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Did you know boats and bags are being made from fungi?

I wrote about the godfather of fungi!

Imagine back-to-school season… with no “teachers,” no curriculum, no rows of desks, no hallway passes and no bells. A San Francisco school is letting students shape their own education, guided by “collaborators” and an ethos of trust: reasonstobecheerful.world/brightworks-...

No, damnit, #BrokenTimes, this is not "reality TV." It is our democracy. You trivialize and normalize fascism. "Mr. Trump, a pop culture maven, had relatively little to say about what was arguably the biggest news of the day: the engagement of Taylor Swift." Fuck off, Times.

From the edge of rural Germany, the village of Etteln is offering the world a new matrix for what a smart city can be — one rooted in connection, not just connectivity. reasonstobecheerful.world/etteln-smart...

Using the DNA of the world’s mightiest trees, a tree grower in Michigan aims to replenish old-growth forests, one sapling at a time. reasonstobecheerful.world/detroit-sequ...

Giant sequoias in Detroit? You read that right. I reported on David Milarch's initiative to reforest the world with champion trees.

Small-group storytelling circles are helping older adults share their lives and build lasting bonds through weekly themed conversations. reasonstobecheerful.world/older-adults...

Devastating California wildfires have brought renewed attention to a simple, disaster-resilient construction method that combines old and new. It’s called “SuperAdobe.” reasonstobecheerful.world/the-whimsy-a...

The story explores how traditional methods, used for thousands of years, can offer real solutions to modern problems like drought: reasonstobecheerful.world/growing-corn...

As California communities rebuild from wildfire, some residents are looking to SuperAdobe, which shows that the future of fire-proofing can be beautiful. reasonstobecheerful.world/the-whimsy-a...

Welcome back to #StatsSunday — your statistical fix, pulled from this week’s stories. Read this stat’s story here: reasonstobecheerful.world/the-whimsy-a...

I wrote about people bicycling out of homelessness to independence.

Welcome back to #StatsSunday — your statistical fix, pulled from this week’s stories. Read this stat’s story here: reasonstobecheerful.world/homeless-san...

Congratulations to RTBC Contributing Editor @michaelahaas.bsky.social! Her story about how the Hopi grow crops without irrigation has won the solutions journalism category in the Los Angeles Press Club’s 67th Southern California Journalism Awards.

Don't these look fabulous? I took a trip to Hesperia to check out the climate-resilient SuperAdobe at CalEarth.

Why are hundreds of veterans traveling to Mexico and other countries to seek treatment with psychedelics? Because they've tried everything else to cope with their posttraumatic stress.

I wrote about storytelling as a way to combat loneliness.

Welcome back to #StatsSunday — your statistical fix, pulled from this week’s stories.⁠ Read this stat’s story here: reasonstobecheerful.world/how-music-ea...

Welcome back to #StatsSunday — your statistical fix, pulled from this week’s stories.⁠ Read this stat’s story here: reasonstobecheerful.world/force-blue-v...

I wrote about the latest science showing that listening to our favorite jam actually has medical benefits, including reducing pain and anxiety.

🤷🏼‍♂️

For my latest story, I interviewed former marines and SEALs who are making ocean conservation their new mission.

College students have great ideas! I wrote about a nonprofit that gives them the money and tools to actually implement them.

I wrote about the revival of Indigenous cultural burns and how they benefit Indigenous culture, the environment, and everybody else.

My research about rewilding death was surprisingly cheerful!

Each year, countless birds die after colliding with buildings. But simple solutions exist, from tiny dots on glass to turning out the lights. ow.ly/SSuU50VlKIf @michaelahaas.bsky.social

As communities recover from the devastation of wildfires, rebuilding offers an opportunity to prioritize resilience to future disasters. ow.ly/uOc250VbT0a

The richest man in the world kills the world's poorest children.

"Are you okay?" How to help the fire survivors of L.A. michaela.substack.com

I loved interviewing Melanie Winter, an intrepid activist who has changed the face of the LA River:

Absolutely amazing! Loved researching this story!

Beyond disturbing and frustrating

If you love your morning coffee, this news should jolt you wide awake: Your coffee is threatened by climate change. I reported on solutions for your morning cup of joe. reasonstobecheerful.world/climate-resi...

I was surprised about the impact these plays have on absenteeism and focus. Check out my latest story for @rtbcheerful.bsky.social

From improved teamwork to a drop in absenteeism, theatrical immersion in the stories of historic heroes yields dramatic results. ow.ly/mE9P50UcbEb

Did you know we could save 32,000 lives every year in the US alone if we took #womenshealth issues seriously? For my latest piece I spoke with the legendary Marianne Legato who coined the term " bikini medicine." reasonstobecheerful.world/bridging-wom...

177 ways the world got better in 2023 (with links to several of my stories): reasonstobecheerful.world/the-year-in-...

How I got hooked on Solutions Journalism. My latest viewpoint: reasonstobecheerful.world/hooked-on-so...

I just sent out a new Substack! Check it out! michaela.substack.com/p/her-deepne...

Of all the climate change solutions, from electric cars to wind turbines, there’s a powerful one that’s staring you in the face. What we eat doesn’t just affect our heath, experts say, it affects the health of our planet, profoundly. I wrote about it for Rotary: www.rotary.org/en/consider-...

How music helps healing and mental wellbeing. My latest about the wellbeing concerts @carnegiehall for @RTB_Cheerful reasonstobecheerful.world/carnegie-hal...

I interviewed one of my favorite people! #marinelife #HopeSpots reasonstobecheerful.world/sylvia-earle...

Why I do what I do: Good news! www.cjr.org/the_media_to...

Today is the #forGrace women's conference. My talk on resilience and #posttraumaticgrowth is at 1.45 PST! Check out the link below: tinyurl.com/2yxxkdw9

“The Trauma-Pain Connection: A Path to Recovery and Growth” Catch me at the 11th Women in Pain Conference on Friday, November 17th, 2023 www.forgrace.org/11th-annual-...

Hardly anything is spookier than ghost nets! Read my latest story about how old fishing nets are turned into bags and clothes. #marinelife leaps.org/prada-bags/

Hardly anything is spookier than ghost nets! Read my latest story about how old fishing nets are turned into bags and clothes. leaps.org/prada-bags/