Impact

SAY HELLO TO A WORLD OF BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIPS

Courtesy of Young Friends of the Earth. Two friends enjoying an outing on the lake.

When friends get together, they can make more beauty happen in the world. Today, we are featuring 3 great organizations, each with vibrant communities of friends, that collectively make a difference.

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH INTERNATIONAL

Our planet needs friends. Friends of the Earth International is one organization that serves this need. It is the largest grassroots environmental and social impact network. With advocacy programs in 4 key areas: Climate & Energy, Oceans & Forests, Food & Technology, and Economics for Earth, members are passionately working to keep our planet beautiful for all people.

FOEI is a powerful, vocal network that spans 75 different countries, with more than two million activist friends working together to protect our planet and human rights. From policy analysis and lobbying, to grassroots activist movements, these friends are busy.

These friends are good friends. They deliver. FOEI’s efforts have made a real difference. With victories like winning tough limits on air pollution from ships, and persuading thousands of grocery stores to commit to not sell genetically engineered salmon, these friends come through.

FRIENDS OF THE FARMS

Small scale, family-owned farms and farmers are in need of friends. Their struggles aren’t new and they are growing harder. Fortunately their advocates are growing in voice… and they are gaining more support… and more friends.

One group, Friends of the Farms, is a nonprofit grassroots organization on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Their mission is to preserve and enhance local farming.

They aim to not just to help the farmers, but to help the entire set of surrounding communities by offering healthier food options, beautiful farmscapes, a more vibrant local economy and a greater degree of sustainability.

Friends of the Farms initiatives include:

advocating for local farming
securing land for public and small scale farms
managing city-owned farmlands
involving the community in volunteer efforts
accomplishing farm infrastructure projects
performing community outreach
providing on-farm educational experiences
creating opportunities for more land to become farmland

BEST FRIENDS ANIMAL SOCIETY

Pets are often a human’s best friends. But more than 4 million homeless pets are killed each year in America’s animal shelters -- that’s 7 killed/minute or 9000 killed/day.

There are many animal rescue organizations that attempt to help this situation. Some have made a big difference.

For example, the Best Friends Animal Society has worked, via Network Partners and The No More Homeless Pets® Network, to end the killing of dogs and cats in our nation’s shelters.

Nearly 30 years ago, Best Friends, helped pioneer the no-kill movement. At that time, more than 17 million homeless pets were dying each year in our nation's shelters.

By implementing spay/neuter and trap/neuter/return (TNR) programs to reduce the number of animals entering shelters, and increasing the number of people who adopt pets, they've reduced that number to the 4 million mentioned above.

That is tremendous progress toward creating a no-kill nation, but Best Friends is committed to reducing shelter pet deaths to zero.

Find out More.

Enter your own images and ideas about Beautiful Friendships in this week’s creative Photo Competition. Open for entries now until 11:59 p.m. PT on 11.23.2014. If you are reading this after that date, check out the current BN Creative Competition, and enter!

PHOTO CREDITS:

Photo: Courtesy of Young Friends of the Earth. Two friends enjoying an outing on the lake.
Photo: Courtesy of Friends of the Earth Melbourne. Friends of the Earth is fighting to protect this forest in Melbourne from herbicides.
Photo: Courtesy of Commun Tierra. Friends of the Earth El Salvador preserves different structures in nature.
Photo: Courtesy of Earth in Brackets. Young Friends of the Earth hosts a camp every year.
Photo: Courtesy of Friends of the Farms. The Friends of the Farms work to preserve local farming.
Photo: Courtesy of Friends of the Farms. Local farming supports local economy.
Photo: Courtesy of Friends of the Farms. Friends of the Farms works to make sure that people can enjoy delicious, locally grown food.
Photo: Courtesy of Friends of the Farms. Locally grown food is often the most delicious and the most beautiful.
Photo: Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society. Beautiful friendship between a human and a goat.
Photo: Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society. Playful cat friendship.
Photo: Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society. This friendship is absolutely beautiful.
Photo: Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society. Best Friends Animal Society fights to protect all animals, like this one.
Photo: Courtesy of Best Friends Animal Society. The bond between a human and a dog.