Things are easier said than done, or so the old adage goes, and we couldn’t agree more. That’s why we do The GOOD 30-Day Challenge (#30DaysofGOOD), a monthly attempt to live better. Our challenge for June? Make your own meals.
Herbs often get left off of shopping lists because they seem nonessential or complicated (“I bought these chocolate mint leaves, now what the heck do I do with them?”). On top of that, herbs can wilt quickly without special attention. But remember, these botanicals pack a ton of flavor and, in some cases, even have healing properties. Herbs can be especially helpful in adding tastiness when you’re trying to cut down on sugar, salt, or fat.
Today’s challenge is to use fresh herbs in your meals. Any supermarket with a decent produce section will offer rosemary, thyme, marjoram, and the like. If you have easy access to a farmers market, go there for fresher, more adventurous specimens. I usually store leafy herbs like parsley and cilantro inside a clear plastic bag in a fridge drawer. More delicate herbs like dill, mint, and flowering chives can be kept fresh in an herb keeper.
Right now you may be thinking, “I can do lunch and dinner, but breakfast herbs?!” Here are a few ideas: Goat yogurt with honey and lavender, rosemary home fries, dill scrambled eggs. Not to mention all that you can do with herbs in scones, muffins, and breads.
We’re giving away $500 for you to unite your community and “Make More Meals” from locally-sourced foods. Participate in our Share a GOOD Recipe challenge.
Alexandra Lahde had been a couple of things on the night of her rehearsal dinner: a bride, a hostess, and, briefly, a corpse.
The 28-year-old barista from Canada had spent months planning the evening at Fairmont Banff Springs, one of the most storied hotels in the country. The decor was themed around old Hollywood glamour and detective fiction, with a vintage typewriter welcome sign, magnifying glass name tags, and moody florals and candles throughout the room. If any of her 30 guests noticed the clues, they kept quiet about it. When Alexandra clinked her wine glass to give a toast, nobody suspected a thing.
“I just wanted to take a second and thank you all so much for coming here,” she began. Then she started to cough. She tried to continue. She coughed again, clutched the counter beside her, and said, “Oh my God” before dropping to the floor. Two guests who had been in on it from the start called out, “She’s dead. She’s DEAD!” Her husband Ian rushed toward her. Before anyone else could react, a man in a detective costume burst through the doors, flashing a badge. “Nobody move! My name is Bert Hammel. I’m from a bad police department. I’ve been told there’s a murder,” he announced, before looking down at Alexandra’s motionless body. “I can’t feel a pulse. The bride has been poisoned.”
Table arrangement at a rehearsal dinner. Photo credit: Canva
The evening was underway. The actor, Eric from the improv company THEY Improv, had been hired by Alexandra with help from her wedding planner Melissa Alison Events. The murder plot was tied to the Fairmont Banff itself, which has its own legendary ghost bride story. Selected guests had been pulled into a separate room before dinner, briefed on the plot, and given character roles to play. After the faux detective questioned them in front of the group, guests split into teams to solve the mystery.
Alexandra told People magazine that she had only learned the full script about 15 minutes before her guests arrived, which suited her perfectly. “I find I work best when I have little to no plan, so I went into it pretty blind,” she said, “only having practiced my expression and fall in the bathroom a few times before!”
The video, captured by videographer Alesia Hardy (@alesiafilms) of Alesia Films, has since gone massively viral. Viewers were particularly impressed by one logistical detail: the detective appeared within seconds of Alexandra hitting the floor, giving the groom and guests no time to spiral into genuine panic. “The fact that the detective was virtually immediate to signal that she was okay and it was a game is the PERFECT way to pull this off,” one commenter wrote.
This article originally appeared earlier this year.
A British engineer-turned-YouTuber turned heads with a recent invention he created from trash. After building power banks and powering e-bikes with discarded disposable vape pens, Chris Doel transformed 500 vapes into a power source capable of driving a car up to 40 miles per hour.
On his YouTube channel, Doel documented the experiment. He recovered 500 discarded vape pens and used 3D printing to combine their batteries into a single 50-volt, 2.5-kilowatt battery pack. He then modified it to power a Reva G-Wiz, an early-2000s low-powered electric car. The vape battery pack didn’t just start the G-Wiz; it powered the car enough to travel 18 miles and reach speeds of up to 40 mph.
