Tonic for tumultuous times. In the English town of Gateshead, coal mining dates back to the 1300s. Dormant since the 1980s, the mines have been granted a…
Reasons to be Cheerful
Ways to get involved in the issues we report on Welcome back to The Spark, our monthly newsletter that’s all about how people just like you are…
Stop! Before you scroll down to the stories… …here’s a data point that might blow your mind: nearly a third of our revenue comes from reader support…
Our apologies if you've now received this newsletter twice. It was so popular yesterday that it crashed our website! (#humblebrag) We're resending it for those who didn't…
In our What We’re Reading section this week, we’re gabbing about a story of folks in Utah coming together to stop a “Shark’s” massive data center. Plus,…
fter workers across France head home for the evening, their office buildings become something amazing. In conference rooms and break areas, temporary bedrooms unfold for homeless people.…
Tonic for tumultuous times. Sceaux, France honors “remarkable trees” and views its urban canopy as an integral part of life. It has lessons to teach about the…
Tonic for tumultuous times. When dining at a coastal restaurant, you might assume the seafood on your plate is locally caught. But in Oregon, 90 percent of…
Why birding makes birds happy, too Birdwatching in protected public lands highlights the importance of conserving natural habitats and expanding access to the outdoors for all. Photo…
Tonic for tumultuous times. A social experiment called Drop Dead Generous is giving 1,000 people $500 each — half a million dollars total — to commit acts…
Groundbreaking research is proving what some patients –– and doctors –– have long known: The links between the creative arts and clinical health are undeniable. So much…
Tonic for tumultuous times. Single-use packaging has more than doubled in Germany since 1994, so the city of Tübingen decided to take matters into its own hands.…
Ways to get involved in the issues we report on Welcome back to The Spark, our monthly newsletter that’s all about how people just like you are…
Tonic for tumultuous times. The part of the city we rarely see –– rooftops high above our heads –– might be one of our best tools for…
Tonic for tumultuous times. Embracing green energy doesn’t just protect the planet –– it’s empowering, too. Now, inspired makers are building their own renewable infrastructure, with beautifully…
Tonic for tumultuous times. Most cities accept a certain number of traffic deaths as the price of car culture. But not Hoboken, New Jersey, where for nine…
Tonic for tumultuous times. Rooftop farms, shade structures and baggage storage for for unhoused people are just a few of the projects that everyday Parisians have proposed…
Tonic for tumultuous times. Of all the ideas floated by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, one in particular captured the city’s imagination: His plan to make every…
contributed $20,769 in two weeks –– an incredible show of support. We’re halfway through the month… but not yet halfway to our fundraising goal. Now it’s a…
Ways to get involved in the issues we report on Welcome back to The Spark, our monthly newsletter that’s all about how people just like you are…
Getting a city to paint a crosswalk might take years, but a group of neighbors can paint one in a single morning. That’s what’s happening across Los…
Tonic for tumultuous times. On farms across the Midwest, biodiversity is getting a boost by adding nut-producing trees to soil depleted by monoculture crops. “There’s just a…
Tonic for tumultuous times. We need your help! For an upcoming article about electrification, we want to hear –– and see –– your story about getting an…
Ways to get involved in the issues we report on Welcome back to The Spark, our monthly newsletter that’s all about how people just like you are…