Christine McLaren

Christine McLaren is the Founding Editor of Reasons to be Cheerful.

Ask Me Anything! Our New Editorial Director Rebecca Worby

5 min read

Founding editor Christine McLaren talks to RTBC’s newest team member about hope for the climate, her time in Texas and the correct pronunciation of that thing that keeps your beer cool.

No Resumé? No References? No Problem

3 min read

What happens when you hire the first qualified job applicant who walks through the door?

Reforesting the Ocean

5 min read

Recently, Australian scientists proved something we once thought impossible: we can regrow the ocean forests we’ve destroyed. Now they’ve set their sights on a tougher challenge… and they can’t do it alone.

What Baltimore Gets Right about Urban Trees

3 min read

While other cities plant trees, Baltimore has focused on monitoring and maintaining the ones it already has—and is one of the few cities whose urban forest is expanding.

The School Where Refugees Thrive

3 min read

At Fugees Academy, students who arrived in the U.S. as refugees—sometimes without parents or English skills—are graduating at a rate of 90 percent.

The Worst CO2 Emitters are Getting a Little Bit Better

2 min read

Carbon emissions are falling in the countries that emit the most CO2, the result of conservation efforts, more renewable energy and strong climate policies.

Treating Loneliness as a Medical Condition

2 min read

When a small-town clinic in England started prescribing human connection to its lonely patients, rates of chats over coffee increased—and hospital visits fell.

Bleeding-Heart Capitalism

2 min read

A doctor in Denver is blending the Medicaid model with a capitalist profit motive, offering high-quality health care without the frills.

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