Welcome back to our weekly behind-the-scenes glimpse at what’s getting our team talking. Tell us what you’ve been reading at info@reasonstobecheerful.world and we just might feature it here. Gone forever When the difference between winning gold and going home empty-handed can come down to nanoseconds, it’s no wonder sports teams invest time and money finding ways to boost their performance. But, reports Grist in an article shared by Interim Editorial Director Tess Riley, it turns out that fluorinated ski waxes, or “fluoros” — one of the major tools in the kits of downhill and cross-country skiers and snowboarders — contain PFAS (aka per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances), which are notorious for their harmful effects on human health and the environment. Following a ban on the use of these “forever chemicals” in 2023, the Milan Cortina Games will be the first Olympics without them. Tess says: The environmental impacts of events like the Olympics are huge, and fluorinated ski waxes are just one aspect of that. But am I pleased that there are going to be fewer forever chemicals polluting pristine landscapes thanks to the fluoros ban? Absolutely. Tackling the ‘motherhood penalty’ For women around the world, motherhood comes with career costs, writes Alexandra Killewald, Professor of Sociology at the University of Michigan, in an article in The Conversation shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas. With that in mind, Killewald and Danish sociologist Therese Christensen set out to determine whether government programs that provide financial support to parents can offset the “motherhood penalty” in earnings, looking specifically at Denmark, which has one of the world’s strongest safety nets. Their findings show that while government benefits do not fully offset earnings losses for Danish moms, they help. A lot. This, Killewald says, provides an example to other countries of “what’s possible when governments make financially supporting parents a high priority.” Michaela says: Having grown up in Europe, I was incredulous when I moved to the U.S. and realized there’s no paid parental leave here. This study shows that parental leave protections and generous child care benefit everyone. What else we’re reading Meet the Women Protecting India’s Snow Leopards — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from BBC News A Startup Discovered a Hidden Source of Abundant, Clean Energy — and Did It in an Unusual Way — shared by Interim Editorial Director Tess Riley from CNN  How Denmark Is Inviting Visitors to Rediscover Analogue Play — shared by Contributing Editor Geetanjali Krishna from Positive News  Indian Teacher Who Created Hundreds of Learning Centers Wins $1 Million Global Teacher Prize — shared by Contributing Editor Michaela Haas from AP News  Homes on Wheels Are Filling a Big Gap in Portland — shared by Interim Editorial Director Tess Riley from Next City In other news… “I recently ate a pig that’s alive and well at a sanctuary in upstate New York.” So begins a recent Grist article about the future of meat production, and what a captivating opening line it is. Those of you who’ve been reading our What We’re Reading column for a while will know by now that over at Reasons to be Cheerful we’re big fans of Grist (indeed, another of their stories made it into one of our top slots above this week). So, for no other reason than to share a bit of love for a fellow news organization that’s doing cool stuff, today we’re giving Grist and their journalism a shoutout. The post What We’re Reading: Eliminating ‘Forever Chemicals’ at the Olympics appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.