Recently, an Indian environmentalist and editor was invited to share his incredible work restoring hundreds of natural and man-made water sources all across India with a unique style of landscape engineering. His nonprofit has cleaned and reshaped more than 600 bodies of water either to a state of nature or to a clean and functioning […] The post Over 600 Lakes, Ponds, Reservoirs Restored Across the Whole of India by Divinely-Inspired Nonprofit appeared first on Good News Network.

Below the soil of a mining concession in Utah, a recent drill survey has discovered what might be North America’s largest-known deposit of so-called “critical minerals.” Turning up evidence of elements like gallium, lithium, tungsten, and vanadium, the land is already permitted for mining, and extraction work would benefit from existing nearby infrastructure, an exploratory […] The post Massive ‘Shovel-Ready’ Critical Minerals Deposit Found in Utah–Largest Potentially in North America appeared first on Good News Network.

This article was originally reported by Kate Sosin of The 19th. Meet Kate and read more of their reporting on gender, politics and policy. It was likely one of the last pieces of city policy passed that winter, just before the New Year, a parting gift from a progressive city council. On December 30, 1975, Minneapolis became the first city to adopt a trans-inclusive LGBTQ+ non-discrimination ordinance. Fifty years later, the United States still lacks similar protections on a federal level. Minneapolis was special in that the right people were there at the right time, said Seth Goodspeed, director of development and communications at OutFront Minnesota, the state’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organization. Weighed down by negative news? Our smart, bright, weekly newsletter is the uplift you’ve been looking for. [contact-form-7] “Minneapolis, since the early ’70s, has really been a leader in the gay rights movement,” he said. “That comes out of a lot of the student organizing at the University of Minnesota in the late ’60s.” It was home to Jack Baker and Michael McConnell, two men who, in 1971, figured out how to legally marry, the first recorded same-sex marriage in history. It was also the stomping ground of Steve Endean, who founded the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ rights organization, the Human Rights Campaign. Endean started lobbying a city alderman, Earl Netwal, in 1973 to pass a gay rights ordinance. His timing was just right. In 1974 progressives won the mayoral race and the city council. That year they voted 10-0 to ban discrimination on the basis of “sexual preference.” The next year, Tim Campbell, a local activist and publisher of the GLC Voice in Minneapolis, penned a trans-inclusive policy. The council passed the ordinance on December 30, right before their term ended and a more conservative council was sworn in — one that would unsuccessfully threaten the ordinance later. “I think it was a pendulum,” Goodspeed said. “The pendulum was sort of swinging back toward a more conservative mayor and a conservative city council.” Wait, you're not a member yet? Join the Reasons to be Cheerful community by supporting our nonprofit publication and giving what you can. Join Cancel anytime But despite that pendulum, Minneapolis changed minds, Goodspeed said, if only because it showed that non-discrimination protections actually didn’t change much for straight or cisgender people. “You’re able to say, ‘We passed this two years ago, last year, in the past five years, and nothing’s really changed, there is no boogeyman under the bed,’” he said. “We’ve had these protections since the 1970s and all these fears that they might have … just never came to fruition.” The post The City That Protected Trans People’s Rights in 1975 appeared first on Reasons to be Cheerful.

If you’ve ever tried to become more disciplined by sheer force of will, you already know it’s exhausting. All of the habit trackers, early alarms, self-help podcasts can be overwhelming. And, honestly, kind of joyless. But what if there were a sneakier, more satisfying way to become that disciplined version of yourself… without having to micromanage your every move? Enter: hobbies. Yes, hobbies. Those fun little side quests that light you up and—surprise!—actually help you grow in the background. “Self-improvement doesn’t always have to be a front-and-center project,” as Alice Boyes, Ph.D., author of The Anxiety Toolkit, and the The Healthy Mind Toolkit, points out. Sometimes the most powerful personal growth happens indirectly, while you’re just out there doing your thing. Let’s explore five types of hobbies that quietly build self-discipline without making your life feel like bootcamp. What makes a hobby secretly productive? Not all hobbies are created equal when it comes to building discipline. The ones that truly work their magic usually do one (or more) of the following: Crowd out unhelpful behaviors Create routines and structure Demand responsibility and safety Build resilience through exertion Help shape a more disciplined identity The best part os that you don’t have to adopt a monastic lifestyle or wake up at 5 a.m. for this to work. These hobbies meet you where you are and gradually nudge you forward. 1. The kind that crowds out bad habits One of the easiest ways a hobby helps you level up is by giving you a reason to say no to stuff that doesn’t serve you. Let’s imagine a woman named Maya. Maya signs up for a Sunday morning pottery class she loves. Suddenly, her Saturday nights shift. Instead of staying up doomscrolling until 2 a.m., she’s in bed by 11 because she wants steady hands for the wheel. No “I should really sleep more” pep talks needed, she just ends up reprioritising things naturally.  Or consider someone who picks up an expensive but rewarding hobby like photography or scuba diving. Suddenly, budgeting becomes less of a drag and more of a strategy to afford what really matters. You’re not forcing good behavior; your interests are reshaping your choices. 2. The kind that builds routines (sneakily) Hobbies can also bring rhythm to your life, especially if they involve consistent times, places, or rituals. Walking your dog every evening isn’t just good for the pup; it also gives your day an anchor. That kind of reliable structure can snowball into better sleep, healthier meals, or just a greater sense of calm. You didn’t try to be more disciplined, you simply had something to show up for. 3. The kind that demands responsibility If your hobby involves risk (think rock climbing, motorcycling, flying), it comes with procedures that have to be followed. These aren’t optional; they’re how you stay safe. This is where discipline starts to seep into other areas of life. When you’re used to checking gear, reviewing safety checklists, or leading a group, those habits of diligence and accountability don’t just switch off when you leave the activity. You start thinking more intentionally across the board. 4. The kind that builds a tolerance for effort Hard hobbies, physically demanding ones especially, teach you how to sit with discomfort. That breathless moment on a long run. The burn of a final set. The tangle of frustration when you’re learning a new skill. This kind of exertion trains your brain to differentiate between this is hard and this is bad. That’s huge for anyone (especially those with anxiety) who tend to avoid anything that feels even remotely uncomfortable. And research backs this up: people who engage in regular physical activity tend to show more follow-through in other areas like household chores, budgeting, and schoolwork. Turns out, sweat pays dividends. 5. The kind that shifts how you see yourself Here’s where things get really interesting. Hobbies can very sneakily reshape your identity. You’re not just someone who likes hiking; you become a hiker. Not just someone who helps out at community theater; you’re now a stage manager. That shift in how you see yourself can spark more responsibility, more confidence, and, yes, more discipline. The breathing room you actually need Quick PSA: if you’re going to start a hobby, don’t expect to wedge it in at the tail end of an already overflowing day. That’s a fast track to burnout. Starting something new of course takes some time, but just as importantly it takes up mental space. You’ll need a weekend morning, a no-guilt evening, or even just one day a week where you’re not chasing productivity for productivity’s sake. Once a hobby is part of your rhythm, it’s easier to maintain. But getting it off the ground will require giving yourself some room to breathe. Indirect > intense You don’t need to adopt a strict morning routine, download seven habit-tracking apps, or suddenly become “that disciplined person.” You just need something you love doing that naturally pulls you forward instead of pushing you around. As Boyes so wisely puts it: “Better self-discipline can be a byproduct of finding a hobby you love and allowing it to shape you.” That’s the kind of self-improvement that sticks: the kind that feels most like you becoming you.  The post Surprise: your hobbies might be building better self-discipline (and you didn’t even notice) first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.