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California resident Scott Kolbrenner won $145,000 on Wheel of Fortune on March 18, which makes him the fifth biggest winner in Wheel of Fortune’s 46-year history. Now, he has decided to donate every penny to charity. Kolbrenner, who is a financial advisor from Encino, California, sits on the board of directors for Uplift Family services at Hollygrove, which is one of the most comprehensive behavioral health treatment providers in California. He decided to split his winnings, giving $72,500 each to Hollygrove and the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank. "Hollygrove is a wonderful place," said Kolbrenner. "It's dedicated to helping kids excel and grow. And their families as well — mental health and other services for them." When asked what motivated Scott to donate the large sum, he replied: “The fun and memories from the day will stay with me forever, but the urgent need in our community cannot wait.”

The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. This initiative was launched a decade ago by Dutch youth in an effort to address the Pacific garbage patch. In this specific concentrated area, huge amounts of plastic from rivers are flowing into the sea. The goal of the nonprofit is to launch a watercraft in each of the world’s most polluted rivers. The ‘Interceptor’ is a semi-autonomous watercraft developed by the Ocean Cleanup to remove plastic from rivers before it flows into the ocean. Such innovation will catch the plastic along the river’s course, where it is much easier to extract. The Ocean Cleanup now employs 100 engineers and researchers and has plans to depollute the dirtiest rivers, especially in Vietnam, the United States, Jamaica, and Thailand. The Ocean Cleanup just got a rockstar partner. Coldplay is sponsoring the newest ‘Interceptor,’ nicknamed New Moon 1. Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay stated, “Without action, there could be more plastic than fish in the oceans by 2050. We’re proud to sponsor Interceptor 005 which will catch thousands of tons of waste before it reaches the ocean.” This Interceptor is currently being manufactured by The Ocean Cleanup’s partner, Konecranes, in their Malaysia facility, for deployment this spring. The Interceptors are solar-powered barges with an internet connection to allow researchers to gather performance and collection data. Further, the onboard dumpsters automatically notify operators when they become full. They are being deployed all over the world. The first one was launched in 2019 in the Klang River in Kuala Lumpar, one of the most polluted rivers. The second watercraft is located in the Cengkareng Drain in Jakarta and extracts 220,000 pounds of trash per day. The third Inceptor is operating in the Rio Ozama in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. There is a sense of mutual respect between Coldplay and the CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, Boyan Slat. Slat stated, “I’ve long admired the work of Coldplay. They are doing great things to promote a better environment and they are world-renowned for these efforts...and the reach of their voice is immense.” Not only does Coldplay use their voice to make beautiful music, but they are also using it to raise awareness and address the impacts of pollution.

Over the past several years, an increasing number of tourists have ventured to the Himalayas to attempt to reach the summit of Mount Everest. This has led to the routes being filled with plastic bottles, cans, oxygen cylinders, batteries, food wrappers and more. It can be challenging to maintain the garbage collection due to remote access and extreme conditions, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has restricted tourists from visiting many popular travel destinations. So, a climbing community in Nepal saw the pause in tourism as an opportunity and partnered with luxury brand Bally to help preserve the mountains. Bally Peak Outlook is an initiative launched by the Swiss luxury brand to preserve “the world’s most fragile mountain habitats,” according to the website. The “8x8000m” Everest endeavor was led by Dawa Steven Sherpa, a Nepali cimber, environmental activist and tourism entrepreneur. He is responsible for leading expeditions that have removed 22 tons of waste since 2008. Due to the challenging terrain, half of the expedition team was made up of ethnic Sherpa, a group whose unique genetics allow them to withstand extreme mountain environments. In a short documentary released by Bally Peak Outlook on April 1, Steven Sherpa shares more about the expedition. “When we take away garbage from the mountains, it must feel to the gods like taking a thorn out of their finger,” said Steven Sherpa. He refers to Mount Everest as a sacred mountain and “in a way, a life giver, because it brings in a lot of economic opportunity to the entire region.” The team of climbers cleaned from the base camps all the way up to the peaks, leading to an astonishing 2.2 tons of garbage collected. The group hopes that their efforts will inspire and motivate others around the world to do the same once the pandemic is over.  

