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 Spark: Would You Drive Six Hours to Save a Hummingbird?
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...
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What We’re Reading: How to Fix the Reflecting Pool Mess — Naturally
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. Not easy being green The saga of the algae-filled Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool continues, with the U.S. National Park Service now planning...
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How People Without Degrees Are Snagging Corporate Jobs in the U.K.
Bruce Devlin’s tech career is flourishing. He’s been promoted twice in the past four years, most recently to the role of senior quality engineer at 2i, a software testing company. Devlin, 26, has even built his own system outage monitoring tool, and is developing his own video game. In recognition...
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To Solve a Major Problem With Data Centers, Put Them in Oil Fields
This story was originally published by Grist. Sign up for Grist’s weekly newsletter here. Most Americans loathe data centers. Recent polling found that Democrats and Republicans alike would oppose having one in their neighborhood, and hundreds of communities across the country have fought against them, citing fears about noise, water...
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Yellow Means Creepy: The Color-Coded Anti-Harassment System Used by Restaurant Workers
When Chef Erin Wade learned that most of her staff had experienced sexual harassment at her restaurant Homeroom in Oakland, California, she was stunned. The inciting incident back in 2015 involved a father of four who reached under a server’s blouse in front of his children. “We’re a family restaurant,...
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Singing the Shopping List: How Music Can Rewire the Brain After Stroke
In 2023, a stroke transformed Naresh Shanbhag, a 53-year-old smooth-talking sales professional in Bengaluru, into someone who was unable to speak words, let alone sentences. “I began physical therapy to regain strength in my paralyzed right side, but forming sentences or remembering the right words was hard for me,” he...
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What We’re Reading: The Data Center Backlash Is Uniting Americans
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. Crunching the data When Kevin O’Leary — a.k.a. Mr. Wonderful of Shark Tank — decided to generate his next windfall by building...
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The Coffee Academy Serving Up Career Paths
“I’ve been told a lot that this is the best coffee on this street,” says Sana Pishgoo, owner of Shiraz Patisserie in north London. “I’ve also been told I have the best Iranian cakes in London.” A skilled pastry chef and cake maker, Pishgoo, 45, set up her business in...
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Black Women Farmers Are Reclaiming the Land
This story originally appeared on The 19th and GBH News Rooted in Boston. On a sunny morning in June, about two dozen people walk the land of Soul Fire Farm in Rensselaer County in Upstate New York, during a tour. They are participants in a week-long immersion program that includes a...
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The ‘Civic Hour’ Is Reinventing Volunteering
“Agh, I am only getting consonants,” sighs Nicole Riberolles, the 104-year-old doyenne of Les Artistes nursing home in the Batignolles neighborhood of northwestern Paris. There’s a Q, R, Y, W, N and an E lined up on her Scrabble letter holder. She sees nothing available, weaving her pearl necklace through...
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