Every month we give to non-profits to the best of our capacity. This is how we make efforts to offset carbon, educate others, care for animals and plants we love, and spread the impact of organizations we resonate with. Sea here a list of NGO’s we LOVE and have supported or continue to support in the realms of botany, environmental activism, public education and dance! One planet : One Love. Below is a photo of Samoan Soursop. In 2018, I made a mini plastics awareness education tour on the island of Savai’i with a central focus to educate locals about the harm of disposable plastics to their beloved turtles. In the process, I fell deeply in love with Soursop. Check out all the GLORIOUS organizations we support below <3
Yolloxochitl
Yolloxochitl (yolo-so-chee) was founded through a common belief. A belief that we are all stewards of the land. vision is to grow food for everyone in urban south Phoenix and beyond. We believe everyone should have an abundance of nutritious food and we want to plant the seeds of change by re-purposing blighted and or vacant lots in impoverished forgotten communities.
In addition to re-purposing idle or blighted land within dense urban centers, Yolloxochitl’s vision is to also utilize and implement community gardens, rooftop gardens, greenhouses, etc. Implementing and educating on concepts such as organic farming, rainwater conservation, composting, farm-to-table business models, etc., can not only contribute to sustainable and local agriculture but also inspire and educate green entrepreneurs and farmers for a better tomorrow.
Sustainable Coastlines Hawai'i
MISSION: Sustainable Coastlines Hawaii inspires local communities to care for their coastlines. We create fun, hands-on experiences ranging from our signature beach cleanups, to in-class education, to sustainable business development, to widespread media campaigns.
TURNING OFF THE TAP: We believe that solutions start at the source. A beach cleanup brings
our community together to understand the plastic pollution problems, but the work begins with the knowledge people carry away from that experience. Cleaning up is like bailing out an overflowing bathtub while the faucet is still running. We create solutions by turning off the tap and we turn off the tap by building community, providing innovative education opportunities, working with businesses to eliminate plastic, creating alternative opportunity through composting, and inspiring a civically engaged public. https://www.sustainablecoastlineshawaii.org/
The Ocean Cleanup
“The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organization, developing advanced technologies to rid the world’s oceans of plastic. By utilizing the ocean currents to our advantage, our passive drifting systems are estimated to clean up half the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in 5 years’ time.
Arka Kinari
A multimedia performance staged from the deck of a traditional sailing ship, using live music and cinematic visuals to imagine life after the carbon economy, resilience to climate change, and re-engagement with the last great commons- the sea.
Filastine & Nova’s mix of traditional Javanese melodies, hypnotic polyrhythms and contemporary electronic music propel a 75min performance. The two musicians and two assisting performers make use of the ship, elements of the waterfront and the water itself as stage and scenography.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/filastine/arka-kinari-sound-system
The Surfrider Foundation: O’ahu Chapter
Mission statement: The Surfrider Foundation is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans, waves and beaches for all people, through a powerful activist network.
Nationwide, Surfrider activists are working on more than 100 campaigns across the country at any given time, with victories being won every month for our ocean. The Oahu Chapter works with incredible partner organizations and community members to make our victories possible. Some of the Oahu Chapter’s most notable victories include:
Bill 40: Bans Single-use Takeout Plastic at Food Establishments (2019)
When passed, this law was the most comprehensive ban on single-use plastics in the nation. It applies to the City and County of Honolulu (Oʻahu Island). The law phases in on January 1, 2021 with final phase on January 1, 2022. https://oahu.surfrider.org/ourteam/mission/
KISSIDUGU Foundation
Kissidugu Foundation is committed to creating sustainable and equitable opportunities for individuals and communities, through civic dialogue, education, cultural preservation and the perpetuation of Guinean music and dance.
https://kissidugu.org/kissidugu-school/
[nue]BOX
Julie Akerly and Matthew Mosher co-founded [nueBOX] in 2014. They both desired to enhance the Metro-Phoenix arts community, specifically in the fields of performance and installation art. Phoenix was the 6th largest city in the United States, but did not have enough opportunities for artists to participate in collaborative and research-based art-making for performance and installation-based artists. In a survey of art students in Phoenix, 61% were considering leaving the city after graduation because other cities provide artists with more opportunities. [nueBOX] aims to cultivate a culture that values the process of artistic work, and gives artists a reason to stay in Metro-Phoenix.
https://www.nuebox.org/openclassseries
Botanical Dimensions
Under the guidance of ethnobotanist Kathleen Harrison since its founding in 1985, Botanical Dimensions has generated projects in Hawaii, Peru, Mexico, Costa Rica, and California, working with indigenous people whenever possible, trying to preserve native plant species and the traditional knowledge of these places.
http://botanicaldimensions.org/botanical-dimensions-projects/
Millions Against Monsanto
The Millions Against Monsanto Campaign was started by OCA in the mid-1990s to fight back against Monsanto and the other biotech bullies responsible for poisoning the world’s food and the environment.
https://www.organicconsumers.org/campaigns/millions-against-monsanto
Native Seed Search
Native Seeds/SEARCH (NS/S) is a nonprofit seed conservation organization based in Tucson, Arizona. Our mission is to conserve and promote the arid-adapted crop diversity of the Southwest in support of sustainable farming and food security.
https://www.nativeseeds.org/pages/seed-bank
Salt River Horse Management Group
These wild horses were brought into the limelight during the epic battle for their protection; the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group rounded up large herds of people who gave them a voice; we stampeded congress and we worked toward positive solutions with Federal and State governments. It worked; while almost gone forever, today the Salt River wild horses are protected pursuant to Arizona Revised Statute 3-1491 (aka the Salt River Horse Act) We are currently under contract to manage this herd humanely under the AZ Department of Agriculture (AZDA).
https://saltriverwildhorsemanagementgroup.org/
Pacific Whale Foundation
Pacific Whale Foundation is a non-profit organization founded in 1980 to protect our oceans through science and advocacy. Despite being the most isolated island chain in the world, marine debris is a consistent problem in Hawaii. In Maui County, there have been numerous bills signed into law to aid in the reduction of marine debris. This research study aims at evaluating these mitigation measures and comparing the efficacy of policy measures to that of education and outreach programs. We accomplish this through daily and monthly monitoring of marine debris on various beaches along Maui’s coast and near-shore environment, and compare data before and after policies went into place and before and after outreach programs were implemented.
https://www.pacificwhale.org/research/hawaii/
Gentle Hive Bee Foundation Hawaii
“Starting many different studies trying to find solutions to the pest and disease that plague hives, I realized I needed to focus on the basics! Clean water was one of my first ideas after seeing a bee drink rain water of of a door mat left outside. It landed on one of the plastic (most rugs/doormats are actually made of plastic) fibers and started to drink the water on it. It blew my mind how simple things are, yet we make them so complicated! The bee struggles to find clean water and is drinking from a dirty plastic rug! I set out on a mission to find a way to bring bees clean water.”