Kupu to benefit from Mozilla web browser launch

Mozilla, the Mountain View, Calif. web browser company has named the Hawaii conservation nonprofit Kupu to be the most recent fundraising beneficiary of the Mozilla Parks project. As part of the launch of Mozilla Thunderbird, the most recent version of its web browser, the company and Kupu are working together to raise awareness of environmental conservation in Hawaii. The main focus of this conservation project is protecting Lanikai Beach and Bulwer’s Petrel, the seabird native to the beach.

Mozilla code names the pre-release versions of its software, such as Firefox and Thunderbird, after parks and beaches around the world. The Mozilla Parks Project enables the organization to partner with and raise funds for conservation groups around the world.

Donations made during the pre-release project with Mozilla will be forwarded to Kupu. The donation period will run until the end of July. While Kupu has not set a fundraising goal, previous projects Mozilla has launched raised $20,000 to $30,000 for nonprofit groups.

This partnership will allow Kupu to increase its web presence and achieve its goal of providing hands-on, service-based conservation experiences for the youth of Hawaii. “Mozilla’s generosity could not come at a more critical time for our state,” John Leong, the executive director of Kupu, said. “Our hope is that their aid will enable our programs to create more positions and better assist Hawaii’s youth as well as the close to 80 different conservation sites which our members assist across our state.”