Eddy's Good News: Greener future for trains in the UK and billionaire to support welfare programs for woman

Virgin Radio

7 Jun 2024, 13:15

Every day during his show on Virgin Radio Anthems, Eddy Temple-Morris brings you Good News stories from around the world, to help inject a bit of positivity into your day!

Be sure to listen each day between 2pm and 6pm (Monday - Friday) to hear Eddy's Good News stories (amongst the finest music of course), but if you miss any of them you can catch up on the transcripts of Eddy's most recent stories below:

Friday 7th June 2024

The rail giant Siemens have released data from their trains in Germany to see a possible green future for trains in the U.K.

The data reveals that replacing our ageing diesel fleet would save Britain £3.5 billion and 12 million metric tons of carbon emissions—or the equivalent of taking 80,000 internal combustion cars off the road—over 35 years.

It’s also the equivalent of planting a forest across an area the size of the Isle of Man and saving 1.8 million litres of diesel fuel per year. Their new factory in Yorkshire, would manufacture the new trains that are called ‘bi-mode’ trains, meaning that they can run on battery charge or from the electrified wires that already exist above British railways.

Another bonus is that Siemens already has modular converting systems that allow trains to charge directly from the power grid in just 20 minutes. All this, the company says, is enough to cut five and a half years off the required time to complete a transition from diesel to battery-powered trains. 

Via: goodnewsnetwork.org

We’ve talked about the billionaire philanthropist and ex Mrs of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, MacKenzie Scott giving away knee buckling sums of money to environmental and social charities, now Microsoft boss Bill Gates Mrs, Melinda Gates has joined the party, by committing $1 billion of her personal fortune to assist in welfare programs that support women around the world.

“After a difficult few years watching women’s rights rolled back in the U.S. and in other places around the world, she wants to use this next chapter to focus specifically on altering that trajectory” Said Gates Foundation CEO. She’s starting a $250 million fund to support grass roots start ups in this area, and even better another $240 million is to be given to 12 key global female leaders, including former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern; athlete and maternal health advocate Allyson Felix; and Afghani educator and women’s rights advocate Shabana Basij-Rasikh, with each receiving a $20 million fund to distribute to organisations that improve women’s health around the world.

“Because I have been given this extraordinary opportunity, I am determined to do everything I can to seize it and to set an agenda that helps other women and girls set theirs, too,” said Mrs G rather inspiringly.

Via: goodnewsnetwork.org