Felt ... like helping out

In the wake of the recent, devastating earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, a group of crafty minded Entrepreneurs from Felt have gotten together and come up with FeltAid!

If you love handmade - and you want to help the people in Christchurch get their lives and city back together - then FeltAid is the place for you. You get to buy from a gorgeous range of handmade fabulousness - and your dollars go to the NZ Red Cross Canterbury Earthquake Appeal.

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Sublime Sunday: Lake Rotokare

Sublime Sunday's are all about highlighting efforts to save the world's beautiful places. Like Lake Rotokare in Taranaki, New Zealand.

Photo: Ruth Stewart

Rotokare Scenic Reserve is a stunning 230 hectare forested hill-country catchment, extensive wetlands and 17.8 hectare natural lake.

Aerial photo Rotokare Scenic Reserve.

The Rotokare Scenic Reserve Trust formed in 2004 amid concern that the habitat was in decline. They are now creating a 'mainland island' inside a predator proof fence to protect the native flora and fauna in the area and to create a 'flourishing indigenous ecosystem'. Its a truly amazing community conservation project!

Volunteers on a Planting Day

You can help by volunteering in the reserve on a Sunday or by making a donation to the Trust.

Give $10,000 to a Friend in Need with Give A Little

On 23rd March Givealittle.co.nz launched a new initiative to kick start a bit of good feeling amidst gloom and doom about recession.

The Wellington based social enterprise is giving the New Zealand public the chance to do something amazing for someone or something close to their hearts. It’s an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of a friend in need, a family, a local school, favourite charity or community organisation.

‘Givealittle wants to know who you would like to give to, what you want to give and why it is deserved,’ says Givealittle.co.nz CEO Nathalie Hofsteede.

Up to $10,000 will be awarded to the submission that attracts the most givers after a month online.

‘The best way to feel good is to help someone feel better. In just 3 months since launching the website we have already seen the powerful change that can be achieved when we put people and causes we care about at the centre of our giving’ said Ms Hofsteede.

‘We have received a request from a woman wanting to replace stolen items from her elderly parents’ home, two parents wanting to shout their disabled child’s caregiver a trip home to Australia as thanks for years of hard work. It’s all wonderful stuff.’

Givealittle.co.nz will shortlist 10 submissions to become Givealittle Friends in Need projects and give the finalists advice about how to use the power of the web to reach a wider audience. Each page will have one month to gather a crowd of givers. The page with the largest number of givers (but not necessarily the most raised) will be given $1 for every giver up to a maximum of $10,000.

‘It’s about encouraging a crowd of people to give just a little to help make a big difference for a person, family or organisation,’ said Ms Hofsteede.

Online submissions will be accepted until 5pm Friday 3 April 2009 www.givealittle.co.nz/friendsinneed

Restore Our Dawn Chorus

Image by Light Knight via FlickrSince humans landed on New Zealand shores about 800 years ago about 50 species of birds have become extinct. Prior to that, the country's geological isolation and abscence of native land mammals meant that there is an amazing diversity of animals and plants that are found nowhere else - and that have adapted to an environment free of large predators.

Introduced mammals including possums, rats, stoats, feral cats, pigs, goats and deer are destroying our forests and the birdlife in them. Some eat eggs and chicks, some kill adults on nests and others eat the plants and insects the birds feed on.

Pests have been eradicated from some offshore islands. Their habitats are recovering and endangered species are bouncing back.

To stop further decline of bird numbers and even extinctions there needs to be widespread and effective pest control on the mainland.

Forest & Bird’s advocacy for effective pest control and its involvement in habitat restoration projects is helping to restore the dawn chorus in New Zealand forests.

Click here to hear some of New Zealands most beautiful songbirds and to donate to Forest & Bird's campaign to keep them singing.

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