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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The Modern Makeover of Assam’s Centuries-Old Stilt Houses
Umananda Pathuri keeps a watchful eye on his eight-year-old daughter while his wife naps with their toddler. Outside their house in Nikori, a village in one of northeast India’s most flood-prone districts in the state of Assam, flood waters are rising and the rains are incessant. “We’re the Mising, Assam’s...
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The Prairie Farmers Preserving the World’s Most Threatened Ecosystem – Forever
Dallas May spotted the first shoots of grass a few months after a wildfire tore across the ranch he runs with his family in Lamar, Colorado, in 2022. Propelled by winds up to 70 mph, the blaze killed some of his livestock, destroyed 42 miles of fencing, and burned through...
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One City’s Race to ‘Solarize Everything We Possibly Can’
Bordeaux’s submarine base was once a place of battle. Built by the Germans during the Second World War, the hulking concrete edifice in the north of the wine-loving French city was used to launch attacks against the Allied Forces. Today, however, the site is fighting a different kind of fight...
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Rural Communities Unite To Protect Their Immigrant Neighbors
This article was originally published by the Daily Yonder, which is dedicated to uplifting the stories of rural people. In Southwest Colorado, increased Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity has prompted local groups to organize to protect immigrants and arm residents with knowledge about their constitutional rights when dealing with federal law enforcement....
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What We’re Reading: The Success Of Sweden’s ‘Secondhand-Only’ Shopping Mall
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. Vintage values Shopping malls fuel our throwaway culture by making it easy for us to replace our old stuff with new stuff. Not at ReTuna in Eskilstuna, Sweden,...
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The Community Gardens Where Refugees Are Putting Down Roots
On a warm morning in June, dozens of people have gathered in a community garden in Traiskirchen, a small town just outside Vienna best known for its refugee center, which is the largest in Austria. The Middle Eastern breakfast, freshly prepared every Saturday in the open kitchen, has become a...
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The Spark: How Disaster Prep Can Bring Your Community Together
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. The Spark is generously supported by Laura Rice. DIY disaster-preparedness kits you can make for vulnerable neighbors. How to turn your home into a...
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The Anarchic Playgrounds Where Putting Kids At Risk Is The Point
Flaming stone fire pits, wonky swings, lopsided wooden forts, stacks of hammers and saws, and even an abandoned automobile turned into a play den: Kolle 37 is not your usual kind of kids’ recreation space. This 4,000-square-meter, anarchic adventure playground in the heart of Berlin’s central Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood is...
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What We’re Reading: The Most-Ridden Bicycle in New York’s Bike Share System
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. Wheels in motion Citi Bike, New York City’s bike share system, has proven wildly popular. How popular? Check out this story from Bloomberg (incidentally, the magazine started by...
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No Teachers and No Curriculum: Is This the School of the Future?
Walking into Brightworks could be a shock for helicopter parents — there are no rows of desks, no hallway passes and no bells to jolt students from one class to the next. Instead, the K-12 school is alive with invention, autonomy and what founder Gever Tulley calls “the energy of...
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