Latest Stories
When It Comes to Climate Change, Everything We Do Matters
Scientists say we have all the solutions we need to limit global heating to a 1.5°C increase. So what can we, as individuals, do?
Is It Time to Break Up With Fireworks?
Fourth of July celebrations have long featured flashy pyrotechnics. But more environmentally friendly spectacles could take their place.
The Search for the Perfect Natural Period Product
Most menstrual products contain plastic, and more ecological options are pricey. But the “sustainable menstruation” movement is finally gaining traction.
How More Cities Could Work to End Unsheltered Homelessness
Regardless of how the US Supreme Court rules on a high-profile case, programs in New Orleans and Houston could serve as models going forward.
How I Got Hooked on Solutions Journalism
Evidence-driven stories about solutions shed light on what’s possible, helping readers to overcome feelings of helplessness.
Why Won’t You Recycle My Batteries?
Europe’s ubiquitous recycling system for household batteries means virtually none get thrown away. How come the US doesn’t have something similar?
Earthships, Mormons, Doomsdayers and Weed
Scenes from our Paris-based correspondent’s epic three-month road trip across these “dizzyingly paradoxical” United States.
How Giving Up Flying Helped Me Rediscover the World
As a travel editor, my job is to hopscotch across the globe. When I decided to keep my feet on the ground, I saw it in a whole new way.
Want Fewer Abortions? Legalize Them
The countries with the lowest abortion rates have one thing in common: access to safe, affordable abortion.
What Growing Up in Rural Germany Taught Me about Guns
In the Bavarian village where I was raised, guns are a part of life. Mass shootings are not.
The Tantalizing Dream of a “Regional” Olympics
The Games have become an unwieldy, budget-busting affair. Allowing multiple cities — or even countries — to co-host could fix that.
A Patriotic Pause
Cities across Canada are canceling Canada Day celebrations to contemplate the country’s darkest chapter. Is this the dawn of more nuanced national holidays?
I Am One of Our Stories
If we can hold up a mirror to ourselves and change, that’s a reason to be cheerful.
The Work Is Working
The wins we rack up are meaningful beyond the policies they change — they are bursts of propellant that move a long and grueling struggle onward.
How the Media Can Fix Its Protest Coverage
Step one: Cover anti-racism rallies more like women’s marches.
The World Is Changing — So Can We
The pandemic is revealing the many ways our lives intersect. Is this an opportunity for us to reimagine what we can be?
The Media Can Help Beat the Coronavirus
If the press can learn from the mistakes it made during the Ebola outbreak, it could become one of our best assets in fighting the current pandemic.
Is It Okay to Copy China?
A country that opposes human rights and democracy is also coming up with some smart solutions. Can we emulate the good without endorsing the bad?
We Are Not Doomed
Seeing painful events as signs that we’ve lost our way misses the point. The truth is, we are less lost now than when we were comfortable.
Weighed down by negative news?
Our smart, bright, weekly newsletter is the uplift you’ve been looking for.