Feel Good Friday - Elephants Alive

Tuesday is World Elephant Day, an international event dedicated to the preservation and protection of the world's elephants. That makes today the perfect Friday to highlight the work being done by Elephants Alive. 

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Hoedspruit, Limpopo, South Africa, the mission of Elephants Alive is “to ensure the survival of elephants and their habitats, and to promote the harmonious co-existence of elephants and people.”

Elephants are a keystone species, meaning they have a disproportionately large effect on their natural environment relative to their abundance. According to the Elephants Alive website, in the last 100 years Africa’s elephants have declined by 97%. That’s why the work they do is so important. You can watch this one-minute video for a quick overview or keep reading for more details.

A main focus of Elephants Alive is tracking the movements of elephants. In the last 29 years, they have collared and tracked over 200 elephants and identified and named 2000 more. This enables them to to inform reserve managers, conservationists and landowners about elephants seasonal activities and vegetation impact. It also allows them to find ways to reduce human-elephant conflict. 

Tracking allowed Elephants Alive to identify elephant corridors across South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Eswatini, and then work with local farmers in those corridors to develop alternative sustainable livelihoods to supplement their incomes and increase their economic resilience.

Elephants Alive has also been tracking trees. Since 2004, they’ve monitored 3000+ individual trees to understand elephant impact. This includes trees containing nesting sites of endangered birds such as the southern ground hornbill. 

The program that brings it all together is the Bees, Trees, Elephants and People program. Elephants don’t like bees, so Elephants Alive trains people how to install beehives in trees to protect them from elephant impact. In addition, the bees pollinate the trees and community members make “elephant friendly” honey and beeswax products to sell. There is an all-female anti-poaching unit in southern Mozambique called the Black Mambas who has installed 100 beehives!

Relocating elephants that wander off private game reserves, removing snares, and rescuing orphaned elephant calves round out their work with the elephants. Their community awareness work includes training the Black Mambas, introducing grandmothers to the study elephants and engaging young people from disadvantaged communities in wildlife through photography.

If this has inspired you to support Elephants Alive and the work they do, you can make a donation and become an elephant guardian and as always, amplify their work on social media. Follow Elephants Alive on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel. Happy World Elephant Day!

Feel Good Friday - TreePeople

As Earth Month comes to a close, we’re celebrating with another nature-related post, this one about TreePeople.

Initiated by 15-year-old camp counselor, Andy Lipkis and incorporated in 1973, the mission of TreePeople is “to inspire, engage, and support people to take personal responsibility for the environment, making it safe, healthy, fun, and sustainable.”

The Los Angeles region faces severe impacts from climate change, as we saw with the wildfires earlier this year. “TreePeople unites the power of trees, people and nature-based solutions to grow a more climate-ready city.” They are now one of the largest environmental organizations headquartered in Southern California, and in the last 50 years they’ve inspired over 3 million people to take action for the environment. They do this through several programs and focus areas.

The forestry program provides volunteers with the tools, plants, and education necessary to plant trees everywhere from the mountains, to the cities and schoolyards. School greening involves not only planting trees, but also removing asphalt and educating students in the participating schools on environmental awareness and sustainability. In addition there are Environmental Education programs that help students, teachers and community members gain skills in environmental and climate literacy.

TreePeople also conducts research, provides publications and advocates for nature-based public policy solutions in Southern California. They oversee more than 3,000 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountains as part of the TreePeople Land Trust and they maintain and operate Coldwater Canyon Park, where you can go for a hike on your own or join one of their eco tours.  

Since they began, TreePeople has planted and cared for more than 3 million trees; developed the nation’s largest environmental education programs which have educated hundreds of thousands of youth; helped drive hundreds of millions of dollars in public funding towards climate solutions; and stewarded and protected over 3,000 acres of wilderness.

