Habitat x Coexist: More Than Just a Partnership

Habitat x Coexist: More Than Just a Partnership

There’s a lot of talk in the sustainability space. Buzzwords. Greenwashing. Photoshoots in forests.

Then there’s Kurt Jones. He’s 20. He’s the founder of Coexist—one of Australia’s fastest-growing youth-led conservation movements. He’s not here for lip service. He’s here because his childhood was rough, school nearly spat him out, and nature was what pulled him back in. Now he’s building something real: a national network of young people rolling up their sleeves and doing actual environmental work.

Coexist Isn’t a Brand. It’s a Community. 
This is a youth-led organisation with no interest in hierarchy or status. It’s a bunch of people, mostly under 25, who don’t need permission to start making change happen. They build collectives. Run school programs. Host workshops on eco-anxiety. Do the boring admin behind community projects. They don’t wait for funding to do good work. They just do the work. We respect that. We want to be useful in that space. And now, we’re proud to say, Habitat and Coexist are officially doing this together.

What We’re Doing Together 
From now on, Habitat is supporting Coexist collectives across the country with practical, sustainable gear—quick-dry towels and warm beanies—for the people doing the work in the rain, dirt, and sun.This isn’t a logo exercise. We’re not here for “brand synergy.” We’re here because we believe that conservation shouldn’t be gate-kept by degrees, funding, or age and because when Kurt said, “We’re not just protecting wild places—we’re changing culture,” we felt that.

What Happens When You Support Habitat?
Your order doesn’t just fund fabric. It helps put tools, gear, and resources into the hands of the next generation of conservationists. It helps Kurt and the Coexist crew expand their reach. It helps create a new normal—where cleaning a creek and replanting a hillside are just what you do.
Meet Kurt  
We could try to explain the story of how Coexist started…how it began as a year 11 business project, became a registered charity within 6 months of graduation, and now hosts over 120 events a year…or how a 20-year-old from Brisbane landed a game-changing philanthropic grant and used it to hire a team and take the movement full-time…But it’s better in Kurt’s words.

Read the full interview below. He’s got things to say. And we think you’ll want to hear them.

1. What personal experiences in your childhood inspired you to start Coexist?
Growing up, I went on so many school camps, which would be days hiking through
the wilderness or paddling down a river, encountering wildlife and being exposed to
incredibly beautiful landscapes, I could not help but fall in love with nature, that
lead me to volunteering with local orgs, and I quicky realised i was the only young
person present, and to me that was so concerning, so from year 11 it was my dream
to build a community where youth and young adults could lead change, and
together explore and protect our wildlife and wildplaces, whist improving the
wellbeing of people and planet.

2. Who or what has been your biggest inspiration on this journey, and why?
I have many people that I look up to, like most nature loving people, Steve Irwin,
David Attenborough and Jane Goodall, to other people that have played such huge
roles in my life like so many of my high school teaches, particularly my outdoor ed
teacher and animal studies teachers to others that are industry professionals,
other founders and CEOs of organisations, these people have been on the journey
that i am on, and for me i have grown and learnt so much from people like this, that
have given me so much time and believed in my dream.

3. Can you walk us through the first steps you took to establish Coexist? What were
some early wins that gave you momentum?
It was my year 11 school assesment to come up with a mock business plan, and
whilst other students like beauty salons and clothing brands, I wanted to come up
with a conservation organisation that engaged young people. I then hit year 12 and
realised that i need to be thinking about my post school plans, and i knew i did not
want to go to uni. I made the decision, knowing it was going to be a huge challenge
to launch a charity and start co-exist. Once i left school, i was working full time in a
media manger role and 6 months after graduating, co-exist became a registered
charity and our first year we hosted 24 events across 6 towns, engaging 200
volunteers.

4. How does Coexist differ from other conservation organisations, and what sets
your approach apart?
Co-Exist is intentionally designed to be different to other conservation orgs, we are
all about building community where young people (youth and young adults) can
feel connected, explore the planet, whilst leading projects that protect it, things
like reforestation, marine clean ups, community education and social gatherings
like group hikes, snorkelling, camping trips and so much more. We see co-exist as a
community to make tangible impact for the environment, whilst creating a space
for young adults to make life long friends and memories.

5. What has been the most rewarding moment since you founded Coexist?
In Feb 2024, we were contacted by a large philanthropic family foundation that had
heard my story on the SBS podcast, after months of meetings, strategic planning
and building a relationship, the foundation granted co-exist a large grant, that
meant I could go fulltime working on the organisation, could hire additional staff,
and build the foundations for huge growth and impact. Because of this partnership,
in 2024 we hosted 120 community events and engaged 1,800 attendees, a huge
jump from the year before. Being a 20 year old from North Brisbane, this was a huge
moment that has changed the life of Co-Exist.

6. What are you most excited about in the near future for Coexist, and how can
people get involved in your journey?
I am so excited to see all that the co-exist team will acheive, the impact that it will
make, not just for the planet but also for people, i envision thousands of
community volunteers, across the country, restoring habitat and planting millions
of trees, cleaning tonnes and tonnes of litter from the environment, connecting
young people into community and most of all, changing culture in Australia, so that
it is normal to explore and protect what a beautiful country we have.
7. How do you envision Coexist and The Habitat Collective working together to
inspire more people to take action in their local communities?
The support from Habitat means that we can continue to rally community togather
to keep our beaches clean, replant our forests and employ young people to deliver
this impact, none of this happens without the dedication from our volunteers and
the generosity of our partners, so when you shop at habitat, know that you are
playing a huge role in helping our planet, and young people.

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