Fossil fuels fall below 50% of U.S. electricity for the first time since the 1800s

Good News For Humankind 🌏 

The world's latest milestones for climate, justice, peace, and more

Fossil fuels fall below 50% of U.S. electricity for the first time since the 1800s

In a major milestone for climate action, the U.S. hit a new record low for fossil fuels in the electricity mix last month as solar and wind reached a record high, according to new data from global energy think tank Ember. In March 2025, fossil fuels accounted for less than 50% of electricity generated, for the first month on record. The shift meant that clean sources generated more than half (50.8%) of U.S. electricity for the first month on record. 

Kenya has more than doubled access to electricity since 2013

Kenya is progressing toward universal electricity access by 2030, bolstered by strong policy implementation and clean energy technologies, according to the International Energy Agency. Kenya has seen an increase in access, from 37% in 2013 to 79% in 2023, supporting poverty reduction, education, healthcare, and economic development. The Last Mile Connectivity Project has been instrumental in connecting nine million rural inhabitants to the grid. By the end of this year, the project aims to connect an additional 280,000 households nationwide.

Spokane passes LGBTQ+ rights ordinance to protect trans folks from the federal government

Council members voted 5-2 to implement the ordinance, which updates the Washington State city’s human rights code to define gender-affirming care and ensure equal protections for LGBTQ+ people. The policy “prohibits the city from collecting or disseminating information about anyone’s sex assigned at birth, unless it’s related to a criminal investigation.” The ordinance also requires city-provided healthcare to cover gender-affirming care. Council members celebrated the city living up to its motto: "In Spokane, we all belong."

​Sri Lanka’s Kumana National Park emerges as a stronghold for vulnerable leopards

A new study reports a notably high density of Sri Lankan leopards in the country’s Kumana National Park. Using camera traps, the study recorded more than 90 leopard encounters, including 34 identified individual leopards, captured on film across a 16-month survey period. Since 2017, a citizen science program has also recorded 80 individual leopards in Kumana, using a naming system to identify each individual. The Sri Lankan leopard is tagged as a species “vulnerable” to extinction, according to the IUCN Red List criteria.

Finland bans smartphones in schools

The Finnish Parliament has approved a law restricting the use of mobile devices by pupils at primary and secondary schools. Pupils will need to get special permission from teachers to use their phones to assist them in studies, to take care of personal health-related matters, etc. Research increasingly indicates that excessive smartphone use in children and adolescents can negatively impact their mental and physical health, academic performance, and social development.

​The first utility-scale solar farm in the U.S. begins operation (1982 C.E.)

The Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) pioneered utility-scale solar power generation in 1982. ARCO opened a 1.1 megawatt operation in Hesperia, California, the first industrial solar power plant in the country. The company later opened a larger, 5.2 MW solar power plant in Carrizo Plain, California. The plant in Carrizo Plain operated from 1983 to 1994 and had one of the largest photovoltaic arrays in the world.

Humanity achieves 100% renewable energy (2050 C.E. ???)

In a historic milestone for climate action, the global community completes a stunning transformation in how we power our lives and economies, in just a matter of decades. By sourcing all the world's energy for heating, cooling, transport, and electricity from green sources, we save billions of human and non-human lives and help ensure a livable, sustainable planet for generations to come.

Send a clear message to the Trump administration that you support habitat protections for endangered species 

From EarthJustice: For 50 years, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been used to save numerous species from extinction. One key to this success has been the ESA’s broad prohibition of “harm” to protected species. The Trump administration is now proposing to rescind the decades-old rule that defines harm to include habitat modification, as a way to undermine the ESA and defy a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the rule. Sign the petition.​

This week’s calendar

GET S*** DONE Work Group​ every weekday, 10:45am-12pm PT (online)
Bellingham Men’s Circle​ on Monday, May 19, 6-8pm PT (in-person)

Weekly reflection

Hi beautiful people,

In the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross, Alec Baldwin's character famously says "Always Be Closing," advocating a relentless, aggressive approach to finalizing business sales.

I'm here to advocate for the opposite approach. For my own business, as well as those of many of my clients who are business owners or freelancers, I often suggest a "Never Be Closing" approach (similar to something I learned from an old coach of mine, Toku McCree).

When our livelihood relies on sales rather than salary, we often become preoccupied with closing the sale. Even in support businesses like coaching, we subtly try to convince or manipulate someone into working with us. We make them feel some sense of lack that only we can fulfill. We instill them with fear about what might happen if they don't hire us. We send them a third follow-up email dangling a special discount rate or suggesting that time or space is running out.

Of course, there is often good intention behind these tactics. Most of us aren't snake oil salesmen. We craft products and services that we really believe can help. We believe "closing" is a necessary part of offering that help. We tell ourselves that once we get the nasty business of sales out of the way, then we can get on with truly supporting how we always intended.

The problem is that people can smell manipulation from a mile away. They know where they are being sold something. They know when you need or are trying to extract something from them. Likewise, they know when you are actually listening and truly there to support.

I don't have research or statistics to back this claim. But I choose to believe that simply connecting with and supporting people is the best way to get clients and sales. Of course, you have to let them know about your services, but you don't need to sell anyone on anything. Very practically and tangibly, people want to work with people they trust and have a real relationship with. People are naturally averse to those who are manipulating or needing something from them.

But beyond the practical, I like to believe there's something deeper and more mysterious going on as well. I believe that when we are truly in service to those in our orbit and to the greater good, the universe provides everything we need. The universe knows when we are acting in full integrity and will come to our aid to support us.

There is a magic formula here: 1) Intentionally seek out and create ways to be in authentic connection and service, 2) Let go of the worry and neediness around the sale, and 3) Watch as business finds its way to you.

Love,
Peter

Peter Schulte Leadership coach Bellingham WA USA About | Instagram | Donate