For The Love of Elephants

Posted on January 10, 2016 by lsdiaz03

The growth of mankind is damaging nature – our numbers are growing and so is our ignorance. Instead of being grateful to Mother Nature for the gift of life itself, an incredibly large number of people is consciously deciding to neglect the very real and very dangerous facts, and to simply continue with their destructive lifestyles.

This is one of those things where you can’t go back when you realize you’re making a mistake. If we keep this up, there won’t be a planet or the resources to help us bounce back. The first step towards our redemption should be learning to cohabitate peacefully with the wildlife that has as much right to roam the planet as we do, and doing our best to help preserve Earth’s diverse fauna.

Elephants are Going Extinct

For fifteen million years elephants have walked the Earth, but their numbers have been decreasing dramatically during the past couple of centuries. This fact isn’t just alarming, it is absolutely terrifying. Every fifteen minutes an elephant dies because of continuous ivory poaching. If we don’t act together on this problem now, there won’t be any elephants left by 2025.

Being a keystone species, elephants maintain a certain order in their ecosystem. The survival of many different animals and plants depends on this species, so with the loss of elephants we will also lose an entire ecosystem.

If this happens, the developing countries which are proud to be homes of these extraordinary animals will suffer the consequences as well.

David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

Did you know that elephants have the very same cognitive behavior as humans? The can feel love and joy, and grieve for their losses and feel true fear.

Thanks to David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, over 190 infant orphans were saved and successfully reintegrated into wild herds. This trust was founded in 1977 by Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick, a widely famous naturalist. This was her effort to conserve the wildlife, honor her late husband and preserve a long family tradition of protecting the environment.

It took Daphne three decades to perfect the milk formula necessary for orphaned elephants to survive and grow healthy and strong, so that they could be released back into the wild. A lifetime worth of experience has enabled Dr. Sheldrick, her family and every member of their organization to take effective actions that result in successful elephant and rhino rescue and rehabilitation.

Support This Cause & Save Our Planet

The elephant extinction would cause a chain reaction and it would have a direct effect on other animal species and mankind as well. The fact is you don’t have to move to Africa in order to help – you can make your contribution from your home, office or while you’re having a cup of coffee.

J. Crew and their “Garments for Good” campaign in collaboration with David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust enabled all of us to conveniently help this cause by getting one of their t-shirts. This nonprofit organization forwards all their funds to charity.

Participate in the Orphan’s Project

There’s another way you can make your contribution to elephant and rhino rescue and rehabilitation project – by adopting an orphaned infant and becoming their foster parent. Once you become a part of this project, you will receive a fostering certificate and a photo of your orphan via e-mail, with all their info, e.g. where they were found and the description of their habitat.

The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust will keep you updated about the monthly highlights of your elephant, so you’ll be able to see their photos, track their development and be included in their rehabilitation. They will also keep you posted about the latest news on fresh arrivals and basically everything that’s going on.

Building a Better Future for Mankind & Wildlife

Putting our best effort into helping with this cause is just a beginning, but also a great starting point. This is the final hour, and we’re all still able to do something to help revitalize our planet. It’s the only one we have, and every single individual on it is equally responsible for helping build a better future by contributing to good causes like this one for generations to come.

Photos by: Arlene St. Hilaire

Outfit: Zara Jeans, Sisley Coat, Zara Booties, David Sheldrick Sweatshirt at J.Crew, Rebecca Minkhoff Bag

Gifts that Give Back: For Him

Posted on December 16, 2015 by lsdiaz03

Generous & Practical: 5 Awesome Gifts He’ll Love

Finding the perfect gift for someone special is always challenging. I have several practical ideas I’m sure every man in your life would appreciate, but there’s something more to my list of gifts than just being awesome. The holidays are the perfect time to help those less fortunate, and I can show you how to combine generosity and practicality.

State Backpack

A backpack that can never go out of style is something that every man needs. This one from the State collection is extremely practical – the large number of compartments allow you to carry quite a few items in one well-organized package. It can fit a 15” laptop, and it has a convenient number of side pockets.

For every backpack sold, State delivers another to a child in need. By making this purchase you’ll not only get a quality backpack for a special man in your life, but you’re also making a child out there really happy.

David Sheldrick Wildlife Sweatshirt

One of my fave items! This sweatshirt is made out of cotton, which makes it incredibly comfy. It can also be machine-washed, so it doesn’t require any special care – I’m sure that any man would appreciate that fact.

You should also know that it has an illustration of Eddie by Hugo Guinness on it. Eddie was an orphan elephant who was saved by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, hand raised and released back into the wild. She was one of over 190 elephants that were saved by this trust. The complete net of every purchase goes directly to this cause.

Conscious Step Socks

I don’t know about you, but almost every man I know has trouble finding one whole matching pair of socks. You should introduce them to Conscious Step. My husband is obsessed and looks forward to getting them every year.

The logic behind these socks is easy. I mean why get “normal” everyday socks when you can get a fun pair that was made to help fund the world’s most important causes, like providing clean drinking water, ending famine, saving trees, fighting HIV and improving education worldwide. Conscious Step socks are quite extraordinary, don’t you think?

Feed Projects-Adventorous Kit

Men, unlike most women, somehow forget to take their essentials with them, and perhaps the reason behind it is that they don’t own their own kit. In order to help that special man in your life have a much more relaxed and convenient trip, my suggestion is to get them a practical FEED kit. The thing that makes this kit so special is the fact that making one purchase provides 15 school meals to children worldwide.

Veja-Most Ethical Sneakers

We all know that men like their sneakers and really can’t get enough of them. The company Veja is setting an example for other brands. Just to name a few of their accomplishments-Veja uses rubber from the amazon and organic cotton, they employ over 300 families and provide them with a competitive salary, and finally to cut cost for their costumers, Veja does not advertise. A few weeks ago I wrote a detailed post on this brand (yes, I’m obsessed) -please read about it here. It’s an amazing gift for everyone that likes sneakers (every man in the world, really).

Holiday Gifts: Pay it Forward

Posted on November 17, 2014 by lsdiaz03

Hi Friends:

The Holidays are almost here!! Yay!! 😉 Buying gifts for our family and friends can either be fun or dreadful…so, I thought it would be a cool idea to feature gifts once a week until Christmas to help you with the process. The gifts featured every week will all be items that give back to some awesome charities!

My faves for this week are the following:

Kiehl’s Limited Edition “GrapeFruit” Whipped Body Butter: 100% of the proceeds from this Butter supports Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.

Lush Charity Pot: Lush donates every penny of the pot (minus the tax) to small grassroots organizations.

FEED Wood Wine Caddy: For each of these Wood Wine Caddy’s Purchased, Feed donates 47 meals to families in need in the USA.

Classic Feed Bag: This bag will help feed one child for the entire year.

Feed Wine Bag: Your purchase will provide 5 school meals.

Men’s J.Crew for David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Sweatshirt: Your purchase supports orphaned elephants and rhinos in East Africa from ivory poaching and extinction.

Women’s J.Crew for David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Tee: Your purchase supports orphaned elephants and rhinos in East Africa from ivory poaching and extinction.