It’s quarantime for some feel-good content: March 2020 Newsletter

A virus that was a world away less than a month ago has changed our entire way of life. Remaining socially distant during a raging news cycle is overwhelming, to say the least. But can you imagine navigating this crisis if our digital landscape weren’t so advanced? Students wouldn’t be able to attend class online, teams wouldn’t be able to work from home and we wouldn’t be able to escape with a Netflix binge.

The best thing we can do (besides social distancing and washing our hands) is to remain positive. We’ve scoured the news for uplifting stories that we hope will brighten your day. Check them out!

The earth can finally breathe

In certain affected areas of the world, manufacturing is shut down, air travel is suspended or reduced and people are on lockdown or working from home. The sharp decrease in human activity led to a massive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers at Columbia University estimated that carbon monoxide emissions in New York City dropped by 50 percent compared to years prior. They also noticed a solid drop in methane and a 5 to 10 percent decrease in CO2.

In China, the complete shutdown of manufacturing in affected areas likely saved 77,000 lives by reducing pollution, according to Stanford University scientist Marshall Burke.

Animals are happier than ever

In the greatest news for dogs since the invention of the Milk Bone, dogs can’t get coronavirus AND pet owners are now home all day for extra snuggles.

And we’re happy to see that people who don’t already have a furry friend are stepping up to foster animals with a 70 percent foster increase in LA, a 10x increase in New York City, and 82 percent of Austin Pets Alive’s foster population currently in foster homes

With so many people fostering for who knows how long, we expect that quite a few fosters will turn into permanent residents. Just take a look at the increase in #fosterfail from last March.

People are showing their best selves

Yes, we’ve seen stories and videos of people fighting over toilet paper and scouring the frozen food section for every last morsel, but they’re in the minority. For the most part, the lockdown is bringing out the best in humanity.

People are finding creative ways to connect

Like this man, who wouldn’t let a nursing home lockdown stop him from telling his wife of 67 years how much he loves her.

Or this son who gave his mom a private concert outside her balcony in a locked-down nursing home.

Here are some fun ways to connect with loved ones during social distancing:

–      Binge watch your favorite shows with Netflix Party, a Chrome extension that allows friends to watch and comment on shows together.

–      Tune in to an online fitness class. We’re partial to classes from Crux Climbing Center because at this point, we are literally climbing the walls because of #socialdistancing.

–      Tune up a rusty skill, like cooking or bartending. There are tons of cooking classes online, or set up a Skype call with the talented chef team at Intero Ristorante. You don’t have to be local to Austin to take the class, and your far-away friends can join. Juliet Italian Kitchen is making bartending easy with its DIY Aperol Spritz Kit. Bonus points for supporting local restaurants during this critical time.

Businesses are showing what they’re made of

People will remember how businesses conducted themselves during this crisis. Here are the hits:

–      Zoom is giving K-12 schools free video conferencing.

–      Delta’s CEO is foregoing his salary to diminish layoffs.

–      Texas favorite H-E-B is giving raises to hourly employees working in its store, manufacturing, warehouse and transportation departments for the next few weeks as they work to provide communities with essential food and supplies.

At Red Fan, we’re doing our part, too. We’re offering free-of-charge hour-long conversations with our team to every business owner, founder or executive who needs help managing the COVID-19 crisis. Email us at hello@redfancommunications.com to set up a call.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING…

If you want drama…

–      Teanna: “Little Fires Everywhere”

–      Megan: “Good Girls”

If you want to laugh…

–      Kathleen: “Sex Education”