Suicide can be difficult to talk about, but talking about it is the first step to ending it. With September being National Suicide Awareness Month, Nice News’ latest Cause of the Month beneficiary is Stop Soldier Suicide — the only national nonprofit focused solely on solving the issue of suicide among U.S. veterans and service members. The organization has set an aggressive goal to reduce the military suicide rate by 40% no later than 2030, and it’s already making progress: Nearly half of Stop Soldier Suicide clients said that its programs helped prevent an attempt in their life in 2022. Click here to donate and access resources.
Must Reads
If you have today off for Labor Day, consider organizing your digital photos, with this guidance from a professional declutterer
A list of dreamy places to take a dip — from tropical beaches to hidden gems off the coast of Ireland
Science
Is This the Golden Ticket to Sustainable Chocolate?
Jan Sochor/Getty Images
Chocolate lovers (everyone?), this one’s for you. Food scientists in Switzerland have recently discovered a new method to make the world’s most popular candy using the entire cocoa fruit — and without adding any sugar. Developed by a team of researchers at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich, this waste-not recipe differs from the traditional process, which involves extracting the beans and disposing of the rest of the fruit, often left to rot in fields. Instead, the “sustainable cocoa” uses the fruit pulp, juice, and husk to create a tasty treat that reduces waste while eliminating the need for added sweetener, as the juice provides that. Anian Schreiber, a partner for the project and co-founder of a sustainable chocolate startup, told the BBC that using the whole fruit could also address some of the cocoa industry’s problems. Namely, he noted that farmers could “get significantly extra income through utilizing cocoa pulp.” Schreiber explained: “Instead of fighting over who gets how much of the cake, you make the cake bigger and make everybody benefit.”
Together With Roborock
Roborock Isn’t Just About Cleaning Homes
Roborock makes top-of-the-line robot vacuum cleaners, but the brand is about more than just cleaning homes. As it marks its 10th anniversary, Roborock is celebrating the people who clean up after us — parents, pet owners, and loving partners — and show their love through their care. Over the past decade, Roborock vacuums have made their way into 15 million households in more than 170 countries and regions. Click below to explore the different models and learn why the company has been trusted by so many for so long.
Researchers Say International Whaling Commission’s Success Story Is Complete
Kerstin Meyer/ Moment via Getty Images
Much like dating apps are “designed to be deleted,” a sign of a successful conservation organization may be that it’s no longer necessary. That could be the case for the International Whaling Commission, according to Peter Bridgewater, a former leader of the organization, which was founded in 1946 to address the threat of the whaling industry. “As the convention nears its 80th anniversary, we propose that the IWC hands over several pending issues to other conventions and national governments andcloses up shop,” Bridgewater and colleagues wrote in Naturelast week. They note that the commission’s biggest success is in the past — a moratorium it implemented in 1985 has stopped almost all commercial whaling worldwide. With whale populations rebounding and continuing to grow steadily, the group concluded that wrapping things up now would “send a powerful message about the importance of knowing when to stop.” They added: “By exiting with dignity, the IWC would set a powerful example for the international environmental community.”
Environment
NYC Apartment Complex Is Nation’s Largest “Passive House”
Sendero Verde
Passive House is a set of building standards focused on energy efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint. The largest building embodying those standards in the United States is not quite a house, but rather a 709-unit apartment complex in East Harlem, New York. Called Sendero Verde, the affordable housing development is open to low-income and formerly homeless individuals and uses roughly half the energy of a comparable non-passive building, per an article co-published by THE CITY and The Guardian. The insulation, ventilation, high-performance windows, and other energy-efficient measures create an environment that’s clean, quiet, and temperate. “Ideally, this is the way that all affordable housing should be developed,” Sadie McKeown, president of the Community Preservation Corporation, told the outlets. “When you develop something [with] passive house [principles], the benefits to the tenants are great. They get a quieter living environment, they get a healthier living environment and they get lower utility costs. … The buildings just stand up better to extreme weather conditions, whether that’s wind, rain, heat or excess cold.”
In Other News
Green work is on the rise: The U.S. added 142,000 clean energy jobs last year, meaning the sector is growing more than twice as fast as the rest of the energy industry.
Two elephant calves were born at a California zoo within two weeks, marking a “historic milestone” for the breeding program.
ESPN announced a new“Where to Watch” feature for its apps to clear up the confusion about how to stream different events.
Egypt successfully brought home three ancient artifacts after they were smuggled out of the country and discovered in the Netherlands.
Bug Bite Thing This simple “device” is a work of genius in my mind. Aptly named, the Bug Bite Thing uses suction to extract irritants from insect bites and stings. Perfect for easing the itch from those pesky late summer mosquitoes. Though if you ask me in January, I’ll probably be missing the pests. — Ally Mauch, Associate Editor
You might want to grab tissues for this one! A dad made it a tradition to interview his daughter on every first day of school, from kindergarten to 12th grade. In mere seconds, you see her grow older and change career dreams and hairstyles, but one thing remains the same: Her dad always says how much he loves her.
Eyes on Paris
BEHROUZ MEHRI/AFP via Getty Images
All Paralympians have a story, and today we’re sharing Morgan Stickney’s. The Team USA athlete was a nationally ranked swimmer by age 14 and had dreams of making it to the Olympics, but life had other plans. Stickney, now 27, had to undergo below-the-knee amputations on both legs due to a vascular condition that’s so rare it doesn’t have a name (and only one other person in the country has been diagnosed with it). Despite it all, as that little Pixar fish says, she kept swimming, and made it to the international stage for the Tokyo Paralympics, where she won two gold medals. “In my life I’ve done a pretty good job with the curve balls thrown my way,” Stickney said in a Team USA feature article. “You just have to adapt.” Today, she competed in the 400-meter freestyle S7 — her signature event — after beating her own world record at the trials in June. And on Wednesday, she’ll be back in the pool for the 100-meter free S7.
Hear the JLab Difference
Whether you’re a gamer, an athlete, a remote worker, or simply a music lover, JLab has a set of headphones or earbuds suited to your needs. And now is the time to invest in new audio. Today’s the last day to take advantage of JLab’s Labor Day sale: Enjoy 20% off the entire website by using the code LaborDay20 at checkout.
