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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How the West Could Turn a Trickle of Water Into an Endless Supply
Hotter, drier weather, poor planning and a ballooning population are putting enormous pressure on the American West’s water supply. So, to get more out of every drop, some cities and counties are beginning to recycle their water — collecting what goes down the drain, removing the icky stuff and then...
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What We’re Reading: Otter-Spotting on Colorado’s Rivers
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. In otter news This year marks 50 years since Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) began its efforts to reintroduce otters to the...
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Do Sanctuary Cities Work?
At 10 p.m. on June 27, 1980, Jose Artiga received word that El Salvador’s death squads were hunting him. The then-23-year-old engineering student had been involved in political protests — and for that, he and his friends had a target on their backs. “They had already found the other four...
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Paris Staged a Huge Stress Test for Extreme Heat
This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. On a sunny Friday afternoon in October 2023, some 70 children filed into a cool, dark tunnel in the south of Paris to help the city rehearse for its increasingly hot future. The tunnel, part of...
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Endangered Butterflies Are Thriving Behind Bars
On a cool spring morning in Washington state, the work of saving an endangered species unfolds in an unlikely place: a greenhouse just outside the perimeter of a women’s prison. Inside, trays of host plants line long tables. Tiny eggs cling to plantain leaves. Black, yellow-dotted larvae inch forward in...
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What We’re Reading: No Mow May Gets Wild
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. No mow FOMO We’ve long been sold on the benefits of even very small wild patches — we’ve covered how to restore...
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The Bus That Brings Reproductive Care to Homeless Women
For the homeless women who board the Panarosa bus on the streets of Caracas, their first point of contact might be Mariannys Quintero. Quintero, a nursing assistant, welcomes them to the bus, where they will receive gynecological care. She explains what they can expect and emphasizes that they are not...
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Could This Fish Be a Notebook?
Forget AI — in Iceland, the truly exciting startups are working in fish. From medical bandages to sustainable furniture, the Icelandic fishing industry has learned to extract value from virtually every part of its catch, putting the country at the forefront of a global “blue economy.” It wasn’t always this...
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The Spark: How Death Teaches Us to Connect
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 at the...
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The Small Wisconsin City That Defeated a Giant Data Center
This story was originally published by Next City, a nonprofit newsroom reporting on solutions for equitable and just cities. Get Next City’s stories in your inbox: nextcity.org/newsletter. This story is part of In the Shadow of the Server, a Next City series on the fight over urban technology infrastructure — who builds...
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