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One California woman has finally passed the bar exam to become a lawyer after ten years and twelve attempts, all while raising four kids and working full-time, proving that giving up simply isn’t in her vocabulary. Evelyn Uba migrated to the United States from Nigeria in 1983 with the dream of becoming a lawyer, and almost 40 years later, that dream has come true. Thanks to a video that her daughter posted on Twitter, the special moment where Uba found out that she passed has been viewed over 400k times, and strangers everywhere are congratulating her for her hard work.

my mom finished law school in 2011 and has been studying for the california BAR exam while raising 4 kids & working full time for the past 10 years. today? SHE PASSED THE BAR!!!!! ????????????

THAT’S ESQUIRE NOW! pic.twitter.com/GHj8SiqkOP — naeche (@srrytothisman) January 9, 2021

Uba left home in Igboland, Nigeria at the age of 18 to begin college in America, but soon after, her father suffered a stroke, and due to financial difficulties, her path to law school came to a halt. Two decades later, after getting married and starting a family, Uba finally resumed studying at California Southern Law School in 2005. "I never stopped wanting to go to law school," she told "Good Morning America." "After my last child turned 2, I went to a school that I could afford that was conducive to being a mom, going to work and making payments." After graduating in 2011, Uba spent most of her time working and providing for her four children, so finding time to study for the bar exam became difficult. "I took the exam more than ten times," she said. "I stopped counting after a while but giving up certainly wasn't in my dictionary." Finally, in early 2021, Uba got the result that she wanted, and the celebration that ensued was a tear-jerking moment for family and strangers who saw the video posted to Twitter. "I started jumping up and down," she said. "I had so many reasons to give up but I knew I just had to keep pushing. I felt so relieved." Now a licensed lawyer, Uba plans to work in criminal defense to help low-income individuals in marginalized communities, and encourages those who hear her story to never give up.

They call him the “garbage guy”. Billy Adams, a software executive and Washington D.C. native, developed a lockdown ritual that not only benefits his health but the environment as well. Each morning, prior to walking his typical 12 miles, Adam stops at the Starbucks on M Street in Georgetown to buy a coffee and collect an empty plastic bag. From there, he goes on a 3-hour walk, picking up as much trash by hand as he can. In a quote to the Washington Post, Adams explains that this process is incredibly satisfying: “When you see it beforehand, then you walk by it after and it’s all clean, that’s a good feeling.” It is the employees at the M Street Starbucks that gave Adams the name “garbage guy.”  His routine has had its impact on the coffee-chain employees, inspiring each of them to be more conscientious of their litter. Billy has also inspired his extended family to get out, go on walks, and clean up along the way. His sister, Caroline Miller, is now going on walks with her husband and picks up any litter she comes across. “Billy is somebody who likes to do the right thing,” Miller said in a statement to the Post. “If he sees trash on the ground, he can’t just walk past it.” Adam’s family has deep-roots in D.C. From Bethesda, Maryland, which sits adjacent to Washington, his great-great-grandfather, Jacob Karr, lived within walking distance from the White House and owned the most popular watch store in the city. Karr was friendly with Abraham Lincoln and all of the US presidents up until he retired in the early 1900s, as he tended to their watches. Given this extensive history, it is no wonder Adams has such a profound love for our nation’s capital! Billy is hoping to set up a collective clean-up for Earth Day, to further inspire others to get into the good habit of exercise and cleaning up – a way to do good and feel good all at the same time!

