Blog, Charity, conservation, Environment and Climate, Products With a Purpose, Sustainability

Jewelry That Gives Back to Oceans

I have been a bit obsessed lately with two Instagram accounts that I absolutely love: @paulnicklen and @Mitty. Paul Nicklen and Cristina Mittermeier respectively are prolific underwater photographers and founders of Seal Legacy, an organization committed to creating healthy and abundant oceans for us and the planet.

It’s funny: As much as I love the oceans I don’t really visit them often. Sure, I fly over them often and at long stretches and I take photos of the ocean from a distance like the one above that I took in the Philippines, but I never get up close and personal to the ocean. I would like to change that one day. In the meantime, I live vicariously through Nicklen and Mittermeier. Also, as I sat looking at their work I wondered how I can help the oceans in my own little way and you can, too. Here are jewelry companies that have beautiful bling while also giving back to oceans, ocean clean-ups, reefs, and ocean life.

Jennifer JamesJanuary 19, 2020September 25, 20222 Comments

Africa, Blog, Environment and Climate, Sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals

To Combat Climate Change Ethiopia Plants Over 350 Million Trees in 12 Hours

The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now. Chinese Proverb One of my favorite countries in the world is Ethiopia. I have had the pleasure of visiting four times traversing the north and south and find it gorgeous in so many regions. I cannot wait to go back one day to see all of its rapid changes. Yesterday, … Continue reading To Combat Climate Change Ethiopia Plants Over 350 Million Trees in 12 Hours

Jennifer JamesJuly 30, 2019July 30, 20191 Comment

Asia, Blog, Environment and Climate, Food Security, Nepal, Nepal, Nepal Reporting Trip, Philippines, Sustainability, Women, Women's Rights

2 Innovative Uses of PET Bottles in Low-Income Countries That Benefit Women

PET bottles, one of the most widely used materials in the world, are used to package foods and drinks from soda and juices to salad dressings and cooking oils. It is also completely recyclable. In the United States alone, 1.5 billion pounds of PET bottles are recycled annually.

Throughout my travels to low and middle-income countries I see PET bottles thrown haphazardly in fields and streams clogging waterways and dirtying sidewalks and walking paths. In countries such as Nepal (where I visited last year with Coca-Cola), there are concerted educational efforts by environmentally focused NGOs to change behaviors around discarding PET bottles. There are recycling centers in Nepal, but not enough to completely clean its streets and countryside. It seems to be a sisyphean battle to combat PET bottle waste, but there are some who are using the bottles in innovative ways.

Continue reading “2 Innovative Uses of PET Bottles in Low-Income Countries That Benefit Women”

Jennifer JamesMarch 15, 2017October 13, 2022Leave a comment

Blog, Environment and Climate, United States

How to Celebrate the National Park Service’s 99th Birthday

The National Park Service is celebrating its 99th anniversary on August 25, 2015. On that day all national parks in the United States will be fee-free.

To celebrate the upcoming centennial of NPS in 2016, the National Park Foundation (NPF) launched its Find Your Park campaign to encourage everyone to get up, get out, and #FindYourPark.

Everyone is encouraged to share their favorite park with family and friends on social media with #FindYourPark.

Continue reading “How to Celebrate the National Park Service’s 99th Birthday”