Beautiful news to inspire you in June

The summer has arrived, everything’s blooming and we’re thrilled to see so much good news doing the rounds. All you need to do is step away from the mainstream, something our alternative fashion customers are unusually good at, to discover a wonderland of beauty, kindness, green-ness and positive change. Here are some of the best bits, specially chosen to warm your heart.

Rewilding all over the place – bison, storks and beavers

A small herd of bison has arrived in Portugal, brought in to help the country re-wild. The creatures are brilliant at preventing catastrophic wildfires, helping stop the spread of invading species, and driving much better biodiversity. In fact the European wood bison is one of the best tools humanity has for keeping precious wilderness wild. No wonder they’ve been given a warm welcome.

The bison could also do the same excellent job in the UK, so hopefully we’ll be seeing them here before long. In Devon we already have beavers, incredibly skilled water managers who are helping us to deal with climate change-led flooding.

There’s more good news about wildlife, with a white stork recently spotted in our skies. The birds went extinct more than 600 years ago so it’s wonderful to see them back where they belong. The bird was spotted flying over Cheshire, delighting residents.

Warsaw Zoo in Poland originally donated a few birds to the UK’s White Stork Project, some of which are kept at the Cotswold Wildlife Park where they breed. The babies are taken to the Knepp Estate and to Wadhurst Park in Sussex, where they learn how to survive in the English countryside.

Romance is alive and well

Most of us know how wonderful it feels to love someone and be loved in return, whether your special someone is furry or human. Love makes us feel fantastic, like we’re invincible. We feel kinder, more generous, more forgiving, more positive and more excited by the future. And love is actually good for us.

That’s why we adore the feel-good story about the Somerset farmer who recently proposed at sunset to his girlfriend, having mown the enormous words ‘marry me’ into a rich green field of freshly-grown grass. We like his style.

New and exciting ways to beat cancer

A new home test for prostate cancer could spot the disease faster and save lives. It looks for small genetic changes linked to the cancer, which is notoriously hard to identify early. The test has already outperformed the current blood test, which has never been very accurate. It’s simple and cheap, analysing spit to catch the disease early.

At the same time there’s also a new blood test to predict recurring breast cancer in high-risk patients, giving people months or even years of warning of the disease’s return.

No need to dig up any more fossil fuels

Some politicians and businesses say we have to keep using fossil fuels while we transition to green energy. Thankfully they’ve been proved wrong. Existing fossil fuel projects will be enough, according to a team at University College London (UCL) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

The scientists analysed estimated worldwide demand for oil and gas under various scenarios limiting global warming to the all-important 1.5C above pre-industrial levels. They discovered current existing fossil fuel capacity is enough to meet energy demands while we change our wicked ways. According to the International Energy Agency, 2024’s worldwide investment in clean energy will be double what’s spent on fossil fuels, delivering even more fuel for hope.

Thanks to the Good News Network, Positive News and the BBC’s uplifting stories collection for the inspiration. We’ll see you next month. In the meantime we hope you enjoy wearing our gorgeous alternative fashions. It’s a love thing...