Gracie is a 3-month-old golden retriever puppy that started making regular visits to the Good Samaritan Society - Scotland in early March. This retirement and assisted living facility in Scotland, South Dakota has ‘seen a lot of smiles’ since Gracie started coming around. When she is not at Good Samaritan, Gracie lives with Pam Stewart, the facility’s social services manager. Shortly after bringing Gracie home, Stewart started bringing her along to work. Gracie immediately became a natural at loving the residents and bringing joy to those around her. "We've seen a lot of changes since she's come," Stewart told Good Morning America. "We've seen a lot of smiles, cuddles. It's giving them a lot to talk about versus what they've seen in the world." When Gracie accompanies Stewart to work, she spends most of the day visiting the facility’s residents, cuddling and comforting roughly 30 senior citizens each day. Throughout these rounds, the pup is always accompanied by a staff member to ensure everyone stays safe, according to Good Samaritan. The residents love Gracie’s company, and are happy to have a dog around after the facility’s previous dog, Hope, died last November. “I talk to her and pet her,” 66-year-old resident Dennis Gruhlke told GMA. Good Samaritan has been in lockdown since the pandemic began last March, but is now starting to reopen to visitors in accordance with federal guidelines. Gracie is helping residents stay positive and comforted while they wait for family visits to return to normal.

When Gloria Walker was diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer last year, her son and self-proclaimed mama’s boy, Dustin Vitale, decided to make one of her childhood dreams come true: to see the pyramids in Egypt. Dustin plans to take all 14 family members on the trip as well, which will cost $10,000. Dustin, 26, works as a middle school teacher and could not afford this on his own. Last Christmas, Dustin and his wife, Hailey, made cheesesteaks for the whole family. So, he had the idea to raise money by selling cheesesteaks, using his mother’s recipe. He began making the sandwiches and delivering them to friends and family. Philadelphia chef Michael Solomonov stopped by to purchase a cheesesteak and posted a stellar review on Instagram. As the word spread, cars began double-parking outside of Dustin’s house as people lined up down the block to get a cheesesteak for themselves. “We ended up doing 94 in one day and we were like just blown away,” said Dustin. A food truck operator offered his services, and in just six weeks Dustin was able to raise $18,000. “If she would have asked me to go to the moon, I would have made that happen as well,” Dustin said. Their family trip to Egypt is planned for later this year. Gloria said she felt blessed for her son’s efforts. “The love, it’s overwhelming, you know.” Dustin said his mother is “probably as mentally healthy as she has ever been in her whole life.” “So many people say, ‘Are you going to jump into this and open up a shop?’ " Dustin said. “And I could never. I love doing this on the side. My heart and passion is teaching and for the students.”

In 2018 in America alone, there was an estimated 103 million tons of food waste generated. That is the equivalent to 450,00 Statue of Liberties. If that isn’t shocking enough, it is estimated that around the globe one third of all food produced for human consumption is wasted. That food waste ends up in landfills, which then contributes to our greenhouse gas emissions, and eventually to the ever-dire issue of climate change. Cutting down on food waste sounds simple, right? Well, it’s not as easy as one would think. Throwing away one thing here and there adds up quickly. If we all worked to become slightly more conscientious about what we waste, we might witness dramatic results. Ikea, the infamous do-it-yourself Swedish furniture store is now doing its part to help cut down on this food waste. The ScrapsBook, launched on March 18^th, contains 50 recipes from top chefs around North America demonstrating how one can cleverly transform what might have been thrown out into a culinary masterpiece. Also included in this book are helpful kitchen advice, including how to regrow chopped ends, create cucumber insect repellant, and utilize eggshells as limescale cleaner. IKEA Canada explained the idea behind The ScarpsBook in a statement saying, 'At IKEA, we believe the kitchen is the heart of the home. Unfortunately, it tends to be a wasteful place—but it doesn't have to be. That's why we've created the IKEA ScrapsBook—a cookbook dedicated to cooking with the little things we usually throw away. Featuring 50 recipes created in collaboration with chefs across North America and waste-saving tips, all designed to help you live a little more sustainably in your kitchen.' In an age where learning to live sustainably is more vital than ever, Ikea is among the many worldwide companies shifting to promote a more “green-focused” narrative. If simplistic ways of doing your part to make less waste are laid out clearly for the public, we might move towards a cleaner world and take the first steps towards a global effort to fight climate change.