Weekly Uplifting Stories - August 7th, 2023

Welcome back to another set of Uplifting Stories! 

I don't know about you, but I'm seeing more and more of these positive news stories in my social media feeds. It could be a happy, algorithmic coincidence, but I like to believe the quiet movement of kindness is still a strong undercurrent against all the nastiness in the world we see. 

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” ― Ian MacLaren

This week, we have collected inspiring stories about: 

• Scientists who are working on ways to turn humid air into a renewable power source
• Maryland couple spread a message of kindness - one colorful sign at a time
• A little boy mimics a marching band 
• A family raises awareness of alopecia areata through education

‘It was an accident’: the scientists who have turned humid air into renewable power

Imagine being able to run your entire house on the electricity pulled from the humidity in the very air around you? 

It's an actual thing - hygroelectricity - and there have been studies and breakthroughs in the field over the last 8 years. 

More research, funding, studies into environmental impact and how to find the resources to manufacture them all need to happen. However, the fact remains that this could be a possible renewable resource in the years to come. (Think of every muggy place you've been to!)

A team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently published a paper saying they were able to generate a small, continuous amount of electric current from the humidity found in the air. The study's lead author, Professor Jun Yao and his team are now moving their studies forward to further test their findings.

“Lots of energy is stored in water molecules in the air. That’s where we get the lightning effect during a thunderstorm. The existence of this type of energy isn’t in doubt. It’s about how we collect it.” - Professor Jun Yao, University of Massachusetts Amherst¹

Another research group is called the Catcher project, whose vision is based on the collective dream of humanity to get “ENERGY from AIR”.

So far, they have produced a thin grey disc, about 1.5 inches across, that can generate about the same amount of volts. But if you can stack enough of them, they could generate enough electricity to power the average American house. 

Maryland Couple Spreads the Message of Kindness - One Colorful Sign at a Time

In Westminster, Maryland, fiancés Eric Miller and Tina Thomas are on a mission to spread kindness - one sign at a time.

A former woodworker, Eric now uses plywood in a different way than in his former life building houses. He makes custom wooden signs. Their Infinite Love Project started when the couple decided to start hanging the colorful signs around town. The message is simple: BE KIND. 

"The negative, angry people - they're loud. But, there's more of us and we just got to help raise our voice. We just want to make it a kinder world." - Tina Thomas²

Picked up and quickly supported by their local music and yoga community, people started seeing them everywhere, from main street to people's porches, utility poles to shop windows.

7,000 signs later, the couple are still going - with signs popping up in Baltimore, Annapolis, Dublin, New Orleans' Bourbon Street, Alaska, Maine and Canada.  

As they say, sometimes, you just need a sign. 

You can follow Eric and Tina's mission on their Instagram page. 

Little Boy Mimics the Marching Band

This should make you smile! 

In this adorable video, a little boy, dressed in a marching band uniform carries a little trumpet as he watches an actual marching band perform at Disneyland. He jumps up and down with excitement as the band approaches, and then quickly gets into playing formation as they start to play. 

Throughout the video, you can see him swaying, playing his little trumpet and ultimately, copying all the dance moves, instrument changes and movements as they play their collection of songs. 

I highly recommend watching! Is it a preview of what's to come for a budding musician? 

Teaching Others About Alopecia Areata Helps Kids & Teachers Understand the Condition

Alopecia areata is an auto-immune condition that attacks the body's hair follicles. About 7 million Americans have this condition. 

First grader Joshua Hernandez started losing patches of hair at the age of 3. Now 6, he tells people 'his body just doesn't like hair'. Mom Melanie wants others to know it's not contagious and it doesn't affect other parts of the body - your hair just falls out. 

Joshua's sisters Jasmine and Giuliana are very protective of him - they're always there for their little brother. If they see people pointing or talking about Joshua, they are sure to approach and answer questions, making sure to educate others and help their little bro.

Joshua's mom also went the extra mile to spread awareness of the condition. She asked visitors from the Children's Alopecia Project to Joshua's school to let the kids ask all kinds of questions. 

Answering questions openly is a key way to help - educating the other children and teachers. 

We have found that with kids of all ages, knowledge is KEY. The more they know about why your child has alopecia, the less likely they will be to tease or make fun of your child. - The Children's Alopecia Project website

The site has a host of helpful resources for anyone looking for support for a child with this condition. 

Have a Great Week Everyone! 

Did you see someone making a difference in the world? 

As always, if you have an uplifting story of your own to share, please comment below the article, or message us on our Instagram account. 

Take care, and see you next week!

1 The Guardian

2 CBS News

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash