Reasons to be Cheerful

Reasons to be Cheerful is a non-profit editorial initiative designed to uplift spirits during challenging times. We share stories that highlight the various reasons to feel optimistic. Many of these stories showcase effective and replicable solutions to some of the world's biggest challenges. Our mission is to inform you about these positive developments. Through insightful journalism, we offer a blend of healthy optimism and stringent reporting, providing reasons to hope for a brighter future. We function as a mix of a magazine, a supportive conversation, and a roadmap for positive change. Founded by artist and musician David Byrne, Reasons to be Cheerful promotes the idea of exploring the world with curiosity—whether in art, music, collaboration, or everyday life. Operated under Byrne's non-profit organization, Arbutus, this project embodies that spirit, focusing on the future of our planet. By sharing evidence-based stories of hope, Reasons to be Cheerful encourages everyone to be curious about how we can improve the world and consider how we can contribute to that transformation.

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Ancient Himalayan Water Temples Are Meeting Modern Needs

1 week ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Geetanjali Krishna

In Uttarakhand’s prime fruit-growing region, a brightly clad woman carries a pitcher to what looks like a tiny temple set amid apricot orchards. This 400-year-old structure is one of the hundreds of water temples, locally called naulas, that dot the steep Himalayan slopes of Uttarakhand, a state in Northern India. Naulas were historically built over fresh water springs, which formed wherever groundwater managed to find its way to the surface.
The Bright Future of the All-Electric Neighborhood

1 week ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Elizabeth Hewitt

Our Electrifying World is a series about how electrification is creating a more sustainable energy transition. It is sponsored by Rewiring America. Susan Manners and her partner were looking to move to Vermont to be closer to their kids when they stumbled upon a chance to buy a townhouse in a new development in the northwestern city of South Burlington. The view — a vista of the Green Mountain range — was a huge selling point, Manners recalls.
Net Zero Banking Puts Your Money Where Your Values Are

1 week ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Hibah Ansari

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. Once an outdoor educator, Laura Wildenborg spent 10 years taking kids on field trips to go rock climbing or cross-country skiing across the region, all to inspire children to love and care for the environment. After receiving her MBA in 2020, she made a drastic career pivot — to banking.
Bringing 'Good Fire' Back to the Land

2 weeks ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Michaela Haas

Living Paradigms is a series about what we can learn from the customs and cultural practices of others when it comes to solving problems. It is sponsored by Wonderstruck. Maidu fire practitioner Danny Manning twirls a traditional fire stick made from an elderberry plant between his hands, rubbing it against a fire board until the first ember forms. He kindles it with a cottonwood bundle and gently blows on it until it turns into a flame.
An Art Form That Makes Silent Voices Heard

2 weeks ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Priti Salian

In a room packed with attentive audience members, Benin Varghese stands in the center of the scene, fully immersed in his performance. His tongue sticking out slightly, he extends his right hand forward, then his left, mimicking the cautious, deliberate steps of a dog crossing the road. Behind him, Soham Gaikwad stands close, both hands gently placed on the back of Varghese’s head, shaping them like floppy dog ears.
Child Care Micro-Centers Are Filling Empty Classrooms

3 weeks ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Mark Swartz

This story first appeared at The 74, a nonprofit news site covering education. Midway between Nashville and Atlanta, the city of Chattanooga, Tennessee, makes original use of a resource that other communities possess in abundance but fail to capitalize on: empty classrooms in public schools. Arising two decades ago from one principal’s creative approach, micro-centers are child care centers for the children of school teachers and other staff.
Rewilding Death in the Appalachian Mountains

3 weeks ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Michaela Haas

In the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, a quiet revolution in end-of-life practices is underway. At Ramsey Creek Preserve near Westminster, South Carolina, the deceased do not rest under rows of cold marble, but beneath meadows and oaks, their presence woven into the natural world. The first body Billy Campbell buried on his land was the stillborn child of friends. Then a colleague who died suddenly in a car accident “solidified the rightness of it,” Campbell recounts.
When Colorado Put Polling Places Inside All Its Jails, Voter Turnout Soared

1 month ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Alex Burness

This article was originally published by Bolts, a nonprofit publication that covers criminal justice and voting rights in local governments. Tiffany Lee, the county clerk and top elections official in southwestern Colorado’s La Plata County, wasn’t sold at first on the state’s new law requiring every jail to create an in-person polling place for incarcerated voters.
We Can Stop Glass Windows From Killing Birds

1 month ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Michaela Haas

When I entered my friend’s newly built guest house near San Diego, I admired the broad glass front that opened up to a panoramic view over the valley. By the time I left an hour later, an egg-yolk-yellow warbler was writhing in front of the glass entry door. We took the barely breathing beauty to a bird rehabber who told us it would not survive. According to an often-quoted estimate, building collisions kill a billion birds in the U.S. every year, plus 40 million in Canada.
As the Colorado River Shrinks, Southern California Is Embracing Water Recycling

1 month ago | reasonstobecheerful.world | Daniel Rothberg

Waterline is an ongoing series that explores the solutions making rivers, waterways and ocean food chains healthier. It is funded by a grant from the Walton Family Foundation. During the hottest days of the year, sun glimmers off of an aqueduct as it moves water from the shrinking Colorado River to millions of residents in the sprawling cities of Southern California.