Michaela Haas's Avatar

Michaela Haas

@michaelahaas.bsky.social

Award-winning reporter. Author of 5 non-fiction books, incl. Bouncing Forward. www.michaelahaas.com

124 Followers  |  330 Following  |  37 Posts  |  Joined: 19.10.2023  |  2.2308

Latest posts by michaelahaas.bsky.social on Bluesky

Preview
πŸ„ For Fans of Fungi From mushroom boats to luxury handbags, fungi are taking over β€” stylishly.

What? You're not getting my monthly newsletter yet? Check it out here: michaela.substack.com/p/for-fans-o...

08.10.2025 01:50 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Did you know boats and bags are being made from fungi?

08.10.2025 01:36 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I wrote about the godfather of fungi!

08.10.2025 01:35 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image Post image

Imagine back-to-school season… with no β€œteachers,” no curriculum, no rows of desks, no hallway passes and no bells.

A San Francisco school is letting students shape their own education, guided by β€œcollaborators” and an ethos of trust: reasonstobecheerful.world/brightworks-...

02.09.2025 19:11 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
ANALYSIS
Trump Plays Reality TV Host at Marathon Cabinet Meeting
President Trump hosted a televised meeting at the White House for hours as his cabinet members offered praise. It was a glimpse of how he runs his presidency.

ANALYSIS Trump Plays Reality TV Host at Marathon Cabinet Meeting President Trump hosted a televised meeting at the White House for hours as his cabinet members offered praise. It was a glimpse of how he runs his presidency.

No, damnit, #BrokenTimes, this is not "reality TV." It is our democracy. You trivialize and normalize fascism. "Mr. Trump, a pop culture maven, had relatively little to say about what was arguably the biggest news of the day: the engagement of Taylor Swift." Fuck off, Times.

26.08.2025 23:53 β€” πŸ‘ 364    πŸ” 100    πŸ’¬ 20    πŸ“Œ 14
Post image

From the edge of rural Germany, the village of Etteln is offering the world a new matrix for what a smart city can be β€” one rooted in connection, not just connectivity.

reasonstobecheerful.world/etteln-smart...

13.08.2025 11:29 β€” πŸ‘ 16    πŸ” 9    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Post image Post image

Using the DNA of the world’s mightiest trees, a tree grower in Michigan aims to replenish old-growth forests, one sapling at a time.

reasonstobecheerful.world/detroit-sequ...

22.07.2025 12:03 β€” πŸ‘ 22    πŸ” 8    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2

Giant sequoias in Detroit? You read that right. I reported on David Milarch's initiative to reforest the world with champion trees.

22.07.2025 16:19 β€” πŸ‘ 0    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Small-group storytelling circles are helping older adults share their lives and build lasting bonds through weekly themed conversations.

reasonstobecheerful.world/older-adults...

14.06.2025 19:05 β€” πŸ‘ 11    πŸ” 3    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image Post image Post image

Devastating California wildfires have brought renewed attention to a simple, disaster-resilient construction method that combines old and new. It’s called β€œSuperAdobe.”

reasonstobecheerful.world/the-whimsy-a...

16.06.2025 13:04 β€” πŸ‘ 24    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Preview
Growing Corn in the Desert, No Irrigation Required The surreal sight of squash, melons and corn sprouting from the sandy ground reflects an ancient farming technique that’s newly relevant.

The story explores how traditional methods, used for thousands of years, can offer real solutions to modern problems like drought: reasonstobecheerful.world/growing-corn...

25.06.2025 13:02 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

As California communities rebuild from wildfire, some residents are looking to SuperAdobe, which shows that the future of fire-proofing can be beautiful.

reasonstobecheerful.world/the-whimsy-a...

26.06.2025 14:53 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Post image

Welcome back to #StatsSunday β€” your statistical fix, pulled from this week’s stories. Read this stat’s story here: reasonstobecheerful.world/the-whimsy-a...

29.06.2025 19:05 β€” πŸ‘ 10    πŸ” 1    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I wrote about people bicycling out of homelessness to independence.

14.07.2025 21:36 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Welcome back to #StatsSunday β€” your statistical fix, pulled from this week’s stories. Read this stat’s story here: reasonstobecheerful.world/homeless-san...

13.07.2025 15:15 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 5    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 2
Post image

Congratulations to RTBC Contributing Editor @michaelahaas.bsky.social! Her 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.

25.06.2025 13:02 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 6    πŸ’¬ 2    πŸ“Œ 1

Don't these look fabulous? I took a trip to Hesperia to check out the climate-resilient SuperAdobe at CalEarth.

18.06.2025 20:24 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

Why are hundreds of veterans traveling to Mexico and other countries to seek treatment with psychedelics? Because they've tried everything else to cope with their posttraumatic stress.

18.06.2025 20:23 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I wrote about storytelling as a way to combat loneliness.

12.06.2025 01:49 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Welcome back to #StatsSunday β€” your statistical fix, pulled from this week’s stories.⁠ Read this stat’s story here: reasonstobecheerful.world/how-music-ea...

25.05.2025 15:50 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
Post image

Welcome back to #StatsSunday β€” your statistical fix, pulled from this week’s stories.⁠ Read this stat’s story here: reasonstobecheerful.world/force-blue-v...

25.05.2025 17:40 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I wrote about the latest science showing that listening to our favorite jam actually has medical benefits, including reducing pain and anxiety.

22.05.2025 22:33 β€” πŸ‘ 8    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

πŸ€·πŸΌβ€β™‚οΈ

20.05.2025 04:32 β€” πŸ‘ 7833    πŸ” 3994    πŸ’¬ 248    πŸ“Œ 208

For my latest story, I interviewed former marines and SEALs who are making ocean conservation their new mission.

20.05.2025 00:19 β€” πŸ‘ 5    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

College students have great ideas! I wrote about a nonprofit that gives them the money and tools to actually implement them.

01.05.2025 20:49 β€” πŸ‘ 7    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

I wrote about the revival of Indigenous cultural burns and how they benefit Indigenous culture, the environment, and everybody else.

15.04.2025 01:39 β€” πŸ‘ 17    πŸ” 4    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

My research about rewilding death was surprisingly cheerful!

08.04.2025 02:53 β€” πŸ‘ 2    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

Each year, countless birds die after colliding with buildings. But simple solutions exist, from tiny dots on glass to turning out the lights. ow.ly/SSuU50VlKIf
@michaelahaas.bsky.social

20.03.2025 19:07 β€” πŸ‘ 15    πŸ” 7    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0
Post image

As communities recover from the devastation of wildfires, rebuilding offers an opportunity to prioritize resilience to future disasters. ow.ly/uOc250VbT0a

06.03.2025 15:52 β€” πŸ‘ 12    πŸ” 2    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 1
09.03.2025 02:13 β€” πŸ‘ 1    πŸ” 0    πŸ’¬ 0    πŸ“Œ 0

@michaelahaas is following 20 prominent accounts