reasonstobecheerful.world
What We’re Reading: Paint That ‘Sweats’ to Cool Homes
Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Let us know what you think at info@reasonstobecheerful.world.
Sweat it out
As temperatures soar in New York, where Reasons to be Cheerful is headquartered, creative cooling solutions are top of mind. We’ve covered many, including cool pavement in Los Angeles and cool roofs in India. Last summer, we reported on reflective cooling paint in Singapore — and as ScienceNews reports in a story shared this week by RTBC Executive Editor Will Doig, scientists in Singapore have now added a new twist: paint that cools by both reflecting sunlight and evaporating water.
Will says:
I just found myself absorbed in this story about paint that cools houses in Singapore by “sweating,” just like the human body does.
Postpartum pampering
In South Korea, rather than going straight home with a newborn, the majority of mothers spend time at joriwons — postpartum care centers — after giving birth. Not so in the U.S., where a recent report identified “major gaps and barriers in the postpartum maternal health care landscape.” But according to a story that caught Editorial Director Rebecca Worby’s eye in the Houston Chronicle, deep-pocketed families can now opt for postpartum care at the Ruby Postnatal, a brand-new “luxury postpartum retreat.”
Becca says:
A luxury postpartum retreat: Sounds amazing, albeit not exactly an accessible option for most people. But as this story points out, dedicated postpartum support is rare here in the U.S., so this at least “points to a different approach to postpartum care.”
What else we’re reading
A map, a myth and a pre-Incan lagoon: the man who brought water back to a drought-ridden town — shared by RTBC founder David Byrne from the Guardian
Could this city be the model for how to tackle the housing crisis and climate change? — shared by Rebecca Worby from NPR
In California’s largest landback deal, the Yurok Tribe reclaims sacred land around Klamath River — shared by Rebecca Worby from Grist
In other news…
RTBC Contributing Editor Michaela Haas’s story about how the Hopi grow crops without irrigation has won the solutions journalism category in the Los Angeles Press Club’s 67th Southern California Journalism Awards. The judges called the story “a powerful reminder that Indigenous knowledge has a lot to teach us about sustainability and resilience.”
Big congratulations, Michaela!
The post What We’re Reading: Paint That ‘Sweats’ to Cool Homes appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.
New Posts (Home)
ChatBox
Popular Posts 
Game Zone
Top PodCasts
