Remembering the good and positive things that have happened helps create more of the same. Here is a nice reminder from One Tree Planted by Kaylee Brzezinski. READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE.

Happy Treecember y’all! And congratulations on making it through 2020. WE did it! This year proved to be unlike any other, but there’s still plenty to be happy about. While we stayed at home, we watched murky water turn blue and mountainous skylines reappear. There were innovations in favor of nature AND lots and lots of trees planted. It’s hard to believe another year has passed us by, but there’s a lot we can take away. One thing is for sure — creativity and collective efforts are…

From the Good News Network by Judy Cole

If a cancer diagnosis is a patient’s worst nightmare, not being able to afford life-saving treatment runs it a close second. So when one oncologist recently forgave all his patients’ outstanding debts, you might say he took bedside manner to a whole new level.

Dr. Omar Atiq founded the Arkansas Cancer Clinic in 1991. Over the years, countless patients received everything from diagnostics to radiation and chemotherapy at the Pine Bluff facility.

In February of 2020, the clinic closed due to staffing shortages. At the time, there was close to $650,000 outstanding patient debt on the books.

Dr. Atik attributed the large sum to the fact that no patient was ever denied…

Our Central Oregon community is blessed with a strong and vibrant group of organizations and volunteers who support people and places special to us all. This article from Envision Kindness highlights some of the other benefits volunteers receive beyond helping others. Visit our ‘Get Involved’ page to see a list of wonderful local organizations that you may consider volunteering for.

From Envision Kindness by David Fryburg, M.D.

Once a month I volunteer at a meal center to help serve food to people who are in need.  Preparing and serving the dinner is a busy yet fun team activity of 5 to 6 people, organized by two generous souls.  Despite the many other things that I need to do, I…

Being grateful for what we have and what we have accomplished is a practice that helps promote a positive attitude. Dive into this article to get a positive dose of “Positivity and Gratefulness”.

112 bits of good news that kept us sane in 2020 from Reasons To Be Cheerful.

We’ve excerpted the first dozen bits of good news. READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE to see the rest.

You could be forgiven for thinking that 2020 was little more than a slow-motion train wreck broken up into 365 individual units. But if you’re a regular RTBC reader, you know that’s not true. Yes, it was a most difficult year. But it was also a year of problems solved, hopes sustained…

From The Good News Network By Michael Goonan

Around the world, individuals have found all kinds of innovative ways to support each other during the coronavirus pandemic—but so have governments. In Arizona, the city of Phoenix has managed to save dozens of farms and restaurants, while also getting free meals to those who need it most.

Between July and December in 2020, the Feed Phoenix program provided more than 50,000 meals to local residents—an amazing feat in itself, but only the beginning.

When the city received its CARES Act federal funding in April, it could have simply directed the money to food banks. Instead, it asked a nonprofit group, Local First Arizona, to take a more holistic approach to shore…

2021 IS HERE! ARE YOU READY FOR A SUSTAINABLE NEW YEAR? This article from One Tree Planted gives you some tips on how to live a more sustainable 2021 and the video will inspire you to a new world built upon Compassion, Hope, and Action. Let’s dare to hope and create the positive future we want Backyardbend. We can do this! Enjoy your Sunday.

We can all agree that 2020 has been a year for the record books. From shutdowns to travel bans, mandatory masks, social distancing, and more, so many aspects of our lives have changed. As a result, we’ve learned a lot about who we are + what lengths we’ll go to keep each other safe. We’ve…

Here is an interesting article that dives deep into what might be a new way to think about our economy. From KINDLING by Peter Schulte.

The new economy, the short version
Economics is often paraded around as a hard science. In truth, in many ways, economics is really about values. Our current economy is built around competition and individualism. If we wanted, we could build a new economy based around:

Well-being (rather than money)
Serving the common good (rather than serving the wealthy)
Democracy in the workplace (rather than rigid hierarchies)
Long-term planning (rather than short-term greed)
The new economy, the longer version
When I was in college, my roommate and I often came…

Seeing and hearing each other is ‘Positive’ and this article is shares a message that political differences don’t divide us as much as we may think. Enjoy your Sunday Backyardbend and remember to look for the positive.

From Reasons To Be Cheerful by ERIC KREBS

The message often heard in America is that liberals want to do something about climate change and conservatives do not. But what if it’s not that simple?

If you look at the polls, most Americans — on the left and the right — think that climate change is a serious problem we need to deal with. But the structure of the political system, the influence of money in politics and the warping effect of polarization…

With 2020 officially in the books, it’s time to look ahead to brighter days in 2021. We found this National Geographic photo gallery to share and inspire us as we look forward to travel again – hopefully – in the new year. Thank you for being part of the Backyardbend community. We are “Community Inspired”. If you have any positive news you would like to share reach out to us at info@backyardbend.com.

Click the LINK HERE to see the full photo gallery.

COVID-19 MAY HAVE complicated our ability to travel this year, but the pandemic did not diminish our passion for exploration.

As we eagerly anticipate our return to travel, we asked a few of our favorite photographers…

From InHabitat by Teresa Bergen

It’s hard to imagine everybody making the necessary sacrifices for the U.S. to be carbon-neutral in 30 years, even if it does mean the difference between an inhabitable or uninhabitable planet. But an optimistic new study from Princeton claims that yes, it is possible.

The 345-page Princeton University report, published last Tuesday, explains several ways that the U.S. could attain the goal of carbon-neutrality by 2050. The report’s six pillars are efficiency and electrification; clean electricity; zero-carbon fuels; carbon capture and storage; non-CO2 emissions; and enhanced land sinks. The keys to success are quick government action and money upfront.

The clean electricity pillar relies on a dramatic increase in wind and solar power. This would…