Peter Yeung
Peter Yeung is a Contributing Editor at Reasons to be Cheerful. A Paris-based journalist, he also writes for publications including the Guardian, the LA Times and the BBC. He’s filed stories from across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas.
How Lush Hillside Farms Are Protecting Nairobi’s Water Supply
A Kenyan water fund that helps upstream farmers improve their practices is boosting rural livelihoods and urban water quality at the same time.
Cultivating the Next Generation of Farmers in France
Amid a looming crisis of mass farmer retirements, the “Green Belt” project is helping young people set down agricultural roots.
Kids in France Are Pedaling Toward Two-Wheeled Equality
More than 500,000 students have learned to bike safely, encouraging them to live healthier, more independent and lower-carbon lives.
A Dose of Inspiration: Why Doctors Are Prescribing Museum Visits
At the French city of Lille’s Palais des Beaux-Arts, “museo-therapy” draws on the power of art to improve health and wellbeing.
To Keep Clean Drinking Water Flowing to Paris, Farmers Are Going Organic
Rather than relying on expensive water treatment plants, the French capital is protecting its water supply at the source.
A Living Seed Bank Is Preserving the Amazon’s Incredible Plants
In one of the planet’s most ecologically rich regions, the fight to prevent native plants from being lost forever begins on the forest floor.
Denmark’s Radical Plan for a Plant-Based Future
The Nordic country is working toward ambitious goals to make its food systems more sustainable — and other nations are following in its path.
Low-Traffic Neighborhoods Are Reclaiming London’s Streets From Cars
A controversial but effective policy is keeping residential streets quiet, getting more people walking and reducing pollution.
Beavers Are Back in London — and They’re Thriving
Usually known for their work in more rural places, nature’s best engineers have brought their ecosystem management skills to the big city.
Mexico’s Floating Gardens Are an Ancient Wonder of Sustainable Farming
Chinampas — an ingenious adaptation to the Valley of Mexico’s lake-filled landscape — could hold lessons for cities around the world.
The Women Bus Drivers Overcoming Stereotypes in Bogotá
The Colombian capital is creating a more sustainable, safe, equal and just transport system. Women are at the heart of it.
How a Colombian City Cooled Dramatically in Just Three Years
With “green corridors” that mimic the natural forest, the Colombian city is driving down temperatures — and could become five degrees cooler over the next few decades.
How Solutions Journalism Is Sparking Change
Many people say they actively avoid the news. A new approach to journalism offers an antidote.
The Park Where Conservation and Indigenous Rights Go Hand in Hand
National parks have historically been portrayed — and managed — as pristine, unpeopled landscapes. Peru’s Cordillera Azul offers another way.
The Galapagos Are Going Green
In recent years, there has been a growing movement to transform the archipelago into a beacon of sustainability.
How France Brought Brown Bears Back to the Pyrenees
Thanks to biological monitoring and community outreach, the once-nearly-extinct bruins are again ambling through the mountains.
How Nigeria Turned Men Into Better Fathers
Small group discussions among fathers about breastfeeding and maternal nutrition have a big impact when it comes to preventing child deaths.
Dense Micro-Forests Are Thriving in France
Developed by a Japanese botanist, the Miyawaki method of reforestation has taken root in a wide range of landscapes.
The Backyard Farmers Who Grow Food With Fog
In one of the world’s driest cities, an ingenious system channels water from the air to those who need it most.
Paris Is Undergoing a Water Revolution
From urban swimming to fixing leaks to public fountains, France’s capital is getting smart about its most precious resource.
To Become a Better Tourist, Aim for Slowness and Imperfection
The most rewarding travel experiences leave room for the unexpected — and genuinely benefit communities.
Barcelona’s ‘Bold Strategy’ to Quell the Tourism Crisis
The Catalan city is making big moves to get visitation and its impacts under control — and other European destinations are taking action, too.
Wind Power’s Explosive Growth Is Blowing Past Green Energy Goals
The production of wind energy keeps breaking records, and its potential for expansion is as wide as the oceans.
We Can Start Thinking in Centuries
A new book explores how a global shift toward long-term thinking can solve the problems caused by our here-and-now mindsets.
Cities Are Becoming More Like Sponges
Water management that prizes lakes and greenery over concrete makes for less flood-prone cities — and prettier ones, too.