“I can’t believe this car has just accepted this crazy Frankenstein battery that I’ve just slapped in it,” Doel said in the video.
The engineer points out a problem with single-use electronic products
Doel’s feat wasn’t just a display of ingenuity; it also highlighted a growing problem—specifically, the mounting burden of landfill waste. According to a 2024 report by Wired, 137 billion pounds of e-waste, including vape pens, are generated each year. Only one quarter of that waste is recycled.
As Doel pointed out, much of this waste isn’t just metal and materials going to waste, but also a loss of reusable energy.
“Unfortunately we seem to live in some crazy dystopia where buying these single use devices and then chucking them away is totally normalized, despite them having fully rechargeable lithium ion cells inside them,” Doel said.
Cumulative e-waste isn’t just environmentally harmful; it also poses risks to human health. The World Health Organization warns that much of this waste releases toxic chemicals and materials into soil and water. Prolonged exposure can negatively affect the health of children, pregnant women, and others.
To reduce the amount of e-waste filling landfills, it’s important to dispose of these products properly. After deleting all personal information, consider donating your electronics to a friend or an organization. Items with lithium-ion batteries, such as vape pens, shouldn’t be thrown in the regular trash.
You can search online to find a proper e-waste facility in your area. More information on how to properly dispose of or recycle e-waste is available on the United States Environmental Protection Agency website.
The ticket agent broke it to him simply: his daughter needed her own seat, and that seat would cost $749. The man stepped away from the counter, hugged his daughter, and started making calls. He’d told the agent he couldn’t afford to rebook his own ticket, let alone buy a second one. A fellow traveler who witnessed the scene, Kevin Leslie, later described what happened next on Facebook: “He was hit with emotion. He mentioned he couldn’t afford to rebook this flight or get her the ticket with such short notice. He stepped aside and tried to make a few calls. Hugging his daughter and grabbing his head, you could tell he was heartbroken.”
That’s when the woman standing behind him in line spoke up.
Travelers wait in line at the airport. Photo credit: Canva
“I wanna buy her ticket,” she told the agent, pointing to the little girl. The agent, caught off guard, double-checked: “You know how much this ticket costs, right?” The woman said yes. She pulled out her credit card and told the agent to charge it.
The man asked for her name so he could pay her back. She told him not to worry about it and walked away.
Leslie posted about what he’d seen, and the photo he’d taken began circulating on Facebook, eventually racking up tens of thousands of shares. People wanted to know who the woman was. Within hours, she was identified: Debbie Bolton, co-founder and Global Chief Sales Officer of Norwex, a sustainable cleaning products company.
The story resurfaced in a big way in November 2025, when TikTok creator Bo Grant (@marriedtoalunatic) shared a video about it that went viral all over again, introducing the moment to millions of people who’d never heard it.
Bolton, who spoke with Newsweek about the incident, said she noticed the father growing increasingly distressed at the counter and felt she had to do something. “He seemed like he couldn’t afford it and was traveling to visit family,” she said. She described the decision as straightforward. “I always ask myself every day, ‘Whose miracle can I be today?’” she said. “That day I was given the opportunity to be a miracle for someone else and I took action.”
She said she hadn’t expected the story to travel as far as it did. “I honestly didn’t expect the story to resonate with so many people,” she told Newsweek. “My only intention was to help someone in need.” When Norwex confirmed her identity to CBS News at the time, the company’s chief marketing officer Amy Cadora said they were “very proud” of her. “She’s kind, caring and generous,” Cadora said. “That’s why none of us was a bit surprised.”
“In a world full of Karens, be a Debbie!” Today, our Co-Founder Debbie Bolton is sharing a special message straight from the heart. 💚 We want to thank you for the incredible outpouring of kindness, messages, and support after her airport story touched so many this past weekend. As we head into the busiest time of year, we challenge you to look for simple opportunities to show kindness. It’s woven into everything we do at Norwex, from our home office to our Consultant community that Debbie has helped nurture since 1994. One person alone can’t change the world…but together? Together we can create something extraordinary. 💚 #norwex#sustainability#cleanhome#cleanliving#thankyou
