From Reasons To Be Cheerful By Evan Bourtis

As awareness about their ecological importance grows, a movement to grant insects the same protections as more majestic creatures is gaining steam. Read the ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE.

Over the past couple of months, construction of the controversial Keystone XL pipeline has faced two legal challenges. One is from a Native American tribe concerned that pipeline workers might spread the coronavirus to their communities. The other is driven, in part, by an inch-long beetle. A colorful scavenger of grasslands and forest understories, the American burying beetle is an endangered species, and on April 15, a federal judge in Montana ruled that the Army Corps of Engineers, in its haste to build the…

GULU, Uganda (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – When the Ugandan government ordered all non-essential workplaces shut to contain the coronavirus pandemic in late March, Peter Okwoko and his colleague Paige Balcom kept working. Read the ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE.

But the pair – who had been turning collected plastic waste into building materials such as roofing tiles and pavers since last year – shifted gear and instead began manufacturing makeshift plastic face shields from discarded plastic bottles.

When they posted pictures of their prototypes on social media, they got a surprise phone call from the local public hospital.

“The doctor from Gulu regional referral hospital requested we make 10 face shield masks urgently because they didn’t have enough” and the hospital…

Be Spontaneous Be Happy. From the Good News Network Read the ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE. 

The average American makes 6,709 spontaneous decisions every year, according to new research.

A brand new survey of 2,000 American respondents found, when including decisions such as getting coffee, trying a new lunch place, taking a nap and the like, the average American will act spontaneously about 18 times per day.

And is acting spontaneously a key to happiness? According to this survey, it may very well be. The study, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Cub Cadet, found those who considered themselves a “spontaneous person” were 40% more likely to consider themselves a “happy person.”

Not only that, but they were also 38% more…

The HDFFA is doing some amazing and positive things here in Central Oregon. They are helping support local food growers and creating programs like this to support those in need of fresh local food. Check out the HDFFA website to learn more.

In response to COVID-19, the High Desert Food & Farm Alliance (HDFFA) raises $12,500 in emergency grant funds to pay farmer partners for the produce they contribute to HDFFA’s Grow & Give Program. ​Funding to pay farmers was awarded through The Oregon Community Foundation, Northwest Farm Credit Services, and the Central Oregon Health Council.

HDFFA is using the $12,500 awarded to help offset farmers’ costs of production and increase their income, while also increasing the amount of…

Kamryn Johnson, 9, the daughter of former NFL player Ron Johnson, had an idea. She lives in Chanhassen, Minn. — about a 20-minute drive from where George Floyd was killed while in police custody.

Kamryn and five of her friends, who live in the same neighborhood and have been isolating during the novel coronavirus pandemic in a four-family bubble, sprang into action.

With Kamryn at the helm, the children — ages 5 to 12 — started making colorful string bracelets to sell, with all proceeds going toward helping Minneapolis communities in need.

They decided to call the initiative Kamryn & Friends: Bracelets for Unity and Justice.

The kids first set up a tent and table on May 30 on Kamryn’s…

From The Week via MSN Good News

The eighth grade class at the Waldorf School in Santa Fe, New Mexico, found a different way to celebrate the end of middle school, donating the money they raised for a rafting trip to help the Navajo Nation.

Their trip was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the students didn’t want to let the $2,800 they raised go to waste. Parent Jess Falkenhagen knew that the Navajo Nation has been hit hard by COVID-19 — in May, they had more coronavirus cases per capita than in any state — and the money could go far there. She spoke with Navajo leaders to find out what supplies were urgently needed, and then got…

Watch this video if you want to see something truly positive and inspiring right here in our Central Oregon backyard. This project has been ongoing for years and has flown under the radar, but it is a shining example of diverse groups coming together to create a REAL win/win for the community. Bringing together farmers, fish and wildlife enthusiasts, land managers, and conservationist this project is a shining example of what can be accomplished when people work together – good things can happen.

Whychus Creek is coming back to life after a 9 phase piping project that has modernized Three Sisters Irrigation District and restored year-round flows in the iconic creek that runs through Sisters, Oregon.

Big thanks to the…

Here is some positive live music news that has us excited to get to one of our favorite places for summer jams on the lake. Fresh air and live music at Elk Lake Resort. More INFO HERE.

The 2020 Elk Lake Resort Music on the Water Summer Series kicks off this weekend June 13th.

Sponsored by Boneyard Beer and Crater Lake Spirits, enjoy great free music by the extremely talented Michalis Patterson! Music starts at 5:00PM in-between the lodge and the lake.

We hope you had a great weekend out in Backyard Bend. Here are a few positive stories to get the week started. Let’s remind ourselves that most people are kind and want to do the right thing, while also working toward change.

From the Dailymail.com by Stacy Liberatore

Some Americans may have lost hope for humanity amid the death of George Floyd, but a new study reveals not all is lost, as people really do want to be kind to each other.

Researchers found that people overwhelmingly choose to be generous to others, even if it is at the cost of themselves and regardless of external motives.

The study, conducted online, asked participants to give money to other people, which…

From Canoe.com Click the image to WATCH THE VIDEO and READ THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE. 

LONDON — Tom Moore, a 99-year-old British war veteran, completed the last of 100 laps of his garden on Thursday, raising 13 million pounds (C$22.9 million) for the health service in an endeavour that has spread joy across the country amid the coronavirus gloom.

“For all those people who are finding it difficult at the moment: the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away,” said Moore, dressed in a blazer and tie and displaying his war medals, after completing his walk.

The retired army captain, who has used a walking frame with wheels since breaking his hip, set himself…