With Green Prescriptions, Getting Healthier Is a Walk in the Park
From “forest bathing” to clinically prescribed time in national parks, a growing medical movement is sending patients back to nature, with remarkable results.
Uganda’s Communal Food ‘Epicenters’ Aim to End Hunger Forever
Pushing past the conventional food aid model, a regenerative farming system offers a recipe for success — and self-reliance.
The Ancient ‘Wonder Material’ Sucking CO2 Out of the Atmosphere
Though public awareness is low, some scientists believe “biochar” is quietly becoming the world’s first major carbon removal success story.
How India’s First ‘Green Village’ Turned Hunters Into Conservationists
In Khonoma, traditional knowledge has led to a boom in ecotourism and sustainable cultivation practices.
The Slum-Inspired Apartment Complex Designed by Its Own Residents
In Jakarta, a building for evicted slum-dwellers has alcoves for hawking goods, stairs designed for cross-floor conversation and gardens to grow your own food.
‘Dead’ Electric Car Batteries Find a Second Life Powering Cities
What do you do with old EV batteries that are too weak to run a car? Connect them by the hundreds to power vital urban infrastructure.
An ‘Unsexy’ System for Greening Fashion That Actually Works
Forget pants made of car tires — to truly make fashion more sustainable, a collaboration between dozens of brands is slashing the industry’s carbon footprint.
What Black Jello Says About the Power of Small Enterprise
Targeted support for local products — no matter how strange — can drive down poverty rates.
Cities Take on a New Front in the Climate Battle: Meat Eating
From Buenos Aires to L.A., there’s a growing consensus that serious climate action means getting citizens to change one very popular habit.
Helsinki Built a Library That Brings a Whole City Together
In a country where half of all citizens visit the library every month, Oodi Library provides a blueprint for fostering human convergence.
Earthships, Mormons, Doomsdayers and Weed
Scenes from our Paris-based correspondent’s epic three-month road trip across these “dizzyingly paradoxical” United States.
‘The Green Steel of the 21st Century’
Cheap, strong and plentiful, bamboo has been used in Hong Kong for ages as an ultra-sustainable building material. Other countries are catching on.
A Building Material That Consumes CO2 Has Finally Come to the US
A false association with drugs that banned ‘hempcrete’ from the US residential building code has been lifted, paving the way for widespread use.
Our Solar Powered Future Is Already China’s Reality
No other country’s green transition approaches the scale of China’s, where a world powered by the sun is quickly taking shape.
Beneath This Sea, a Sculpture Garden Is Saving an Ecosystem
The Mediterranean is the world’s most overfished sea — and a proving ground for how art can elevate conservation.
Cars Are Vanishing from Paris
The share of journeys made by car in the city has fallen by nearly half, and the trend is only accelerating.
Japan’s ‘Zero Waste’ Village Is a Model for Small-Town Sustainability
In Kamikatsu, recycling isn’t just an environmental imperative — it’s the glue that unifies a community.
Incarcerated People Are Saving a Disappearing Plant
Hundreds of prisoners across eight states are helping a threatened species thrive while growing a little bit themselves.
Tel Aviv Has Shade Down to a Science
While other cities wait for their newly planted trees to grow, the Israeli city is updating an age-old cooling method for the 21st century.
Evanston, Illinois Is the First City to Offer Reparations to Black Residents
In “an extraordinarily commendable first step,” families whose descendants experienced housing discrimination can receive $25,000.
You’ve Got Mail from Timbuktu
Anyone can receive a postcard from this city rumored to be at the edge of the earth — and support a post-tourism economy in the process.
What Happened When France Sent Low-Income Kids to Wealthy Schools
Bussing disadvantaged students to top-notch public schools has led to higher grades, lower drop-out rates and a call for more integration.
What Birth Control for Men Will Change, and What It Might Not
Society has come a long way in expecting men to share reproductive responsibility, but those who could benefit most might not get access.
Meet the ‘Future Generations’ Commissioner of Wales
Sophie Howe has one job: make sure her country’s policies benefit citizens who haven’t been born yet.
Meet the ‘Cultural Mediators’ Who Help Refugees in Germany
For thousands of refugees, integrating in Germany is made easier by a local mentor.
