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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What We’re Reading: Eliminating ‘Forever Chemicals’ at the Olympics
Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at info@reasonstobecheerful.world and we just might feature it here. Gone forever When the difference between winning gold and going home empty-handed can come down to nanoseconds, it’s no wonder sports teams...
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A Century After Vanishing, a Gentle Giant Returns
It’s a clear winter morning in the village of Armeniș, deep in the southern Carpathian Mountains of southwestern Romania. Fluffy clouds sit atop the mountain peaks as a chill breeze carries a hint of woodsmoke, herbs and freshly baked bread. A steady stream of cars stops at the Dospita bakery....
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The DIY Diehards Building Green Infrastructure from Scratch
Even at a young age, Jonathan Schreiber found that harnessing the power of wind was something of a breeze. Encouraged by his DIY-loving grandfather, the Austrian teenager was always playing around with scrap metal, trying to build tools. At 14, he began studying a book on how to build a...
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Minneapolis Moms Have Each Other’s Backs
This story was originally reported by Chabeli Carrazana of The 19th. Meet Chabeli and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. A newborn in Minneapolis hadn’t eaten for a day and a half. Her mother had risked going into work to get just enough money for more...
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A Coal Town Reborn
As the sun rises over Loos-en-Gohelle, its yellow rays gradually illuminate two great mounds on the edge of the former mining town. These hulking slag heaps, relics of the past, were created by what was once one of the largest coal mining regions in Europe. But while the industry vanished...
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What We’re Reading: The Country Legalizing Half a Million Undocumented Migrants
Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at info@reasonstobecheerful.world and we just might feature it here. Recognition and respect Spain’s socialist-led coalition government has announced a plan to legalize the status of undocumented migrants, a measure expected to...
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The Spark: How To Protest
Welcome back to The Spark, our monthly celebration of how people just like you are creating positive change, one meaningful step at a time. The Spark is generously supported by Laura Rice. Sign up to Reasons to be Cheerful’s weekly newsletter here and you’ll get The Spark in your inbox...
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The Most Chess-Obsessed Country in the World
This article was originally published in the February edition of Rotary magazine. It’s 9 o’clock on a Sunday morning and the temperature is soaring toward the 90s as hundreds of children make their way toward the iconic Marina Beach in the southern Indian metropolis of Chennai. Yet there’s not a...
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The Affordable Daycare That Keeps Parents Close
Saja Khuder was set to return to her job with a pharmaceutical firm after maternity leave. At the last minute, her child care plans fell through. Chase Mateusiak, a bioinformatician, was using a daycare that was “fine” but expensive — and which left his 18-month-old son “exhausted and unhappy” after...
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What We’re Reading: The Payphone Experiment Bridging Political Divides
Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at info@reasonstobecheerful.world and we just might feature it here. So call me maybe A simple but compelling experiment has been launched to help bridge political division and boost happiness: Two payphones,...
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