Cultivating hope

Here are good changes in US society that I've seen in my lifetime. Sort of off the top of my head.

1. People wear seatbelts without even thinking about it. Cars are safer and more comfortable.
2. Most public places are non-smoking. There are more options for people who want to quit smoking.
3. We have an HPV vaccine, which prevents certain kinds of cancer.
4. Many folks wear bike helmets. When I was a kid, we didn't wear helmets for anything really.
5. In 1989, CFCs were banned over concerns about the ozone layer.
6. Bald eagles were taken off the endangered species list in 2007, because the species recovered.
7. Same-gender marriage is now legal in the US.
8. There are a lot more out, visible queer people in public life and in media.
9. I love the thriving market for YA books. I had trouble finding these kinds of books when I was a teen, and now such books are proliferating.
10. There are so many more indie comics and manga available in the US.
11. Neopronouns (they, xie, ze, etc) are in wider use and we have more societal recognition of gender variation.
12. Mars rover!

Please feel free to add your own things in the comments or in your own DW!