For the next six months, Reasons to be Cheerful is exploring the Mississippi River Basin, home to some of the most pressing challenges in the United States. A symbol of America, the Mississippi River Basin connects a vast region of farms, cities, dams and natural habitats that support a range of biodiversity across hundreds of thousands of square miles. It is one of America’s greatest resources, providing energy generation, agricultural sustenance and transportation. These aspects make the river and the region a fascinating lens through which to view the country’s ecological, economic and cultural challenges — and their solutions. I made this playlist for the series with songs about the Mississippi — not the state, though that too, but more the giant river and its watershed. The post My Mississippi River Playlist appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.