like safe water access in Rwanda, a domestic violence shelter in Mexico, and Venezuela’s first recycling facility.
- A reusable cup experiment in California kept more than 200,000 cups out of landfills.
These are just a few examples of the good that happens when people fearlessly pursue solutions to big problems. We have more positive news below and, in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, we also have a profile of an inspiring duo that is tackling plastic pollution.
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Hope Comes from Taking Action
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Some changemakers get their start young. For childhood friends Miranda Wang and Jeanny Yao, their commitment to the environmental activism began to take root in secondary school in Vancouver. Both Chinese immigrants, the pair co-led the Environment Club, and it didn’t take long for their impact to go beyond composting and community gardening.
Wang and Yao began to pursue better solutions to plastic pollution almost as soon as they became aware of the scale of the problem. By the time they were in their first year of college, they discovered a bacteria that could break down phthalates, a component of plastic.
That discovery led to an award and then a TED Talk in 2013, gaining the girls entry into the universe of tech entrepreneurs and investors. With an initial $50,000 investment, the duo launched a company, Novoloop, from Wang’s dorm room at the University of Pennsylvania. By the time they graduated, they had secured enough grants and venture funding to move to San Jose and open a lab.
Wang and Yao hit a snag early on when they realized their approach wasn’t scalable, but they pivoted and developed new, impactful technology. Today, Novoloop has a pilot plant in India, bringing Wang and Yao closer to achieving their vision of transforming hard-to-recycle plastics into building blocks for new materials.
Their work has earned them several accolades, including the Forbes 30 Under 30, Echoing Green Climate Fellowship, Rolex Awards for Enterprise, and Time’s Top Greentech Companies of 2025.
By taking the leap to launch their business, Wang and Yao are a powerful reminder that change starts with action. In a recent magazine interview, Wang opened up about how taking action has helped her navigate the challenges of entrepreneurship. “…if you don’t try something different and take risks, you will feel like it’s hopeless. It’s the trying that gives you hope.” |
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First U.S. “Green” Stock Exchange Gets the Green Light
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| The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the creation of the nation’s first-ever “green” stock exchange, the Green Impact Exchange. The new exchange expects to open for trading in early 2026, offering sustainably-minded investors a new way to identify companies that align with their values. |
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Early Exposure Key to Increasing Women Entrepreneurship
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| Getting more women into entrepreneurship starts with something simple: making sure girls know it’s a possible career path. A new study of the Danish population found that exposure to entrepreneurs early in life made teen girls more likely to continue their education and manage successful businesses. According to researchers, learning about entrepreneurial jobs between the ages of 13 and 16, when they are considering the next step in their educational journey, is crucial. |
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| 12 Startups Building Sustainable Cities |
| Cities play a key role in bringing together diverse cultures and people to create thriving societies. So it’s no surprise that diverse entrepreneurs are driving the future of cities with sustainable solutions to urban challenges. This video from the World Economic Forum features 12 startups that are making cities more sustainable — all winners of the Yes San Francisco Urban Sustainability Challenge. It’s exciting to see many startups featured, like microgrid developer ElectricFish; GaeaStar, which makes sustainable alternatives to single-use plastic food and drink containers; and Stak Mobility, a developer of vertical parking and EV charging hubs. |
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From Science to Finance: The Influencers Defining 2025
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| Time’s list of the 100 Most Influential People of 2025 is full of familiar faces and lesser-known names of people making big impacts around the world. There’s Christian Happi, striving to eradicate infectious disease in Africa, and Bonnie Y Chan, the first female CEO of the Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing. Other honorees include marine biologist Richard Thompson, who coined the word “microplastics” and has been pivotal in efforts to protect the ocean, and Angeline Murimirwa, who is helping millions of girls go to school as the CEO of CAMFED. Check out the complete list for more inspiring profiles. |
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