Feel-Good Friday: 28 February – Life’s a Beach

Ante up, champions—the weekend is just a few short hours away. After a long and arduous week spent scouring the internet for new releases, product information and the very best in cultural conversation points, the Man of Many is gearing up for pencils down. We’ve been working hard and could use a little pick-me-up, so why not get the weekend off on the right foot? From eco-conscious activities to mental health initiatives, we’re serving up our weekly smattering of positive impact stories for your Feel-Good Friday entertainment. Enjoy it.

Australia’s Biggest Ocean-Loving Event Lands in March

As Australia’s first carbon-neutral publisher certified under the Federal Government’s Climate Active program, helping the environment is core to the Man of Many ethos. We love hearing about businesses doing good for the planet and people looking out for future generations, so if you’re like us, you better listen up. In March, the nation’s largest ocean-loving event, the aptly named Ocean Lovers Festival, will hit Sydney for a blockbuster schedule of incredible events.

The upcoming program promises to be bigger and better than ever. Now in its fifth year, the Ocean Lovers Festival has expanded beyond its traditional Bondi Beach home to multiple Sydney locations, each offering a dedicated lineup of art, music, workshops, talks, and science showcases—all designed to captivate, educate, and inspire.

Ocean Lovers Festival kicks off on March 1 and will run weekly programs until March 31. Highlights from the eco-conscious event include:

•  Immersia Freediving (March 29) – Reconnect with yourself through freediving – a practice that relieves stress, enhances focus, and unlocks ocean exploration. Grab an exclusive 10% discount on the full course!
• Marine Restoration, Penguin & Seal Research Tour, Seabirds To Seascapes (March 5) – Explore the harbour and diving into the latest marine restoration efforts and wildlife research.
• Sustainable Cooking with Rockpool’s Luke Bourke (March 8) – Learn how to cook with native ingredients and sustainably sourced seafood with one of Sydney’s top chefs.
• Seabirds to Seascapes Restoration Tour (March 12) – Explore how Sydney Harbour’s marine life is being restored and protected.
• BONDI SALTIES Swim for the Ocean (March 14) – An ocean swim for a cause! FREE to join with a donation.
• Tribal Warrior Boat Tour with SIMS (March 15) – Immerse yourself in Indigenous storytelling and connect with the ancient wisdom of First Nations people aboard Tribal Warrior.
• Darling Harbour Weekender (March 15 & 16) – A weekend packed with eco-markets, installations, and fun family activities.
• Ocean Lovers Festival Talks (March 22 & 23) – Hear thought-provoking conversations with leading ocean advocates, scientists, and eco-innovators.
• Bondi Weekender (March 22 & 23) – Family-friendly fun, eco-markets and a must-see film program.
• Sea The Weed Sunrise Smoking Ceremony (March 28) – Learn about Crayweed – a powerful ocean plant that sucks carbon and shelters marine life.
• SeaBin Ocean Tour (March 29 & 31) – Visit the Ocean Health Lab at the Australian National Maritime Museum, a cutting-edge research facility tackling marine plastic pollution.

For more information on the Ocean Lovers Festival and for the full program of events and activities, visit the official website and help support this important cause.

Uber is Calling For Sydneysiders to Go Car-Free for a Month

Are you car-free curious? That’s the question that ride-sharing and technology platform Uber is asking Sydneysiders this month. The organisation is set to launch a new study that explores the barriers and opportunities to car-light living in an effort to help Australia reach its emissions targets.

Launching on Monday 17 March, Uber’s ‘One Less Car’ initiative will challenge 2,000 Sydney residents to ditch their cars for a full calendar month. According to the organisation, the study will test a number of interventions designed to help participants get around Sydney without their cars, including Opal public transport cards, exclusive perks on e-bikes, and discounts on Uber rides, deliveries and car rentals.

“Australia’s road to net-zero relies on a fundamental rethink of how people move through our cities, which includes shifting away from our dependence on private cars,” Emma Foley, managing director of Uber Australia & New Zealand said. “Our first One Less Car trial explored both the appetite for a car-free lifestyle, as well as the positive impact it can have on individuals, cities and our planet. Now, we’re kicking things up a notch, aiming to sign up more than 2,000 Sydneysiders to have a go at car-light living as we work toward a more livable, sustainable future that is less reliant on cars as the default transport choice.”

The One Less Car study comes less than two years after Uber conducted a similar trial in which 58 Australians gave up their cars in favour of other modes of transport. The 2023 experiment found that people needed convenient access to four alternative modes of high-quality transport if they were to be successful in ditching their cars, which is why Uber is teaming up with Transport for NSW, Lime and Lug+Carrie this time around.

