Story Search Results

Advanced Search

There are so many ways to search the solutions journalism stories in this database. Explore our searchable fields:

Search Results

You searched for: -

There are 229 results for your search. View and Refine Your Search Terms

Reforesting the Ocean

Christine McLaren

December 17, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Australia, Port Stephens

In Australia, scientists have developed a method to seed the ocean floor with healthy plants as a way to regrow dying ocean forests vital to the ecosystem. They have also crowdsourced the process, with volunteers collecting healthy seagrass and depositing it in bins along the beach.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Power Struggle

Mitch Anderson

December 07, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Humboldt County, California

The Blue Lake Rancheria Tribe in California installed its own small-scale electrical supply grid using solar panels and Tesla batteries to make their community more resilient to energy disruptions and lower carbon dioxide emissions. This proved useful during the 2019 wildfire season when utility companies shut down power for millions of residents. The tribe is now helping other Native reserves to build their own microgrid systems.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Creative Freedom

Gwynne Watkins

November 18, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York

New York-based nonprofit, Rehabilitation Through the Arts (RTA), runs theater programs for individuals experiencing incarceration as a way of improving mental health and reducing recidivism. While the United States’ criminal justice system has been focused on punitive measures, there’s been a trend toward rehabilitation across the country in recent years. Participants in RTA have shown a rate of recidivism of just 5% – compared to a 60% national average – but funding and sustainability remain a consistent hurdle.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Free the Floodplains!

Yen Duong

November 11, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Charlotte, North Carolina

There is a unique, homegrown local flood buyout program in Charlotte, NC that helps homeowners on floodplains relocate safely and with financial security. This came as a result of the city and county of Charlotte forming a joint storm water utility in the 1990's, which generated money by fixing aging pipes and other storm water needs—funding the local “Quick Buy” program. This gets the aid to the homeowners much quicker than FEMA money does and has since relocated 650 families and saved $25 million in losses.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Rock-a-Bye Mama

Gwynne Watkins

November 07, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Multi-Media |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, New York, New York

Past and present traumas can make it difficult for new mothers to bond with their babies. A program at Carnegie Hall uses songwriting and music to support mothers in this process in prisons, intensive care units, high schools, and other places.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Greening the Desert With Wastewater

Klaus Sieg

October 29, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Egypt, Ismalia

The Serapium Forest is one of 36 forests in Egypt that are growing because of treated wastewater, part of a country-wide initiative that started 25 years ago as a way to productively use treated sewage water, create forest in the desert, and help minimize desertification. Additionally, the program creates high-quality wood that can be sold, as well as absorbing greenhouse gases.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Free the Transit System!

Daniel J McGraw

October 28, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Columbus, Ohio

As the city of Columbus struggled to find ways to attract more workers downtown without increasing parking lots, they decided to try something new: making public transit free. Local businesses put funding towards the new C-pass program, which pays for all downtown workers to receive a free bus pass. At least 430 companies have opted in, allowing both businesses and employees to save while also making public transit more inclusive and accessible.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Changing Behavior: Economic Incentives

David Byrne

October 23, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Mexico

Cities across the world are learning that a tax on sugary drinks can help to shift purchasing habits and reduce the risks of health problems such as diabetes, heart attacks, and stroke. As a Boulder council member explained, modifying the behavior of consumers is possible when you "tax the behavior you don’t want and use the money to encourage behavior you do."

Read More
Go to Original Story
What Baltimore Gets Right about Urban Trees

Christine McLaren

October 17, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Baltimore, Maryland

Baltimore has become a leader in maintaining and growing the city’s trees by monitoring their health more closely. Using a new mapping technique, city officials can analyze its current tree canopy and see how it affects other city data like temperature, health, and crime. While growing the green space has been slow and revealed areas of income inequality, their successes could be a model for other communities that want to grow their urban forests.

Read More
Go to Original Story
Spain's Happy Little Carless City

Will Doig

October 11, 2019 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Spain, Pontevedra

In Pontevedra, Spain, the city has taken incremental action to reduce cars and congestion in the city center. As the city is small and walkable on foot, walking has become the foremost transportation option, not through extreme regulatory hurdles, but by engaging business owners, providing short-term parking and even free parking on the edge of town, and making sure pedestrians feel front and center. Through slight design changes, local government and citizens alike have been able to reimagine what a walkable city looks like, then put it into effect with great success.

Read More
Go to Original Story