If you’re interested in helping TreePeople grow a more climate-ready SoCal, there are many ways to get involved. Those of you in and around the Los Angeles area can volunteer your time. All of us can shop for merch, make a donation and amplify their work on social media. Follow TreePeople on Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky or LinkedIn and subscribe to their YouTube channel.  

Feel Good Friday - Nadace Partnerství (Partnership Environmental Foundation)

Another Feel Good Friday from the Czech Republic, this time highlighting Nadace Partnerství, the Partnership Environmental Foundation.

Founded in 1991 and headquartered in Brno, Nadace Partnerství is the largest environmental foundation in the Czech Republic. The name translates to Partnership Environmental Foundation because their work helps create partnerships between people and nature.

The vision of Nadace Partnerství is seeing the world as “an open society of free people caring for the environment.” To achieve this, they financially support, educate and empower people and communities that manage the effects of the climate crisis.

First, let’s talk about the adaption measures Nadace Partnerství takes to build resilient cities and healthy landscapes. Examples of projects they support in this category include Cyclists Welcome, a website with routes and resources for cyclists traveling in the Czech Republic and Sázime Budoucnost, a group that has planted over 4.3 million trees and won’t stop until they reach 10 million. Nadace Partnerství also holds an annual contest to identify the best solutions to the climate crisis in the Czech Republic and Austria. Award categories are focused on landscapes, residential areas and buildings.

Nadace Partnerství also maintains the Open Garden located in Brno. It provides a place to relax in the middle of the city and learn about the agricultural cycle from farm to table, or as their website says “from soil to fork”. There are also spaces in the garden that the public can rent for meetings and corporate events, or parties, celebrations and weddings.

Since Nadace Partnerství began over 30 years ago they have awarded 4,897 grants that have supported projects in 3,663 communities across the Czech Republic. You can also support this partnership between people and nature. Make a donation to Nadace Partnerství and amplify their message on social media. Like their Facebook page, follow them on Instagram or LinkedIn, and if you understand Czech, subscribe to their YouTube channel.

Feel Good Friday - Arbor Day Foundation

Happy Arbor Day! This holiday has been celebrated on the last Friday in April since 1872. That makes today a perfect day to learn about the Arbor Day Foundation.

Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Arbor Day Foundation is the world’s largest member nonprofit dedicated to planting trees. In fact, their mission “is to inspire people to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees.”

With more than 1 million members and supporters, and projects in over 50 countries, the work of the Arbor Day Foundation is divided into two main categories: Trees in Communities and Trees in Forests. This 3-minute video, 500 Million Trees and Counting, explains more and celebrates the planting of the 500 millionth tree!

Many of the trees planted by the Arbor Day Foundation are located in communities to counteract some of the destructive effects of climate change such as “natural disasters, food insecurity, urban heat islands, unsuitable air and water quality, and desolate landscapes”. Examples of specific programs include one that helps cities around the globe maintain and grow their tree cover, one that fosters positive connections between youth, grades K-12, and the trees in their community, and another that recognizes health institutions that make a mission-aligned impact on community wellness through tree education, investment, and community engagement.

Forest programs include vetting, funding, and selling carbon credits to climate-conscious corporations, reforesting five priority planting regions, and supporting local partners and communities in their efforts to protect, sustain and restore tropical rain forests.

A look at the FY2023 Annual Report breaks down the impact tree by tree. In 2023, the Arbor Day Foundation planted and distributed 632,990 trees through community events, 

distributed 4,012,925 trees to members to plant in their yards, and supported 129 individual reforestation projects in 25 countries! You can go to the stories section of their website to learn more.

If you’d like to spend this Arbor Day helping the Arbor Day Foundation celebrate trees, there are many ways to do so. Become a member, shop for trees to plant, coffee to drink and apparel to wear, or make a donation. If you’re in Nebraska, you can visit and explore Arbor Day Farm, and no matter where you are you can amplify their work on social media by following the Arbor Day Foundation on Facebook and Instagram.

