Monthly Archives: February 2007

Whats Good??

what ther?
Have good news you want to expose to the World? You are invited to share it! People can always use more good news in their lives, and you could be the bearer of that news.

It’s easy. All you have to do is register a username. Find you’re way around, get cozy with us. Get inspired!
What should you write??? Good Things! It’s fairly simple really. If the subject:

a) deals with good news
b) fits within one of our categories
and or
c) does not contradict a category (for example an ‘Environment’ post wouldn’t say “Yay there’s a flood and we don’t have to go to work!”…..since floods are typically not good news.)

If it inspires you? Write away!

Want to add an image? We encourage that! The best way is to link through a website or flikr account. In your post click on ‘Image URL’ and type in the flikr image link. If at any time you need assistance send us an e-mail at contact@thingsaregood.com

It all begins with an idea. A desire to inform others about meaningful, progressive and great goings on!

Go ahead and do it!

Beer Money for Babies!

May sound a bit strange, but the Labatt family has recently donated the largest philanthropic gift ever made for children’s cardiac medicine and research in North America! Arthur Labatt and his wife Sonia (owners of the Labatt Brewery in Canada) have donated $30 million dollars to Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, known for it’s acceptional cardiac department. The plan is to build the Labatt Family Heart Centre as well as provide additional funding to the Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre, originally created and funded by the beer family in 1997. Having been treated at the hospital himself Arthur Labatt wants to ensure “that we don’t lose the [medical] talent we’ve got here.”

Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children is one of the largest and best centers for childrens medicine in the World. Through their research last year they have been able to reverse type 1 diabetes in mice! Human trials begin this year, and with donations such as this, more important funding can go toward research in their 8 other departments!

Ancient Solution, Modern Problem

Alexander Moseson wrote:

A scientist is resurrecting 4500 year old technology from the pyramids to create a sustainable, environmentally friendly concrete. It produces 90% less CO2 than the standard Portland Cement, which is the second largest producer of CO2 behind fossil fuels. This could have huge applications in modern society, but even better, they hope to use it to provide cheap or free housing to developing communities all over the world.

(Alex is a graduate student working on the project.) Thanks for sharing Alex!

A-Typical Uses for Household Goods

Taking your beer and liqour bottles back to the beer store is a fantastic GREEN option called re-using. Its been around for a while, but North America seems to have forgotten how to do it; opting for a simple trash and replace mindset. Now a new funky eco-chic movement is taking re-use to new heights and its called up-cycling.
 I started thinking about up-cycling a couple of months ago whenever I was going to recycle something (I have a bread bag of trash every 2-3 weeks) and I was amazed at how creative and rewarding it can be. My best upcycles include:

1. Hydroponic watering system from 2L pop bottles
2. Using a wine bottle as a rolling pin
3. Old shirts, cloths, etc as drapes
4. TV or Computer stand stand of aluminum cans
5. Various cat toys

The Environmental Dogs

A fun tidbit: Liberal leader Stephane Dion isn’t the first Liberal to name his dog Kyoto. Turns out David Anderson, who was environment minister before Dion, also bestowed the name Kyoto to his dog. Anderson named one of his schnauzers Kyoto in 2002, a week after the Canadian government solidified the agreement. Dion, on the other hand, named his white husky after the Liberals lost power in the last election.