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!

Feel Good Friday - Waterkeeper Alliance

Today is World Water Monitoring Day, a global call for everyday people to test the water in their own community and share what they find, making it the perfect day to spotlight Waterkeeper Alliance.

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in New York City, the mission of Waterkeeper Alliance is "to connect, support, and advocate with Waterkeeper groups to protect the right to clean water with communities worldwide." The Alliance grew out of an older fight: in 1966, a group of working class fishermen on New York's Hudson River began pushing back against industrial pollution, inspiring local Waterkeeper groups to form around the world.

Each May, Waterkeeper Alliance leads the International Plastic Pellet Count, a hands-on citizen science effort where volunteers search riverbanks, lakeshores, and beaches for the tiny plastic pellets used to make everyday products, then upload what they find to a shared, public database. This year, more than 1,000 volunteers surveyed 249 sites across six countries and found nearly 1.1 million pellets, data now used to push for stronger regulation of the facilities that make and ship them. 

That same hands-on approach runs through the rest of Waterkeeper Alliance's work. Local Waterkeeper groups patrol and test their own waterways year round, a dedicated PFAS testing project is tracking "forever chemicals" in communities facing the greatest exposure, and the policy team is pushing for stronger water protections at the state level and through the ongoing Global Plastics Treaty negotiations.

Waterkeeper Alliance has had a sweeping impact. There are 296 local Waterkeeper groups across six continents who now patrol and protect over six million square miles of rivers, lakes, and coastlines, supporting nearly 2.5 billion people!

Supporting Waterkeeper Alliance is easy, and there are several ways to pitch in. You can make a donation to fund their legal and advocacy work, shop for merch, or find your local Waterkeeper group to get involved close to home. Amplify their message on social media by following them on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube, and share their fight for clean water with your network.

Happy World Water Monitoring Day!

Feel Good Friday - 9/11 Day

Today is the 25th anniversary of 9/11, marked nationwide as the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, and it felt like the moment to finally spotlight 9/11 Day.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Irvine, California, the mission of 9/11 Day is "to inspire millions of Americans and others to rekindle the remarkable spirit of unity and compassion that arose in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, and to perform good deeds and other acts of service in tribute to the 9/11 victims, survivors, first responders, and members of our military who bravely rose in service in response to the attacks." Co-founders David Paine and Jay Winuk started the organization after Jay's brother Glenn, a volunteer firefighter, was killed at the World Trade Center.

A premier project is 9/11 Day's Meal Pack which mobilizes thousands of volunteers each September 11 to pack shelf-stable meals that are donated to local food banks for families facing hunger. Since 2016, volunteers have packed more than 20 million meals nationwide. The organization also provides free lesson plans to K-12 classrooms, helping teachers explain 9/11 in ways that emphasize the unity that followed, not just the history.

For this year's 25th anniversary, 9/11 Day awarded $3 million in grants to nearly 200 nonprofits, schools, and community groups across 40 states, with more than 70% going to youth organizations and K-12 schools. The anniversary also brought the UNIITE For Good campaign, an interactive pledge map where actor Pete Davidson, whose firefighter father was killed on 9/11, is helping rally one million pledged good deeds by today.

If you'd like to support 9/11 Day today, there are many ways to do so. You can pledge a good deed at 911day.org, sign up for a Meal Pack shift through their volunteer page, or make a donation. Just $25 funds 50 to 75 meals. You can also amplify their message on social media. Follow 9/11 Day on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn or YouTube and share their stories of unity and healing with your network. Here's to turning today into something good.