5 Stories From This Week That'll Put You In A Great Mood For The Weekend

    There are more trees on Earth today than there were 35 years ago!

    Terri Pous
    by Terri Pous

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Happy Friday! You made it through the week, and as a little reward, I found five stories you might've missed that are...actually good news for once?! Enjoy:

    1. Earth is covered in more trees today than it was 35 years ago.

    Shakzu / Getty Images

    Against the odds, our beautiful blue planet's tree cover actually increased by 2.24 million square kilometers over the past 35 years. To put that area in perspective, it's about the size of Texas and Alaska (the two largest U.S. states by area) combined. Although the past three decades has also seen the loss of biodiverse tree-filled areas like rainforests, the regrowth of trees is a step in the right direction.

    2. The furry friends on boxes of animal crackers were finally freed from their cages.

    Mondelez

    It took more than 100 years for Barnum's Animal Crackers to stop depicting the animals on its boxes in cages, thanks to a letter from PETA to Nabisco’s parent company, Mondelēz International. Now, the boxes show the zebra, elephant, lion, giraffe, and gorilla strollin' the savannah like free BFFs.

    3. Grocery store giant Kroger announced it'll ban plastic checkout bags by 2025.

    Lionel Bonaventure / AFP / Getty Images

    Kroger, America's second-largest grocery store chain, will offer reusable bags as early as 2019 as a way to reduce single-use plastic. Shoppers at Kroger (and its other stores, Harris Teeter, Fred Meyer, and Ralph's) will be able to purchase the reusable bags for between $1-2.

    4. L.L. Bean is donating $3 million to the National Park System.

    4nadia / Getty Images

    The money will specifically go to the National Park Service's Find Your Park/Encuentra Tu Parque movement, which works to raise awareness of all 400 U.S. national parks and encourage people to connect with and visit their local park.

    5. And every school in Scotland will now provide free pads, tampons, and other sanitary products.

    Ekaterina Morozova / Getty Images

    The Scottish government will now provide the products in every school, college and university to help "banish the scourge of period poverty" in educational facilities, the BBC reports.

    Did you see any news this week that lifted your spirits? Share in the comments!

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