'Plastic Cup' Competitions Are Cleaning Up Rivers in Hungary
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
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... The post The Spark: How Disaster Prep Can Bring Your Community Together appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
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... The post The Anarchic Playgrounds Where Putting Kids At Risk Is The Point 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. 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... The post What We’re Reading: The Most-Ridden Bicycle in New York’s Bike Share System appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
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... The post No Teachers and No Curriculum: Is This the School of the Future? appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
This article was originally published by KFF Health News, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. It started with a high school typing course. Wanda Woods enrolled because her father advised that typing proficiency would lead to jobs. Sure enough, the federal Environmental Protection Agency hired her... The post A Brain Boost For Seniors Who Use Everyday Tech appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
The red-brick Frampton Park Estate, a set of five-story social housing blocks in east London, is built like many other residential complexes in the British capital. Even the lines of solar panels that cover the roofs of the estate are an increasingly common sight. But Frampton is the flagship example... The post Underserved Communities Are Reaping the Benefits of London’s Solar Microgrids appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
Every year, around the middle of summer, Alex Lack finds himself surprised by the buzz in Bradfield Woods, the forest he manages in Suffolk, a county in eastern England. Standing in a glade on a warm summer day, insects flit busily between shrubs and wildflowers. Hundreds of red admiral, peacock... The post The Ancient Woodland Practice Boosting British Biodiversity 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. Let us know what you think at info@reasonstobecheerful.world. Emergency eats When natural disasters disrupt food systems, people in the impact zone struggle to find fresh, healthy food. At the same time, farmers can’t get their crops... The post What We’re Reading: Making Local Food an Asset in Disaster Relief appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| 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
On a brisk February morning in Miami, Matthew Creswell watched as engineers wrestled thick power cables at a cruise ship terminal. The ship was about to plug into the electrical grid — an event far less ordinary than it sounds. As the harbormaster of Juneau, Alaska, Creswell was there to... The post Plugging Cruise Ships Into Shore Power Is No Small Feat appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
This article was originally published by Bolts, a nonprofit publication that covers criminal justice and voting rights in local governments. Seattle is poised to continue its experiment in public campaign financing. In early August, voters renewed the city’s democracy vouchers program, which provides each adult Seattle resident with four $25 vouchers they can donate to... The post How $100 Per Voter Makes Seattle’s Elections More Inclusive 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. Let us know what you think at info@reasonstobecheerful.world. Building better The New York City area is known for being a wildly expensive place to live. But there are pockets of affordability — one of which is the commuter... The post What We’re Reading: How a New York Suburb Is Bringing Down Rents appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| 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
Anybody can visit Etteln with the click of a mouse. As Ulrich Ahle’s pointer flies over the rooftops of his hometown — past half-timbered houses, the historic church and verdant fields — it’s clear this isn’t just a sleepy German hamlet. This is the future. Nestled in the rolling hills... The post The World’s Smartest City Is a Tiny German Village appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
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. 🐦 Simple tips for restoring biodiversity to the land around your home 🌱 How to start a seed library 🪸 Help monitor coral reef... The post The Spark: Bringing Biodiversity to Your Own Backyard appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
This story is published in collaboration with the Local Catch Network. With the 2014 school year in full swing, Jenn Lovewell, the then-acting director of the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, noticed something was conspicuously missing from her schools’ lunchrooms. “We were doing a lot of work in the district around... The post How Fresh Fish From Monterey Bay Reaches School Lunch Trays appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
See what stories caught our attention this week, from the Danish capital’s plan for a wetter future to a new and improved mosquito net.| Reasons to be Cheerful
This story was originally reported by Eden Turner of The 19th. Meet Eden and read more of her reporting on gender, politics and policy. After she moved into her first apartment in 2021, a one-bedroom unit in East Baltimore, Saj Dillard realized her rent wouldn’t have gotten her much once... The post For Black Women, Seeds of Wealth Start With Homeownership appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.| Reasons to be Cheerful
For remote communities where electricity is scarce or unreliable, an age-old natural refrigeration method remains as valuable as ever.| Reasons to be Cheerful
In the growing field of "ecoacoustics,” scientists use the ocean's natural sounds to monitor the health of marine ecosystems -- and even restore them.| Reasons to be Cheerful
From photovoltaic pavement to bus stops that charge EVs from below, the next generation of clean energy infrastructure is right under our feet.| Reasons to be Cheerful
In Jaipur, India, an all-women company offers sustainable and authentic tours — while providing its drivers with income and agency.| Reasons to be Cheerful
A cash transfer experiment in New Orleans has proven how responsible many high schoolers can be with money if given the chance.| Reasons to be Cheerful
In a country where social stigma and fear often delay diagnosis, an app that teaches women to perform self-exams is revolutionizing health care.| Reasons to be Cheerful
The concept is simple: a small cash reward for each negative drug test. And there’s solid science behind it.| Reasons to be Cheerful
See what stories caught our attention this week, from housing progress for Angelenos to a radical approach to addiction treatment.| Reasons to be Cheerful
As the world’s most ambitious oyster reef restoration nears completion, many millions of tiny mollusks are revitalizing America’s largest estuary.| Reasons to be Cheerful
A controversial but effective policy is keeping residential streets quiet, getting more people walking and reducing pollution.| 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 mission 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
