Reasons to be Cheerful
Reasons to Be Cheerful is an online magazine founded by musician and activist David Byrne. It shares inspiring, solutions-oriented stories highlighting positive developments and innovative approaches to global challenges. The platform covers a wide range of topics, including environmental sustainability, social justice, urban design, health, and culture, emphasizing practical, replicable solutions that are making a difference. Reasons to Be Cheerful aims to counterbalance the often negative news cycle by showcasing stories of progress, resilience, and creativity. The website encourages readers to engage with and support these initiatives, fostering a sense of hope and empowerment. It also offers a newsletter to deliver uplifting content directly to its audience.
-
‘Snow Farming’ Is Making Spring Skiing More Sustainable
At its zenith, Monarch Mountain in south-central Colorado is over 11,000 feet tall. Skiing here is being on top of the world. Each winter, snow generously blankets the slopes, providing the fresh powder for which Colorado is known. The resort’s height and position on the Continental Divide traps moist air...
The post
-
For Modern Foragers, This Map Reveals Urban Abundance
In a quiet corner of New York City, wild mint pushes up between the cracks of a rooftop, its scent carried on the wind. It’s an unlikely place for an edible plant to thrive, but for those who know where to look, the city is full of such hidden bounty....
... -
What We’re Reading: Cultivating the Next Generation’s Love of Nature
Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at info@reasonstobecheerful.world. Force of nature For more than a decade, campaigners in the U.K. have been calling for the creation of a General Certificate of Secondary Education (academic qualifications taken by...
The post
-
The Towns That Invent Their Own Money
In 1932 the small Austrian town of Wörgl was buckling under the weight of the Great Depression, with crumbling infrastructure, rising unemployment and ballooning debt. But within just a year, all that changed: Local unemployment dropped by 25 percent despite rising by 19 percent in the rest of Austria and...
The post
-
When Colorado Put Polling Places Inside All Its Jails, Voter Turnout Soared
This article was originally published by Bolts, a nonprofit publication that covers criminal justice and voting rights in local governments. Tiffany Lee, the county clerk and top elections official in southwestern Colorado’s La Plata County, wasn’t sold at first on the state’s new law requiring every jail to create an in-person polling place for...
The post
-
We Can Stop Glass Windows From Killing Birds
When I entered my friend’s newly built guest house near San Diego, I admired the broad glass front that opened up to a panoramic view over the valley. By the time I left an hour later, an egg-yolk-yellow warbler was writhing in front of the glass entry door. We took...
The post We Can Stop Glass Windows
... -
What We’re Reading: A Genetic Milestone for Yellowstone’s Bison
Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at info@reasonstobecheerful.world. Herd instinct The comeback of bison in Yellowstone National Park is considered “one of the greatest wildlife conservation success stories of all time,” as Dr. James Derr, a Texas...
The post
-
Former Golf Courses Are Going Wild
These days, when it rains heavily in the southeast Houston neighborhood of Clear Lake, residents can rest easy. But that wasn’t always the case. It used to be that when it rained, they’d haul out their mops and buckets. As the storm drains filled, water would routinely back up into...
The post Former Golf Courses Are
... -
How Nigeria’s Biggest Party Made HIV Testing Cool
It’s about 11 a.m., and a small crowd has already gathered at the 11:11 Roundabout in Calabar, a city in Nigeria’s Cross River State. This spot marks the starting point of the annual Calabar Festival and Carnival, a month-long celebration known as “Africa’s biggest party.” Rachel Idim, holding a pack...
The post
-
As the Colorado River Shrinks, Southern California Is Embracing Water Recycling
During the hottest days of the year, sun glimmers off of an aqueduct as it moves water from the shrinking Colorado River to millions of residents in the sprawling cities of Southern California. In one of the nation’s most populous regions, many cities import a large portion of their drinking...
The post As
...