Feel Good Friday - National Forest Foundation

Tomorrow is Earth Day and if you haven’t yet decided how to celebrate the planet, check out the work being done by the National Forest Foundation. 

Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Missoula, Montana, the National Forest Foundation (NFF) is a conservation organization that works with the U.S. Forest Service and thousands of Americans to “promote the health and enjoyment of our National Forest System”.

 

The National Forest System is comprised of 193 million acres of forests, grasslands, deserts, and mountains that range from Alaska to Puerto Rico. These outdoor spaces are visited by over 170 million people each year and offer unparalleled recreation opportunities such as hiking, fishing, and camping. They also support local economies, sustaining nearly 223,000 jobs in gateway communities, and provide critical natural resources, as well as clean our water and air, and host wildlife.

 

NFF works in six regions across the United States: Eastern, Southwest, Rocky Mountains, Northern Rockies, Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and California. They empower communities to care for their National Forests by focusing on conservation initiatives, grant programs, and tree planting.

 

Current conservation initiatives include reopening recreation areas in Mt. Hood damaged by fire, investing in watersheds in Northern Arizona, and restoring Tahoe headwaters. Grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations dedicated to addressing natural resource issues in National Forests and Grasslands. Past recipients include the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, Friends of the Columbia Gorge, and the Sedona Red Rock Trail Fund.

 

Tree planting is the third focus area of NFF and an easy way for you to get involved. Millions of acres of forests around the country have been devastated by wildfires, flooding, hurricanes and disease. In order to survive, they need to be reforested. NFF has a goal of planting 50 million trees in five years, and this is the last year of the initiative. For every dollar you donate, one tree will be planted! Learn more this video.

 

There are many other ways to support the National Forest Foundation, in addition to planting trees. Visit their website to find a forest and take a hike! Shop for merch, make a general donation, and let more people know about NFF by amplifying their message on social media. Follow the National Forest Foundation on Facebook, on Twitter @NationalForests and Instagram @nationalforests. #DownToEarth

Feel Good Friday - One Tree Planted

Happy Earth Day! Let’s celebrate by helping the environment with One Tree Planted. 

Founded in 2014, One Tree Planted is a nonprofit organization focused on global reforestation with a vision “to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees.” How simple? For every dollar donated they plant one tree on your behalf.

 

Cool, but why trees? As they explain on their website, “trees help clean the air we breathe, filter the water we drink, and provide habitat to over 80% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity. 
Forests provide jobs to over 1.6 billion people, absorb harmful carbon from the atmosphere, and are key ingredients in 25% of all medicines.” 

 

Sounds good, but how does it work? This video breaks it down in less than 2 minutes. One Tree Planted works with over 250 planting partners in 43 countries around the world to support their reforestation projects. You pick a location that interests you and decide how many trees you want planted. Donations are pooled and sent to the partner organizations who grow the saplings then plant the trees. These trees are monitored as they grow, and their impact is tracked by One Tree Planted.

 

You can decide whether you want your donation to help plant trees in California to replace those lost by drought and wildfire, in Ethiopia to conserve land and protect water supply for farmers, or in Vietnam to restore mangrove ecosystems. There are many other options which you can explore here.

 

Since their founding, One Tree Planted has more than doubled the number of trees planted each year. With 23.5 million trees planted in 2021, that brings the grand total to over 40 million trees! Read stories about the impact of trees and other ways to support the environment at this link. Information includes a conversation with Jane Goodall about planting trees for chimpanzee conservation, an explanation of agroforestry and the 39 best ways to celebrate Earth Month. 

 

If you’d like to help One Tree Planted restore forests, create habitat for biodiversity, and make a positive social impact around the world, there are many ways to do so. Plant a tree, gift a tree, become a tree ambassador, join a tree planting event, make them your designated charity on Amazon Smile, shop for merch, or make a general donation. Told you there were a lot of options.

