Global Hospo Grants, Protein out of air, Surf therapy, Carpentry events & good news stories
Hannah Keirl
Strategic Marketing & Communications | DE&I Specialist | Social Enterprise/NFP | China & India Market Consultant
In 2024, my focus is 'COMMUNITY' and I've decided to create a monthly 'Pay it Forward' newsletter, highlighting people, organisations or even articles I come across each month, who are doing interesting, powerful and kind things. It will intentionally cover a variety of topics - to get us out of our algorithm formed bubbles.
I'd love to have you join this journey, so please feel free to create your own list, tag people doing cool sh*t here, or share these newsletters.
Thank you for being a part of my community.
Hannah
Hospo Grant Opportunity: Backing International Small Restaurants
The goal is to help these restaurants with critical improvements and long-term sustainability so they can focus on nourishing their customers with good food and furthering community connection. In 2024, $955,000USD will be awarded to 67 independent restaurants with community significance. To be eligible, restaurants must already be in operation and have a brick and mortar location/storefront in one of the cities listed below:
The deadline to submit applications is Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 11:59 pm ET.
For more info / to apply, see here.
Waves of Wellness: mental and physical health intervention.
WOW Vision: A world where people understand the waves of mental health as a normal part of everyday life
WOW Mission: To empower all through innovative mental health support
Those of you who know me well, know that I'm a passionate surfer - and that the beach is my happy place. Waves of Wellness Foundation (WOW) is surf therapy at it's best - and in high demand.
WOW currently has over 1,200 people on their waiting list to join their free surf programs, so there's a clear demand for support and connection within a community through movement.
2 weeks ago WOW had over 80+ females attempting to sign up for latest 8-week women's program. Unfortunately, WOW couldn't assist everyone reaching out for help due to funding. This demand extends beyond just the women's groups, we also have major waiting lists for men's groups, first responders/veterans, and youth programs.
If you - or your company - are in a position to support, or get involved check out the WOW "Get Involved" or consider their Workplace Wellbeing Program. You can also get in touch with the fabulously passionate Rebecca Tikey !
Solein: Protein out of thin air.
Yes, you read that correctly. Finnish company Solar Foods has developed Solein "a natural protein for every food imaginable. Born from air and electricity."
According to the website: The macronutrient composition of the cells is very similar to that of dried soy or algae. In addition to protein, Solein provides a source of iron, fibre, and B vitamins. Dietarily, Solein is kind to all. It’s 100% vegan-friendly, nutritious, and caters to every diet around. Doesn’t matter if you’re Buddhist or flexitarian, Solein has your protein needs covered.
M on the Bund: A documentary
Three decades of food, glamour and community at M on the Bund, the restaurant at the heart of Shanghai.
Very excited to watch this documentary - as will anyone who has ever visited Shanghai / China / M on the Bund; or who have had the pleasure of meeting the enigmatic Michelle Garnaut AO . As Cat Sanderson once said - have dinner with Michelle - you never know who you'll meet, but you can be 100% sure that they'll be interesting.
During my 5+ years in Shanghai, I was a regular at M on the Bund and sister venue M Glam, but these were always more than exceptional venues - they were hubs of communities, literary discussions, gin launches & philanthropic events to name just a few.
The Great Bubble Barrier & The Bubble Curtain
Bubble curtains are being used to protect marine life from noisy wind farm construction, fight river pollution and limit oil spills.
Dutch friends Anne Marieke Eveleens , Francis Zoet and Saskia Studer were enjoying a drink while bemoaning the amount of plastic they saw in the water during their sailing classes, when they started looking differently at the bubbles in their beer. They teamed up with German surfer Philip Ehrhorn and, after an award-winning start in 2016, have been perfecting the technology over the past five years.
A Bubble Barrier is made by placing a perforated tube diagonally on the river bed, which creates an upward current directing the plastics to the surface and guiding them into a catchment system.
It catches plastics bigger than 1mm, but is soft enough to enable migrating fish to pass through, and in fact increases the amount of oxygen in the water, further benefiting the ecosystem.
There are few humans around to complain about the noise, but?marine wildlife?lives in a world of sound - and all the commotion can take a deadly toll.
The ruckus of pile-driving noise has been found to cause temporary hearing loss and in some cases permanent deafness in harbour porpoises. Since these marine mammals use echolocation to communicate and navigate - emitting ultrasonic clicks that bounce off fish or objects - this hearing loss is highly disorientating and can effectively be a death sentence. Fleeing the sound also leads to dangerous displacement.?
To shield porpoises, seals and other animals from the deafening blows of pile-driving - where the steel foundation that supports a turbine is hammered into the seabed -?bubble curtains are going up. Great to see this kind of innovation!
Carpentry Australia gives a Helping Hand
How cool is this. Noreen was the lucky recipient of Carpentry Australia's (CA) Helping Hand Day in Victoria, with CA Members, suppliers and community coming together and donating over $100,000 in labour and materials to complete a renovation on her home. Project manager and SMD Projects’ Dave Malone said “It’s just so good to see everyone come together for a great cause and work it out.” Read more in The Tradie: Talkin' Tools & Toys 's recap.
Want to get involved? Upcoming events:
Soft skills for leadership success
Business leaders have spoken: Artificial intelligence (AI) makes human (soft) skills more important in the workplace.?I know I've had to do a lot of self-reflection - particularly moving from entrepreneur and back into working for organisations again.
I very much felt that I had to scrape back to self-awareness and then rebuild my relationships where I was leaning into my strengths rather than 'doing what I'd always done.' Maxme helped me with this.
If you'd like to understand more about this process, this is a great opportunity.
Yasmeen Lari Sets Out to Build One Million Flood-Resistant Homes in Pakistan
"This is indeed a huge task. Making a million houses (for a non-governmental organization) is not like a walk in the park, the idea is not only to provide the families with zero-carbon houses but also to make them self-dependent." - Dr Yasmeen Lari
According to ArchDaily "The shelters are inspired by indigenous building techniques, utilizing local materials re-engineered to protect the buildings against flood waters. Traditional mud huts can be vulnerable in the face of extreme weather, while the new way of building in?Pakistan?relies heavily on concrete, a high-emissions material. In contrast, the LOG shelters designed by?Yasmeen Lari?are made out of prefabricated bamboo structures that sit on raised platforms. The lime-hardened mud walls protect against water infiltrations, while several layers of thatch and other materials on the roof protect against rainfall. The houses take a week to build, are significantly more affordable than other modern solutions." Read full article here.
And that's all for now. Thanks for playing along!
Hannah x
(If you'd like to know a bit more about who I am - read this).
In the spirit of reconciliation I?acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. I pay my respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.