Feel Good Friday - Indigenous Environmental Network

This Monday is Indigenous Peoples' Day, a day to honor the histories, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous peoples, so this week I'm spotlighting Indigenous Environmental Network.

Founded in 1990 and headquartered in Bemidji, Minnesota, Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) is an alliance of Indigenous peoples, with a mission “to Protect the Sacredness of Earth Mother from contamination & exploitation by Respecting and Adhering to Indigenous Knowledge and Natural Law.”

IEN grew out of a 1990 gathering of tribal grassroots youth and Indigenous leaders who were confronting environmental assaults on their lands, resulting in a network that now supports Indigenous communities on climate, energy and environmental justice issues across North America and beyond. Today, IEN builds the capacity of Indigenous communities and tribal governments to protect sacred sites, land, water and air through organizing campaigns, direct actions and public awareness.

IEN's site features the 2026 Banking on Climate Chaos  report on fossil fuel financing. Indigenous Just Transition offers a framework for moving toward an ecologically sustainable economy rooted in Indigenous sovereignty and knowledge.

IEN is also putting those ideas into practice at its Teaching Garden. In June, students from the University of Minnesota and Leech Lake Tribal College wove floating mats from willow and cattails to help restore water quality in Lake Irvine and protect its wild rice, a lake the state lists as impaired. Later this year, the students will return to measure how much pollution the mats have removed. At the garden's annual Roots, Shoots & Seeds Celebration in May, IEN gave away more than 300 seedlings and over 200 seed packets from its Community Seed Library! In early June, staff also visited the Anishinaabe Agriculture Institute, where they toured a horse-powered hemp farm breeding northern-adapted hemp varieties.

If you like what IEN is doing there are many ways you can support them. Making a donation helps fund their work, and you can also give by check, stock transfer or legacy gift. Amplify their message on social media by following IEN on Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn, and subscribing to their YouTube channel to share their work with your network.

Wishing you a meaningful Indigenous Peoples' Day! 

Feel Good Friday - Centro Legal de la Raza

It's National Hispanic Heritage Month, a celebration through October 15 of the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans with roots in Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. Today I'm spotlighting Centro Legal de la Raza, right here in the Bay Area.

Founded in 1969 and headquartered in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California, Centro Legal de la Raza was started by Latino law students from UC Berkeley to provide legal aid to low-income Latino residents of Oakland. Since then, it has grown to serve thousands of people across Northern and Central California. Their mission is "to protect and advance the rights of low-income, immigrant, Latinx, Black, and communities of color." Their vision grounds the work in "three core pillars: leadership, empowerment, and equity."

Centro Legal's Immigrants' Rights practice represents families living in poverty, long-residing undocumented immigrants, asylum seekers, and people facing deportation, including those in detention. Through the Alameda County Immigration Legal and Education Partnership, Centro Legal also helps ensure people facing detention, deportation or immigration emergencies have access to legal services and community education. The Tenants' Rights team fights displacement through eviction defense, drop-in legal clinics and rent board hearings across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The Workers' Rights program helps low-wage immigrant workers facing wage theft, unsafe conditions and retaliation, including immigration-related threats.

Two more programs round out the work. Impact Litigation has taken cases before the U.S. and California Supreme Courts, and the Youth Law Academy is a three-year program that gives Oakland high school students a clear pathway to college, part of Centro Legal's effort to mentor the next generation of attorneys and judges of color.

Centro Legal has had a big impact in the community. Its work helps protect the rights of more than 10,000 people every year!

Volunteering as an interpreter is one way you can support Centro Legal, and there are many others. Attorneys can explore pro bono opportunities and all of us can make a donation and amplify their message on social media. Follow Centro Legal on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and share their work with your network.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

Feel Good Friday - Australian Koala Foundation

Today is Save the Koala Day, a day to raise awareness about one of Australia's most beloved animals, and the perfect time to feature the Australian Koala Foundation.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, the mission of the Australian Koala Foundation (AKF) is "to be a highly credible, respected and compassionate international scientific organisation which will diminish the threat to the survival of koalas and be an example so as to increase the consciousness of all global citizens and enable them to reverse the rapid degeneration of all the world's flora and fauna." This year marks their 40th anniversary, and Chair Deborah Tabart, known as the Koala Woman, has led the charge for nearly all of it.

According to AKF, more than 80% of the koala's natural habitat has been destroyed since colonial settlement, and almost none of what remains is protected. Much of it sits on private land, resulting in competition between koalas and development. Their motto sums up the solution: "No Tree, No Me."

AKF's flagship work is the Koala Habitat Atlas, a groundbreaking project completed in 2018 that maps the entire habitat range of a single species. It shows planners where koala habitat exists so they can make smarter development decisions. The Atlas now powers KoalaMap, where anyone can explore habitat and share koala sightings.

Building on that research, the Koala Kiss Project identifies "kiss points," places where patches of habitat nearly touch but are separated by cleared land. Replanting those gaps could reconnect forests across the koala's range. AKF is also championing the Koala Protection Act, proposed national legislation focused on protecting the trees koalas depend on, including habitat that is currently empty.

AKF has had a big impact over four decades. Since they began, they've directed more than $15 million to research and conservation projects!

You can support AKF from anywhere in the world. Make a donation, adopt a koala, plant a tree at Quinlans, their 100-acre nature reserve in Queensland, or pick up koala gear from their online shop. You can also amplify their message on social media. Follow AKF on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube and share their stories of hope for Australia's gum forests with your network.

Happy Save the Koala Day!