👋Let's end this week on a good note.
Supporting our o2 mamas, banks but ones we like (👀), India playing to win, and A.I. joining the med school batch of 2023.
This is what’s been cookin’😋👇
🌲Support System for our O2 Mamas:
A company striving to revolutionize lumber production for construction purposes has discovered a novel alternative to traditional trees. Utilizing advanced molding and laminating techniques, they've found that fibers from specific grass varieties can be just as strong as traditional lumber, yet lighter and faster to produce.
The startup, Plantd, was founded by Josh Dorfman and two former SpaceX engineers. Their flagship product is a conventional-looking pressed wood panel for home construction only it’s made from a rapidly growing type of grass that can sequester up to 30 tons of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis in its lifetime.
With the ability to be harvested three times per season, compared to once every 20 years for pine wood, Plantd has the potential to significantly reduce the cost of lumber for homebuilding and increase the carbon capture capacity of the timber industry.
Click here to learn more.
🏦They Started a Bank, but Nothing Like the Ones you Know…
Entrepreneurs in New England have come up with a novel approach to support sustainable and local agriculture - they established a bank.
Walden Mutual Bank, newly approved by the FDIC, is reviving the mutual savings bank concept to channel the community's savings towards supporting food operations that aim to steer US agriculture in a positive direction.
What sets Walden apart from other banks is that traditional banks invest their clients' deposits in various projects, some of which may not align with the customers' values, such as industrial agriculture, lab-grown meat, or fossil fuel extraction.
Walden customers can have peace of mind knowing that their funds are only utilized to provide loans for local agriculture initiatives, like Monadnock Berries, a pick-your-own fruit orchard in Troy, New Hampshire, founded by UK immigrants in 1995.
In addition, Walden Mutual Bank offers standard banking services such as credit, debit, and savings accounts, referred to as the "Grow Local" accounts. The interest rate is competitive, and every account holder receives an annual summer dividend, based on their deposit amount, to spend at any number of partner farms, dairies, pastures, or orchards.
Click here to learn more.
👀India’s Makin’ Moves:
India has made a bold move towards a greener future with its recent budget allocation towards clean energy initiatives. In the recent federal budget speech, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a massive $8 billion investment towards projects that will help reduce carbon emissions and promote renewable energy. This includes mangrove restoration, converting waste into biogas, and accelerating the implementation of clean energy projects.
The Minister stated that the allocation of 35,000 crore rupees ($4.3 billion) through the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas will play a critical role in India's journey towards becoming a net-zero emitting nation by 2070. Currently, India is the world's third-highest emitter of greenhouse gases.
This allocation is part of the government's larger $550 billion budget aimed at boosting economic growth and job creation, and the finance minister highlighted the importance of clean energy for the economy and job creation in her speech. With these new funds, India takes on the challenge of creating a sustainable future.
Click here to learn more.
🩺A.I. in Med School?!
AI just got cooler. Researchers at MIT (you know, the smart people from Massachusetts Institute of Technology) have created a brand-new artificial intelligence (AI) deep learning model that's a real game-changer in the world of cancer detection.
Lung cancer is an incredibly serious condition - it's actually the deadliest cancer in the world, causing more deaths than the next three cancers combined. Sadly, it's also super tricky for doctors to spot early on using traditional scanning techniques. But now, there's new hope on the horizon.
Introducing 'Sybil' - MIT's state-of-the-art lung cancer prediction model. What makes this system so special is that it can use just a single low-dose CT scan to predict an individual's lung cancer risk up to six years in advance. Pretty cool, right?
Up until now, predicting lung cancer risk has required a combination of demographic data, clinical risk factors, and radiologic annotations. But with Sybil, all it takes is one simple scan. This could revolutionize the way we detect and treat lung cancer, making it easier to catch the disease early and save countless lives.
Overall, this new technology is a huge step forward in the fight against lung cancer. With Sybil on our side, we can look forward to a brighter future where early detection and effective treatment are more accessible than ever before.
Click here to learn more.
🤔Did You Know?
Today, i.e., February 19, 1919, the Pan-African Conference was held in Paris, and it marked a significant moment in African history. Its primary goal was to demand independence for Africa's colonies and greater representation for Africans across the world.
Even today, the conference's impact can still be felt, as it serves as a reminder of the importance of unity and collective action in the struggle for African independence.
🗞️Liked what you read?
Subscribe to The Good Bulletin for free.
Only good news that’s 100% real.
Delivered weekly. Straight to your inbox.
We know the world needs it.
Have a fantabulous next week my fellow readers! <3
awesome stuff as usual, keep it up!