The Game-Changing Potential of Balcony Solar
Plug it in and switch it on — this simple renewables technology could open up the market to huge numbers of new citizens, including renters.| Reasons to be Cheerful
On a blue-skied summer morning, Place Pasteur in the historic center of Besançon is abuzz with colorful market stalls selling trinkets and antiques. But it’s also here that residents bring a different kind of valuable good every weekday, to give away for free. As time ticks by, individuals and families... The post The Small City That Became the Composting Capital of a Nation appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
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... The post The Spark: How Kids Are Making Meaningful Change in Their Communities appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
Taking phone calls from a 90-year-old woman you’ve never met is not typically in a co-founder’s job description. But for Marius Čiuželis, it’s all in a day’s work. In 2016, he and his wife Kristina started Sidabrinė Linija, or Silver Line, a nonprofit that offers free support to isolated seniors... The post How Lithuania More Than Halved Its Suicide Rate appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
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. The New York blueprint “The future is in our hands,” said New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in his victory speech Tuesday, as... The post What We’re Reading: How Zohran Mamdani’s Election Could Shape Other U.S. Cities appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
After a decade behind bars, it wasn’t the fields that stretched for kilometers around him that struck Nicolas when he first set foot on the farm. It was the smell. “I’ve been through six different jails and they all reeked. But you get used to it and forget it ever... The post The Rustic Farms Where French Prisoners Wrap Up Their Sentences appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
This article was originally published by Block Club Chicago, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to covering Chicago’s neighborhoods. Sign up for their newsletters here. As ICE patrols swarm Chicago, the tamale vendors who serve up steaming hot corn husks from the sidewalks or sell them to hungry bar patrons from coolers have retreated... The post Chicago Cyclists Buy Out Tamale Vendors to Keep Them Safe from ICE appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
About four inches of clear water pools around Mike Wagner’s rubber boots as he wades into one of his rice fields in northwestern Mississippi on a rainy late summer morning. Tufts of tall, dark green grasses grow dense across the flat landscape around him, stems arcing with the weight of... The post Migratory Birds and Rice Farmers Are Helping Each Other Soar appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
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. Tree-mendous There’s something a little magical in the idea of a forest within a city. But fairytale this is not. As Civil... The post What We’re Reading: Denver’s Flourishing Food Forests appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
Milena Malanciuc clearly recalls the day she was sent to an orphanage, when she was just five. She had been playing in the park with her older cousin. On their return home, they found a large black car waiting at the gate of Milena’s house. Strangers ushered her into it... The post The Country Making Orphanages Obsolete appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
Plug it in and switch it on — this simple renewables technology could open up the market to huge numbers of new citizens, including renters.| Reasons to be Cheerful
A trailblazing attempt to repopulate the ocean with sharks born of surplus aquarium eggs is expanding the boundaries of marine conservation.| Reasons to be Cheerful
Mothers across the world have long massaged their babies to improve their health. Now, medical researchers are refining these practices to maximize the benefits.| Reasons to be Cheerful
The Scandinavian nation has significantly reduced the number of people experiencing homelessness. What could other countries learn from its example?| Reasons to be Cheerful
A popular form of community building in Europe, intercultural gardens are now flourishing across the U.S.| Reasons to be Cheerful
Coppicing — cutting trees back — to support nature may seem counterintuitive. But it can help make the most of a limited landscape.| Reasons to be Cheerful
Afloat on DIY boats, teams of volunteers have removed over 450 tons of plastic waste from the Danube and its tributaries.| Reasons to be Cheerful
As the Natural State works to keep the carp out of the Great Lakes at all costs, can it convince consumers that these fish are delicious?| Reasons to be Cheerful
“Gravity batteries” give former mines a second life — while offering an economic and environmental boost to communities once reliant on coal.| Reasons to be Cheerful
Join the Reasons to be Cheerful community by supporting our nonprofit publication and giving what you can. Your tax-deductible financial contribution supports our daily operations today and expands the boundaries of what we can do in the future.| Reasons to be Cheerful
At a rural retreat, a handful of the country’s 1.5 million hikikomori cook, farm and, after years of isolation, gingerly step back into the world.| Reasons to be Cheerful
