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The Island Where Everyone Owns the Wind

Andrew Wear

December 25, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Denmark, Samso Island

Denmark’s Samso Island has not only succeeded in generating 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy - which is the nation’s goal by 2030 - it is now carbon negative. Locals initially pushed back on the idea of loud and unsightly windmills but had a change of heart when part ownership of the turbines was offered. Samso Island’s success in addressing climate change so effectively was a result of civic participation and the opportunity for economic development.

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London Is “Rewilding” and Native Species Are Flocking In

Alasdair Lane

December 21, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United Kingdom, London

Indigenous flora and fauna are returning to London in a successful effort to maintain the indigenous biodiversity of city centers. The Wild West End project is “rewilding” through green spaces to bring back natural habitats that have been disrupted due to urban, and now suburban, development. A noted increase in wildlife is helping achieve the goal of revitalizing “pathways of natural habitat along which wildlife can travel and flourish unfettered by human activity."

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With Centuries-Old Techniques, This Farm Is Preparing for the Future

Klaus Sieg

December 18, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Normandy

An unusually robust crop yield is stunning scientists at a small family farm where traditional farming techniques have replaced machinery, pesticides, and fertilizers. The French farmers implemented tips and tricks from cultures around the world and they now produce organic produce at much higher rates per square feet than conventional farms. Their methods have also bolstered the farm against extreme weather patterns, making it a model worth replicating.

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The Happy Little Nursing Homes Outsmarting Covid-19

Lily Bernheimer

December 11, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States

An alternative model to nursing homes is offering an innovative option that provides a comfortable, warm, and inviting environment to residents while also minimizing the spread of coronavirus. Green House Project (GHP) began as the brainchild of Dr. Bill Thomas, who sought to “humanize” nursing homes by creating home-based care for small groups of senior citizens. GHP has scaled the idea to 32 states by providing training to senior living providers on how to recreate the environment and resources necessary to help elders thrive and feel at home.

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A System for Sharing Household Heat Is Growing Beneath France

Chad Small

December 04, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Paris

In Paris, about 7,500 buildings are heated using geothermal energy, a cost-saving and carbon neutral energy source. Water is drawn from deep below ground at a central location and heated by the earth, and then sent via underground pipes to individual buildings. The Bagneux and Chatillon district has scaled up the system, providing heat to over 40,000 people. Districts created joint ventures to reduce construction costs and residents do not notice the energy source shift because when the temperature drops to a point where geothermal energy is not viable, gas boilers automatically keeps the heat flowing.

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The Casino That Farms Its Own Food

Hannah Wallace

November 26, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Quapaw, Oklahoma

The Quapaw tribe runs the Downstream Casino Resort in Oklahoma where they combine Indigenous food and farming knowledge with modern hotel operations. They have seven greenhouses and two gardens with 20 varieties of vegetables and herbs that cultivate about 6,000 pounds of food per year for the hotel and casino. They also have their own meat packing and processing plant, coffee roasting program, brewery, and farmers market. By creating a system of locally sourced and sustainably raised food, the Quapaw are reclaiming their land and food sovereignty.

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Hard-Knocks Restaurant Workers Are Embracing Mental Wellness

Hannah Wallace

November 13, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Sacramento, California

An initiative being piloted in the Sacramento hospitality industry aims to decrease the stigma restaurant workers face when talking about mental health concerns with their peers. This peer-to-peer mental health support program encourages workers to disclose how they are feeling to a fellow team member who has been trained in mental health counseling. Restaurant owners have reported that this program has positively changed the culture and 22 percent of those who work at a restaurant where the initiative has been piloted have reported that they have utilized the service.

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Botswana's Radical Experiment in National Unity

Bastian Berbner

October 23, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

Over 3000 Words

Response Location: Botswana

Botswanans have deprioritized deeply held tribal identities, created a national identity, and found societal stability by using the practice of randomly assigning civil servants to different parts of the country. Sending the over 120,000 civil servants to work away from friends and family, immersed in a new culture, has led to intercultural exchanges, new friendships, and even many marriages that resulted in children whose parents belong to different tribes. Increasing contact across tribal groups led to thousands of new personal relationships, which reduced prejudices and created a shared national culture.

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The Country Where Diversity Is Enforced by Law

Keshia Naurana Badalge

October 22, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Singapore

Singapore's Ethnic Integration Policy (EIP) has prevented ethnic enclaves in the city-state through the use of quotas. The four recognized ethnicities cannot surpass the set quotas in public residential buildings, which are inhabited by 80 percent of Singaporeans, resulting in diverse apartment complexes where residents regularly interact with people from different races. Racial dynamics are regulated through government policies for the purpose of "harmonious coexistence."

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How Oakland Got Real About Equitable Urban Planning

Rikha Sharma Rani

October 08, 2020 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Oakland, California

Oakland is making an effort to make city planning more equitable to include the needs of communities of color. "Esential Places" is the second iteration of a program that started off as "Slow Streets" and was criticized by local residents for catering to "white and moneyed interests." The initial attempt was informed by survey respondents who were overwhelmingly white and rich. Meetings with community members in distressed neighborhoods resulted in different traffic challenges and pedestrian needs. The shift in policy planning has led to safer intersections with no collisions at previously dangerous sites.

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