Feel Good Friday - Hen Power Project

On this Feel Good Friday we're going to try and stay above the fray and tell you about a group in based in the UK called the Hen Power Project, also known as the Hensioners.

Run by Equal Arts since 2011, the Hen Power Project engages older people in "arts activities and hen-keeping to promote health and wellbeing and reduce loneliness."

The Hen Power Project, also known as Hensioners (pensioners + hens, of course) is now active in more than 40 care homes throughout Australia and has the following goals:

• Prevents loneliness, isolation and promotes elderly health and well-being.
• Provides seniors with socialization by meeting others while care taking their hens.
• Encourage seniors to be creative by designing coops and purchasing hen breeds.
• Create intergenerational exchanges by visiting schools and school children.
• Help lift the spirits of other seniors by visiting care homes with their hens.
• Encourage elderly to keep active and maintain fitness levels.

This Guardian article provides the origin story of Hen Power and shares some studies that show caring for hens has reduced the need for antipsychotic medication in the care homes with resident hens. If you've got 7 minutes to spare, and want to see adorable elders with adorable chickens, you can watch this video that shows the impact caring for hens has on the people in these residential communities.

If you like what you see, you can support the work of the Hen Power Project with a donation and spread the social media love by liking their Facebook Page and following them on Twitter@HenPowerProject.

Feel Good Friday - Melbourne Urban Forest

We're starting this Feel Good Friday post with a trip down memory lane. If you're a fan of Dr. Suess, you'll remember his character the Lorax who speaks for the trees. Well in Melbourne, Australia, the trees have email addresses and they're speaking for themselves!

I learned about the Melbourne Urban Forest Visual from this Daily Good article by Adrienne LaFrance. Two years ago, the City of Melbourne gave an email address and ID numbers to the 70,000 trees they maintain so that people could report any problems with the trees. Here's why.

A quick read of the FAQ section of the City of Melbourne Urban Forest Precinct Plans provides the following information:

"Thirteen years of drought and water restrictions have now accelerated the severe decline of our trees. In addition, many of Melbourne's trees were planted at the same time, so they are now reaching the end of their life at the same time. Our research shows that we will lose 27% of our trees in the next 10 years and 44% within 20 years - that's almost 30,000 trees." In addition just three species (eucalyptus, planes and elms) account for 35% of all the trees, a lack of diversity that makes the tree population more vulnerable to future threats.

To combat this loss, the city has developed Melbourne Urban Forest strategies designed to:

• increase canopy cover
• increase urban forest diversity
• improve vegetation health
• improve soil moisture and water quality
• improve urban ecology
• inform and consult with the community

Citizens certainly have sent emails to the city to report problems with the trees as expected, but those emails have been far outnumbered by people sending love letters and other messages of support to the trees. Even better, the trees are writing back! Messages from the trees include educational emails about tree gender and comments on the Greek debt crisis. Not only are the trees wise (as I've always imagined trees to be) but they're also funny! You can read some example emails in the Daily Good article.

To send your own message to a tree in Melbourne, use melbourneurbanforest@melbourne.vic.gov.au and don't worry, if you select a tree from the visual map, the tree ID number will be automatically added to the subject line.

You can also show your love for the City of Melbourne by liking their Facebook page or following them on Twitter @cityofmelbourne.