Good Sustainability News Round-Up, September 2026

Sustainability work can be challenging, occasionally full of set backs and “bad news.” One of our Eco Rep Fellows, Emmett Neal, has put together a round of up good news, “because not everything is bad and not enough attention is brought to the good stuff!” Click the links below if you want to learn more.

1. Brazilian biologist Fernanda Abra creates rope bridges that provide safe crossings for monkeys and other endangered species.
2. The EU bans fashion companies destruction of unsold clothes instead making them discount of reuse them, stopping  textile waste from making it to landfills and incinerators. 
3. Sweden has announced plans to prohibit forever chemicals like PFAS in products by 2028, reducing environmental contamination and health concerns.
4. In Texas 1800 data center projects were halted until audits were completed. This gives time to evaluate the heavy environmental and human impacts these centers cost 
5. A Belgian company called Permifungi creates natural biodegradable packages using mycelium, reducing the use of plastics and other packaging that sticks around with breaking down 
6. Last year’s International Coastal Cleanup 2025 removed 1.3million plastic bottles from our oceans in ONE DAY!
7. Right here in SC, local government and communities worked to get protection for wetlands after federal protections disappeared, saving not only wildlife and nature but these wetlands absorb floodwaters protecting our communities  
8. Making strides on the Internet, Ecosia is a greener browser that functions like Google but give back to environmental causes and plants trees to offset your searches 
9. Last but not least, Eco-Reps is still accepting applications for this semester. Apply now!

Enjoy the good news? Follow the Shi Institute and Furman Eco Reps for more.