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.
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‘Plastic Cup’ Competitions Are Cleaning Up Rivers in Hungary
Hundreds of muddy plastic bottles, chunks of Styrofoam, car tires and even the odd refrigerator are piled high on a raft afloat on the river Tisza, about 90 miles northeast of Budapest, Hungary. Every now and then, a canoe pulls up to the raft, which is jokingly referred to as...
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Plugging Cruise Ships Into Shore Power Is No Small Feat
On a brisk February morning in Miami, Matthew Creswell watched as engineers wrestled thick power cables at a cruise ship terminal. The ship was about to plug into the electrical grid — an event far less ordinary than it sounds. As the harbormaster of Juneau, Alaska, Creswell was there to...
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How $100 Per Voter Makes Seattle’s Elections More Inclusive
This article was originally published by Bolts, a nonprofit publication that covers criminal justice and voting rights in local governments. Seattle is poised to continue its experiment in public campaign financing. In early August, voters renewed the city’s democracy vouchers program, which provides each adult Seattle resident with four $25 vouchers they can donate to...
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What We’re Reading: How a New York Suburb Is Bringing Down Rents
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. Building better The New York City area is known for being a wildly expensive place to live. But there are pockets of affordability — one of which is the commuter...
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Why Arkansas Wants More Americans to Eat Invasive Carp
Since their introduction into the Mississippi River Basin by accident in the 1970s, invasive Asian carp have grown to pose one of the greatest economic and ecological challenges facing the watershed. The fish have become a real headache for policymakers due to their rapid reproduction rate and voracious diet, which...
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The World’s Smartest City Is a Tiny German Village
Anybody can visit Etteln with the click of a mouse. As Ulrich Ahle’s pointer flies over the rooftops of his hometown — past half-timbered houses, the historic church and verdant fields — it’s clear this isn’t just a sleepy German hamlet. This is the future. Nestled in the rolling hills...
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The Spark: Bringing Biodiversity to Your Own Backyard
Welcome back to The Spark, our monthly newsletter that’s all about how people just like you are creating positive change, one meaningful step at a time. 🐦 Simple tips for restoring biodiversity to the land around your home 🌱 How to start a seed library 🪸 Help monitor coral reef...
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How Fresh Fish From Monterey Bay Reaches School Lunch Trays
This story is published in collaboration with the Local Catch Network. With the 2014 school year in full swing, Jenn Lovewell, the then-acting director of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, noticed something was conspicuously missing from her schools’ lunchrooms. “We were doing a lot of work in the district around...
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What We’re Reading: Copenhagen Is Becoming a ‘Sponge City’
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. Soak it in Copenhagen is getting spongier to handle future flooding, with hundreds of nature-based and engineered flood mitigation projects either completed or underway. As Yale Environment 360 reports...
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For Black Women, Seeds of Wealth Start With Homeownership
This story was originally reported by Eden Turner of The 19th. Meet Eden and read more of her reporting on gender, politics and policy. After she moved into her first apartment in 2021, a one-bedroom unit in East Baltimore, Saj Dillard realized her rent wouldn’t have gotten her much once...
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