Must Reads

• Dreading winter's impending dreariness? Here's a hack for bringing spring indoors early
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• Patagonia's on a mission to show that running a food business can be an eco-friendly venture

Environment

Goodwill Hits New York Fashion Week With Entirely Thrifted Runway Collection

When Manhattan fashion designer Evan Hirsch went viral in March, it was for painstakingly hand-beading a dress he'd picked up at an unlikely place: Goodwill. At the time, Hirsch wanted to do his "small part" in combating waste in the fashion industry, he told People — but now, that desire has spurred an entire thrifted collection that he's presenting today at New York Fashion Week.
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In a collaboration with the nonprofit, Hirsch will reveal 30 runway looks made with pieces either from auction site ShopGoodwill.com or thrifted from its stores in New York and New Jersey. Inspired by shows like RuPaul's Drag Race and America's Got Talent, his pieces include a red satin '80s prom gown transformed into a '50s cocktail dress, a fitted orange number decked out with beading from a traditional Indian garment, and an entire outfit made solely out of vintage brooches. "They told me to go wild," he told the New York Post.
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Even more impressively, Hirsch didn't select all the pieces from Goodwill himself — most were sent to him from the auction site in blind boxes. "We thought it would be a cooler challenge if I didn't know what I would get ahead of time," he said. Post-show, half the designs will be auctioned off, with proceeds going toward the organization's workforce development programs, and the designer will continue to focus on sustainability in fashion. He added: "This is fun. It's easy and it's better for the planet. I'm hoping people take away that it's a lot easier and more accessible to do."

Together With Pacaso

Former Zillow Exec Opens Door to $1.3 Trillion Market

Austin Allison sold his first company for $120 million. He later served as an executive for Zillow. But both companies reached massive valuations before regular people could invest.
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"I always wished everyday investors could have shared in their early success," Allison later said. So he built Pacaso differently.
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Pacaso brings co-ownership to the $1.3 trillion vacation home market, earning more than $110 million in gross profit to date. No wonder the same VCs that backed Uber, Venmo, and eBay already invested in Pacaso.
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Now, after adding 10 new international destinations, Pacaso is hitting their stride. They even reserved the Nasdaq ticker PCSO.
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And unlike Allison's previous stops, you can invest in Pacaso as a private company. But you'll have to hurry. Pacaso's investment opportunity ends Sept. 18.​

This is a paid advertisement for Pacaso's Regulation A offering. Please read the offering circular at invest.pacaso.com. Reserving the ticker symbol is not a guarantee that the company will go public. Listing on the Nasdaq is subject to approvals.

Health

Move Over, Bleach: Blue LED Light Is a Chemical-Free Stain Remover, Study Says

While bleach is an effective option for whitening clothes, it can come with its share of downsides, like its potential to irritate the skin and eyes and corrode certain materials. But according to a new study, blue light may be a gentler, environmentally friendly, and chemical-free alternative for banishing those annoying yellow stains on our white tees.
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Publishing their findings in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, researchers exposed cotton fabric swatches containing chemicals found in skin oils, sweat, oranges, and tomatoes to high-intensity blue LED light for 10 minutes — and saw that the stains significantly faded. They discovered similar results after testing silk and polyester. "Our method utilizes visible blue light in combination with ambient oxygen, which acts as the oxidizing agent to drive the photobleaching process," co-author Tomohiro Sugahara said in a news release.
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The blue LED light worked "substantially" better than UV light and hydrogen peroxide, and didn't damage the fabrics, something UV light has previously been shown to do. The researchers plan to conduct additional tests on colorfastness and safety next, but if all goes well, an at-home, LED stain-reducing system could one day make its way to store shelves.

Culture

NYC's First HBCU Prep School Opens in Queens

Historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, enroll nearly one-tenth of all Black U.S. college students and produce half of Black doctors and lawyers, as well as 80% of Black judges, according to the United Negro College Fund. Now, exciting progress has been made in the pipeline from high school to an HBCU for some East Coast kids: Last week in New York City, the first HBCU preparatory high school in a major U.S. city opened its doors.
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Located in Queens' Jamaica neighborhood, the school was launched in partnership with the HBCU Delaware State University. Over 1,000 applicants competed for the 100 available spots in the inaugural ninth grade class. Not only will attending students begin taking online college courses taught by the university's professors in their junior year, but they're also guaranteed admission there.
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In a news conference at the opening, Delaware State University President Tony Allen emphasized the importance of HBCUs in supporting the Black middle class. Per ABC News, he said: "The greatest indicator for a lower-resourced student from an underserved community to actually get into the middle class and change the economic trajectory for themselves, their families, and their communities is their attendance at an HBCU."

In Other News

1. Maternal mortality rates have declined by nearly 60% worldwide over the past four decades (read more)
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2. To protect U.S. wildfire fighters against smoke, the government will now provide masks as standard equipment (read more)
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3. Tracking birdsong helps scientists assess a New Hampshire forest's vitality — and the maps go back 57 years (read more)
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4. Melinda French Gates announced a $100 million commitment to fund women's health research (read more)
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5. This futuristic tiny home model can withstand flooding and be built in a week: Take a look (read more)

Inspiring Story

High school students for humanity

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Students at a Colorado high school are aiding the fight against the affordable housing crisis — and earning class credit and work experience in the process. During their school day, the teens travel to a massive factory built by the Boulder Valley School District and Habitat for Humanity Flatirons to help construct modular, solar-powered townhomes that can house two families each. "I think it's absolutely amazing that we've come together and built this," one student said of a finished home, noting that the experience scored him some career connections. "Now I can literally leave the school and go right into a job."

Photo of the Day

While the world wonders, "Is there Life on Mars?" David Bowie fans can live out more of his lyrics by visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum's new David Bowie Centre, which opened to the public today. Located in east London's Olympic Park, the interactive archive features 90,000 items acquired from the late musician's estate, including stage outfits, musical instruments, and a plethora of notes, lyrics, and more. On Wednesday, some lucky fans got a sneak peek at the center's VIP opening, where British singer Birdy (pictured) performed.

Brad's Deals: How to Save Big on Your Favorite Brands This Fall

Brad's Deals is the easiest way to save up to 80% on your favorite brands. The site's experts scour the internet every day for best-of-web prices on just about everything. Brad's Deals isn't a store — it's just a team of proud consumer advocates helping you find the best deals online, no matter where they are. Oh, and did we mention it's free?

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Odds & Ends

🌌 Have you ever seen a Martian aurora?
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🎧 Listen up: These are the best student podcasts​
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👻 The famous haunted house you can buy on Halloween
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👅 Reptile tongues may inspire medical breakthroughs

Quote of the Day

"Confidence is knowing what matters to you."

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– MATTHEW HUSSEY