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"One of the most important things you can do on this earth is to let people know they are not alone." -- Shannon L. Adler
Hello everyone! When facing challenges, if we sense that we have someone facing it with us, it can actually transform the way we feel about it. That togetherness can make all the difference! In this week’s stories, we learn about people being there for others -- stranded strangers coming together for a road trip, an owner of a pizza place giving away pizza, and a man who makes old pay phones available for anyone to make calls for free. May we always remember that we are connected in a greater flow of life. Wishing you an interconnected week ahead!
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Paje Victoria | Unsplash
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After receiving the news that their flight had been canceled, 13 strangers decided to rent a van and drive together for more than 10 hours in the middle of the night. The decision came after Frontier Airlines passengers waiting at the Orlando airport learned that there would not be another Frontier flight to Knoxville for 48 hours. Instead of sulking or complaining, the passengers took the matter into their own hands. Amy Sadd, one of the stranded passengers, invited anyone to join her in renting a bus or van and drive to Knoxville together. Carlos Cordero, who was going to Knoxville with his fiancee and her daughter for a campus tour at the University of Tennessee, put the rental on his credit card and everyone paid him $60 through cash or Venmo. Despite being total strangers, the group quickly bonded. They enjoyed each other's company and even shared their personal aspirations. After the 652-mile journey, Alanah Story said "I'm happy now to call any of them my friends." She posted video updates of the road trip on TikTok. "We were grateful to have had the experience of being part of something that brought a lot of smiles to people," Michelle Miller, another fellow passenger in the group, said. "We're all different, but we had a great time."
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Kevin Woblick | Unsplash
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The aviation industry set a new target of reducing its carbon emissions to zero by 2050 and is turning to used kitchen oil to reach that goal. Replacing conventional jet fuel with SAF, sustainable aviation fuel or fuel derived from non-fossil sources, is estimated to reduce industry-wide emissions by approximately 80 percent. SAF is predominately used in Europe but efforts are now underway to raise the use of SAF in Asia.
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The Nix Company | Unsplash
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Marc Wilkinson, owner of a pizza place in Edinburgh, has a big plan: he is offering free pizza to everyone who lives in Edinburgh during the month of January. "I'm very happy with my plan because it's a win, win, win for everyone," he said. "The customers benefit, the suppliers benefit and my team of chefs benefit as it gives them more hours of work. He estimates that his plan will cost him about £12,000. And he hopes that those who accept the offer will pay it forward in their own way.
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Joel & Jasmin Førestbird | Unsplash
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With more and more people buying electric cars and storing energy at home, the search is on for sustainable battery materials that are more widely available. A few years ago, a major paper producer in Finland noticed that demand for paper was starting to decline. The company hired engineers to look into the possibility of using lignin, a polymer found in trees, to produce batteries for electric vehicles. They found that they can extract lignin from waste pulp already being produced and then turn the lignin into a carbon anode material. The resulting carbon structure is irregular, which will help in making a battery that can be charged quickly.
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Steve McLaughlin, Iffy Bookstore
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Mike Dank has loved pay phones since he was a teenager. Now one he bought at a flea market 15 years ago can be found outside Iffy Books in Philadelphia, allowing people to make a free call anywhere in the US. After he learned that a group called Futel had installed about 10 free-to-use public pay phones around Portland, Oregon, Dank started PhilTel — a phone collective to convert old donated pay phones into free working phones - and is looking for donations of pay phones, phone booths, telephone cable, routers and pay phone parts. He hopes to place five more around town next year. Each will cost about $300 to install and retrofit for internet use. "Libraries, art spaces, soup kitchens, community centers — I can think of lots of public places that would benefit," he says.
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