Our world is facing unprecedented loss of forests, ice and animals. In fact, we loose 40 football sized lots of rain forest every minute. What can an industry as wasteful as fashion do about it?
In 2012, I asked the question, how does my work and love of fashion go together with a mutual love of animals and wildlife conservation? Turns out the answers are endless...
The answer is "Fashion for Conservation," established in 2012. In 2014, the concept behind this predominately media campaign driven movement made a huge leap...
For the first time, Fashion for Conservation hosted an event where fashion meets conservation in collaboration with Peruvian charity Hoja Nueva, to produce an international fashion fundraiser protecting the Peruvian Rainforest. Twelve Peruvian designers flew to join us in Seattle, WA (US headquarters for Hoja Nueva) on May 11th to show their support for the cause by presenting rainforest and Peruvian themed runway collections. Interwoven between the runway shows were many other attractions. A few included four different style dance and musical performances, silent and live auction, VIP Chocolate and Cacao Cocktail tasting hour, Peruvian Marketplace, Jungle Photo Booth and guest speakers.
THE IMPACT OF SEATTLE'S ANNUAL RAINFOREST GALA IN PERU
Jobs and Education in Sustainable Agriculture - The cacao plant above was planted on Hoja Nueva's land as a three part mission to provide jobs for the local communities, teach farmers how to farm sustainably (unsustainable farming is a huge factor of habitat loss in this precious region of the Peruvian Amazon) and selling the Cacao to chocolatiers in the US for further funding to support Hoja Neva's mission (see below).
Inspiration and Awareness - This is one of my best friends and founder of Hoja Nueva, Samantha Zwicker. She is the number one most inspiring person to me on planet earth. Through collaborating under "Fashion for Conservation, we have been able to "move mountains," engaging people all over the world who have expressed that they would not have otherwise been interested in the topic if it wasn't for our work.
Protecting Wildlife and Conservation Research - This butterfly is one of many endangered species Hoja Nueva is working to protect. Through camera trapping species (a motion censored camera to track which wildlife are in an area), Hoja Nueva provides data to the government to help set regulation policies and see which species are in the most need of help. Hoja Nueva also purchases land to preserve as wild habitat.
SAVE THE RAINFOREST, SAVE THE WORLD
MISSION: Hoja Nueva is a dynamic 501(c)(3) non-profit working in the remote Piedras region of Madre de Dios, Peru. Our Experimental Center in the jungle serves as a local knowledge base led by novel, on the ground research, the majority of which involves agroforestry and permaculture. Our base will begin to house volunteers, interns, researchers, and tourists that share a mission to make sustainable agriculture a success in the Piedras- and all remote rainforest environments like it. The urgency of conserving the earth's rainforests now goes beyond cultural and wildlife preservation. As a component of the recent Paris accord on climate change, protecting the Amazon rainforest is vital and of high potential, but more in-situ research is necessary in coupled human-environment systems in the Amazon's most biodiverse and healthy forests. Hoja Nueva consults and cooperates with local agricultural associations and other nonprofit organizations to ensure reliable food production while maintaining healthy forests, creating a future where both humans and nature can thrive.
Photos by Hoja Nueva 501(c)(3) and A-DOT L.L.C.