 

As always, help amplify the message on social media. Like the One Tree Planted Facebook page and follow them on Twitter @onetreeplanted and Instagram @ onetreeplanted. #reforestation

Feel Good Friday - California ReLeaf

This summer in California we’ve already experienced record-breaking heatwaves and are ready for some relief. Since this is Feel Good Friday, it’s coming in the form of urban forests with California ReLeaf.

Founded in 1989 and headquartered in Sacramento, the mission of California ReLeaf is “to empower grassroots efforts and build strategic partnerships that preserve, protect and enhance California’s urban and community forests.” Why, you ask? Trees are important, especially in a drought-prone state like California. They provide shade for the landscape, reducing water needs, and help keep your home cool. They also improve air quality and reduce soil erosion. 

 

That’s why California ReLeaf promotes alliances with “community-based groups, individuals, industry, and government agencies, encouraging each to contribute to the livability of our cities and the protection of our environment by planting and caring for trees.” Two of the groups they’ve partnered with have been featured in previous FGF posts: San Francisco based Friends of the Urban Forest and Sacramento Tree Foundation.

 

California ReLeaf programs include: educational outreach and resources to teach us all about trees, Arbor Week celebrations in March, legislative advocacy to raise visibility of urban forestry, and pass-through grants for community-based organizations. California ReLeaf helps smaller organizations meet prohibitive public funding requirements and provides technical assistance to their projects.

 

Since their founding, California ReLeaf has supported “hundreds of non-governmental organizations and local municipalities in more than 820 projects that have planted and cared for nearly 200,000 trees, engaged thousands of volunteers, and leveraged more than $9 million in matching funds.”

 

If you’d like to find and support an organization focused on trees in your community, search on this map. To support California ReLeaf you can make a donation and keep in touch on social media. Like their Facebook page and follow them on Instagram @calreleaf and Twitter @CalReLeaf.

Feel Good Friday - Tree-Plenish

Time for another edition of Feel Good Friday with a focus on two favorite topics - youth and the environment. Our featured organization today is Tree-Plenish.

 

Founded in 2019 by two high school students in Massachusetts, Tree-Plenish is “building sustainable communities by leveraging the power of youth.” They do this by working with students’ clubs and organizations to plan tree-planting events that offset schools' paper usage.

 

As explained in this short video, there are three steps to the process for students to follow:

1.     Plan your event. Find out how much paper your school used in the last academic year and calculate how many trees you need to plant. The estimate used is one tree for every 10,000 sheets of paper.

2.     Market your event. Reach out to residents in your community to request a tree to be planted or to become volunteers.

3.     Host your event. Gather with volunteers to plant trees for residents in your community.

 

Tree-Plenish mentors will guide and support students through the process while staying focused on their core values: building a sustainable future by replenishing resources, channeling the power of youth to create meaningful change, and leveraging the strength of local communities to take action.

 

In their first year of Tree-Plenish, students from two high schools in Massachusetts planted 400 trees. This year 90 schools from 20 states across the country are on track to plant 15,000 trees.

 

You can use this link to find an event near you and request a tree. For those of you living in Oakland, two local students have set the goal of planting 141 trees. Trees cost $10 each and you have until February 20^th to decide between apple or apricot. The tree-planting event takes place on March 20^th. Read more about it in this Oaklandside article.

If you like what you read and want to support the work of Tree-Plenish you can find an event to participate in, donate some cash to the cause, or amplify their message by buying a shirt and liking their Facebook page.

Feel Good Friday - Sacramento Tree Foundation

Happy day after Thanksgiving, known in my world as Feel Good Friday! I'm in Sacramento this weekend and want to let you know about a local organization, the Sacramento Tree Foundation.

The mission of the Sacramento Tree Foundation is "building healthy, livable communities in the Sacramento region by growing the best urban forest possible."

Founded on Arbor Day in 1982, the Sacramento Tree Foundation (SacTree) is similar to Friends of the Urban Forest in San Francisco because they both offer education, advice, training and support for people planting trees in the community. Watch this short intro video for an overview.