“Lime’s mission is to help build a future where transport is shared, affordable, and carbon-free,” Will Peters, senior director at Lime said. “We’re again excited to see how this experiment will show Australians, particularly commuters, the possibilities involved in going car-light, and we look forward to continuing to partner with Uber to support and guide Australian cities as they build sustainable transport networks.”

Applications for the One Less Car trial opened on Tuesday, 25 February, with anyone living within 20km of Sydney’s CBD, Parramatta, and Westmead encouraged to apply. The trial will take place over a four-week period from Monday, 17 March, through to Sunday, 13 April. During that time, participants will give up at least one of their private cars and document their experience, while enjoying exclusive savings and perks on alternative modes of transport. For more information on Uber’s One Less Car trial and to apply, visit the link below.

Kokoda Centurions Trek to Raise Much-Needed Funds for Men’s Mental Health

The iconic Kokoda Centurians Trek is returning in 2025 and this year, the event will help to raise much-needed funds for men’s mental health. Taking place in Papua New Guinea from 22 to 31 August, the annual event brings up to 100 individuals together to help create a lasting difference. Motivated by the exceptionally high rates of male suicide and gender-based violence, the Kododa committee organisers Scott Matthews, Mignon Furnell and Derrick McManus are aiming to use the 10-day trek, as a platform to raise awareness. The goal has always been to empower men to lead healthier lives by harnessing emotional intelligence and building supportive mentor networks, and this year’s trek is no exception.

Open to participants of all genders, the gruelling 96km Kokoda Centurions Trek will help new charity partner Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation in its mission to fund mental health research. The organisation is Australia’s only dedicated mental health research foundation, focusing on research that aims to prevent, diagnose, and treat illnesses.

“This is more than just a trek. We want our walkers to come back from this, with a deeper level of understanding of Mental Health, and education surrounding prevention. This is why we have partnered with Breakthrough, so that funds raised will go toward vital research in this area,” Kokoda Centurions founder Scott Matthews said. “Our mission is to empower individuals through educational support and community engagement, fostering resilience, promoting positive masculinity and enhancing emotional intelligence to prevent violence – including self-harm.”

The Kokoda Centurions Trek will see up to 100 participants of all genders complete the 96km journey across 10 gruelling days. Averaging eight hours of walking per day, the trekkers will tackle the rugged terrain whilst engaging in guided historical briefings and group discussions focused on mental health and resilience. Registration for the event costs AUD$4,999 per person, which includes flights, accommodation, meals, permits, guides, and support staff.

WWF-Australia Brings Back Challenge 60 for Earth Hour 2025

Environmental impact organisation WWF-Australia is again calling on Aussies to get active in nature for Earth Hour 2025. The eco-conscious entity has announced its Challenge 60 initiative will return, with the program aimed at getting participants to switch off and spend 60 minutes a day walking, running, cycling, or swimming from 1 March to 22 March.

The announcement comes in response to new data that revealed work is the main reason Australians aren’t spending time outdoors. According to the WWF-Australia-commissioned study, almost half (42 per cent) of respondents reported that their jobs keep them indoors, while a third (34 per cent) revealed that they have lunch at their desks. According to WWF-Australia’s head of supporter mobilisation, Rachael Lance, engaging in Challenge 60 and the Australian-born Earth Hour initiative helps to address the escalating threats of biodiversity loss and climate change, whilst also improving people’s mental and physical health.

“Earth Hour is famous for its signature “switch off” moment, with millions of people and landmarks switching off their lights in support of stronger action on climate change and biodiversity loss,” Lance said.“We will still have landmarks switching off for Earth Hour this year, but we also wanted to challenge people to get active and power up their commitment to a sustainable future with Challenge 60. By taking 60 minutes a day to move for nature and you’ll be making a world of difference.”

“The funds you raise will drive critical conservation projects to regenerate nature. This includes projects like building artificial dens so eastern quolls have more safe places to raise their joeys, planting more trees to create homes for native animals like koalas, and tracking and protecting whales on their migratory paths.”

How to sign up to #Challenge60 

1. Register at earthhour.org.au as an individual, team or workplace. Choose your challenge and set your fundraising goal to raise vital funds to support nature.
2. Share your challenge with your network and ask friends, family and colleagues to sponsor your Challenge 60 with a donation. 
3. Get active in nature for 60 minutes each day from 1 to 22 March. 

Earth Hour 2025 is happening on Saturday, 22 March at 8.30pm. To find out more about the initiative and to sign up for Challenge 60, visit the link below.

Feature Image Credit: Ewan Donnachie, Immersia Freediving