Liberia’s Beekeepers Harness the Power of Simplicity
“Once you have the skills to build one beehive, you can make 100.”
Mapping the Future
A new land policy replacing outdated colonial laws is being piloted in Sierra Leone — and putting the power back in the hands of the people.
“Cool Roofs” Are Helping Women Earn More in India
As days get hotter, new forms of architecture are ensuring home-based workers can stay comfortably productive.
How Norway Popularized an Ultra-Sustainable Heating Method
No other country has more heat pumps per capita, a cheap, highly efficient tool to keep homes warm — and carbon footprints small.
Where the “Right to Rest” is Guaranteed
In Portugal, the human need to log off and relax is now protected by law.
Is It Time for Your Pet to Go Vegan?
Your pet’s “carbon paw print” is bigger than you think. Cutting animal products from their diet may be the quickest way to change that.
The E-Trike Armada Propelling a Net-Zero Dream
The German postal service wants to be carbon neutral by 2050. Its fleet of battery-powered cargo bikes could help.
How Berlin Lets the Whole City Care for Its Trees
Urban trees need a little extra care. In the German capital, anyone can give it to them.
The Computer Designed to Last
Repairable, upgradable computers are here, and could make your next laptop something you own for a very long time.
France Is Freeing Fruit and Veg from Its Plastic Prison
Under a new law, a large portion of the country’s produce will no longer be sold in single-use plastic containers.
Milan Is Winning the Fight Against Food Waste
The city’s groundbreaking “zero waste” strategy aims to leave no meal behind.
Potty Trained Cows Are No Joke for the Climate
Researchers are teaching cows to pee in designated places where the urine can be collected and neutralized, sharply reducing methane emissions.
‘Eco-Score’ Labels Make Shopping More Sustainable
A simple letter-grading system in the U.K. has led to a significant shift towards ecologically greener foods.
‘Community Ownership’ Might Be the Best Way to Fight Deforestation
When forests are managed by the people who live in them, conservation tends to follow.
Could Low-Carbon Trains Cure Europe’s Flying Addiction?
A new generation of sleeper cars and short-haul routes are helping railways compete against discount airlines.
Why ‘Work from Anywhere’ Works for Refugees
As remote employment becomes the norm, some refugees are discovering new opportunities and autonomy.
Returning 600,000 Acres to Nature, One Piece at a Time
As homeowners, churches and even railway operators “rewild” their land, biodiversity is flocking back to England’s East Anglia region.
The Fridge the Vaccines Have Been Waiting For
Ice-chilled, powered by the sun and cold for weeks without electricity, the future of refrigeration is here — and just in time.
France’s ‘Peevolution’ Is Irrigating Farms With Liquid Gold
A century ago, Paris recycled half of its urine. Today, it’s being used as a high-grade fertilizer once again.
Ancient Farming Techniques Are Climate-Proofing Today’s Agriculture
In the Bolivian Andes, the low-water growing practices used by Mayans and Aztecs are making a comeback.
For a Clean Ocean, Just Add Oysters
From picturesque Mediterranean isles to New York’s bustling harbor, strategically placed oyster colonies are depolluting the sea with ease.
French Cuisine Has Gone Off the Grid
As other businesses go green, food service remains an energy-intensive outlier. Europe’s first solar-powered restaurant wants to change the recipe.
How Bogotá’s Waste Pickers Reinvented Their Jobs for a Modern City
As waste collection gets professionalized, the people who keep Bogotá clean and green are making sure they’re not left behind.
Ask Me Anything! Our New Contributing Editor Peter Yeung
What makes Paris special? Any tips for learning French? You asked, Peter answered.
No Smoking — Ever? New Zealand’s Plan to Stub Out Cigarettes
In an era of decriminalization, a proposal to phase in a total ban has some harm-reduction advocates scratching their heads.
In Paris, More Student Diversity Means Less Private School Flight
An experiment in shuffling kids from school to school saw more families stick with the public system.
Spain’s Four-Day Work Week Is a Game Changer
Most experiments with four-day weeks have been motivated by corporate self-interest. That could be changing.
In France, Accents Are Now Protected by Law
A groundbreaking new rule aims to let people speak freely and without fear of discrimination.