As they explain on their website, "a healthy tree canopy provides cleaner air and cooler temperatures, replenishes groundwater, enhances public health, and creates vibrant, livable neighborhoods."

There are a variety of programs including: a seedling growing program for 3rd and 4th graders, an urban wood rescue program that salvages urban trees and mills them into usable lumber and the Save The Elms Program which trains citizen scientists to identify Dutch elm disease and provide monitoring data to City of Sacramento staff.

Of everything SacTree does, my favorite is the Free Shade Tree Program. In partnership with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), residents of Sacramento County are eligible to receive up to 10 free shade trees to plant on their property. After meeting with a community forester, residents get to choose from over 30 deciduous trees. To date SMUD and SacTree have given out 450,000 free shade trees!

If you don't live in the county you can check the Shady Eighty list to see what trees are good for the area and watch an instructional video on how to plant a tree.

With the goal of planting 5 million new trees in the region the Sacramento Tree Foundation can use your help. You can become a tree planting and care volunteer, a citizen scientist or if you don't live in the area make a donation and share the social media love by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @SacTree.

Feel Good Friday - Tress for the Future

"We believe in the power of trees." Me too! That' why Trees for the Future is today's Feel Good Friday organization.

Since 1989, Trees for the Future has been working with farmers in dozens of countries to plant over 115 million trees! As they explain on the website, "planting trees provides families with more than just food. It provides income, empowerment, unity, leadership, education and even saves lives. When we can teach people to value themselves and their environment, they see amazing improvements in their standard of living."

Here's how it works. People from the Forest Garden Program provide training, mentoring, seeds and nursery supplies to groups of farmers over a four year period so they can plant specific types of trees and crops in a systemic manner. First comes fast-growing fertilizer trees to stabilize the soil. Next are the fruit, vegetable, nut and timber trees which have a higher value and require advanced skills to maintain. The final phase of the project is transitioning ownership of the trees to the farmer groups that have been planing and maintaining them.

These forest gardens "provide families with sustainable food sources, livestock feed, products to sell, fuel wood and up to 500% increase in their annual income." All that and combating deforestation too! You can learn more about Trees by reading some stories from the field or watching this short documentary (19 min) released in October, 2017.

If you like what you learn, there are a variety of ways you can help including fundraising, donating and volunteering. As always, stay in the loop by liking their Facebook page and following them on Twitter @Treesftf. "Plant Trees. Feed Families. Change Lives."

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.

Feel Good Friday - Friends of the Urban Forest

FUF trees outside
my apartment

What better way to welcome Spring than by planting a tree?

Shortly after purchasing my building in Noe Valley, my landlord contacted Friends of the Urban Forest to get some trees to plant in the sidewalk outside our front window. 14 years later, the results are lovely - and a favorite stopping point for the neighborhood dogs.

Not only is Noe Valley where I enjoy trees outside my window, it was also the site of the first tree planting by FUF back in 1981. After funding for San Francisco's urban forestry program was cut, several people got together and formed an organization to reach out to community members to get organized in their neighborhoods and start planing trees.


32 years later they are still going strong. According to their website, "Friends of the Urban Forest helps individuals and neighborhood groups plant and care for street trees and sidewalk gardens in San Francisco. This "green infrastructure" improves the city by beautifying neighborhoods, cleaning the air, raising property values and reducing polluted storm water runoff. Since 1981, FUF has planted more than 47,000 trees, totaling 43% of San Francisco's street tree canopy." 43%!! That's almost half the trees in San Francisco - but you can do math, you figured that out.



If you own property in the city, you can contact FUF to purchase a highly subsidized tree for your street. Any any of us, homeowners, renters and squatters alike can volunteer for a planting day or get your whole office to sign up for a corporate work day. As always, you stay up to date with their events by finding them on Facebook and becoming a fan.

Thanks to FUF you don't have go to Golden Gate Park to see a tree.