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a box of used clothes - wholesome goodness inside

Responsible Decluttering, Selling, and Donating

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When the weather gets warmer most people tend to have a stronger desire to shed layers from their wardrobe and their life. It almost feels like a rite of passage to enjoy the spring season. This imperative reminds me of Marie Kondo’s book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. ‘The joy of tidying up,’ according to Kondo, is an act of responsible decluttering and choosing to keep only items that spark joy in us. I’m a fan of Kondo’s approach to mindfulness, and, based on how popular her book is, it seems that a lot of people are as well.

a box of used clothes ready to be sold and donated

Though, as a natural optimist, but a part-time realist, I’m concerned about the dark side of this approach. Decluttering is freeing, but decluttering without a plan can be destructive as it creates piles of unwanted “trash” that could end up in landfills. I’m not sure Kondo wants us to mindlessly declutter our life and throw away all the items that no longer bring us happiness. For me, her approach centers around being mindful of the items we own and loving them too. If they no longer spark joy, how can we think of a way to repurpose such items so that it may bring back that loving feeling again?

But what happens if there is no way to repurpose those items? In this situation, I try to think of ways to remove it from my life in a mindful, sustainable, and conscious way. I think of responsible decluttering, selling, and donating as:

  1. First, learn to be gentle and take care of the things I own. When I use them to the point of repairing, I’ll learn how to mend them.
  2. When it comes time to declutter, I’ll decide what I can sell. I can make extra cash and be mindful of the lifecycle of an item to keep them out of landfills.
  3. Next, I’ll donate things that I can’t sell. I try to be mindful of what I decide to donate so that my “clutter” doesn’t become someone else’s trash.
  4. Then, I’ll recycle what I can’t sell or donate. And, the rest goes in the waste bin (hopefully the pile is a lot smaller at this stage).
  5. Lastly, I’m a lot more mindful of what I buy now. This gives me a chance to love what I already own, be conscious about my purchases, and reduce what I declutter in the future.
a box of used clothes ready to be sold and donated

Here are a few resources you can use for responsible decluttering, selling, and donating your items:

  • Selling
    • Make some extra money and sell your clothes online at Depop, Poshmark or ThredUp.
    • Sell pretty much anything and everything on eBay.
    • Host a yard sale.
    • Swap items with friends.
  • Donating
  • Recycling
    • Give clothes a new life with Columbia’s ReThreads program.
    • Trade in your used Patagonia clothing or gear and get credit to use in their store through the Patagonia Worn Wear trade-in program.
    • Extend the life of your used shoes by donating them to Nisolo and their shoe reclamation program. You can get $30 in credit for each pair of shoes donated.
    • Recycle your used athletic shoes (any condition, any brand) to Nike’s resuse-a-show program. They’ll turn used shoes into new shoes, apparel, and outdoor sport surfaces.
    • Recycle old jeans (any condition, any brand) with Madewell’s Blue Jeans Go Green program and get $20 to use in store.

Have you done any decluttering, selling, and donating this season? If so, how have you given away your items to someone who might use it, appreciate it, and love it again?

Cheers,
Jennifer


plants in Mexico City

Eco-Conscious Travel: What To Do After You Leave

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Thank you for following along! This is fourth (and last) part of our Eco-Conscious Travel series. If you’re new here, please read our articles on eco-conscious flying (and planning ahead), where to stay, and what to do while you’re there.

Now that you’ve leaned a bit on how to be more eco-conscious before and during your travels, here’s what you can do after.

plants in Mexico City

On Donating Items

We’ve been very lucky to have met a lot of friendly people on our travels. There have been instances during a camping or backpacking trip when our neighbors would share their leftover food, fuel canisters (used for cooking), or firewood — nothing goes to waste when traveling. We’ll do the same too! Another example on donating items was when a friend of ours recently traveled abroad; she wasn’t able to take her clothes home so she donated them to a few close friends she made in the city.

Whether you’re backpacking in the outdoors or exploring a new city, look up where you can donate unused or lightly used items, food, or clothes. There are visitor’s center, local food banks, and community spaces that will gladly welcome them.

On Posting on Social Media

It’s likely that many of us will want to post about our travels on social media. Everyone does it; we’re excited and we want to share. No matter how big or small your platform is, it serves as an influence to those who follow you. When you post a photo, consider telling a story. What did you learn about the place and the people? How were you mindful on your trip?

  • Highlight a positive impact or experience you had at your destination. When we were in Alaska in the summer of 2018, we were ecstatic to witness orcas and humpback whales in their natural habitat! It inspired us to keep writing and posting on @tinycaravan.

  • Kindly make note of behaviors you saw from other travelers that may have caused unintended harm. A simple post that reminds others to “stay on the trail” can have a huge positive impact.

  • Educate those on their environmental impact and offer alternatives that you used during your trip. Brought a reusable water bottle or tumbler to a coffee shop to get coffee? Everyone would love to see it. Showcase others way you were being a respectful and responsible traveler.

  • Refrain from placing a geotag on travel destinations (or even post those places at all). Sometimes not sharing can help protect the places we love from getting overcrowded and unintentionally damaged.

When we travel, we are merely a visitor in someone’s home; it’s important to be mindful of our actions and respectful of those places. Our actions play a large role in how we impact not only the places we visit, but also the people, the culture, and the surrounding communities. You have the power to leave a positive lasting impression – just as how your personal travels and can do the same for you. We can all do more protect the places we love so that others may enjoy them too.

Cheers,
Jennifer and Vivian

city landscape

Eco-Conscious Travel: What to Do While You’re There

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If you’ve been following along, we started an Eco-Conscious Travel series where we talk about ways you can be more eco-conscious when you travel. If you’re new here, read our articles on eco-conscious flying (and planning ahead) and where to stay.

In this article, we’re excited to talk about how you can reduce your carbon footprint once you arrive at your destination.

  • Choose a carbon efficient transportation. A wonderful way to explore a new place and add to the experience is to live the life of a local. Skip the car and walk, bike, run or take public transportation. Choosing alternative transportation is another great way to reduce your overall carbon footprint compared to a private mode of transportation.

  • Implement the Leave No Trace principles. These Leave No Trace rules are popular in the outdoors, but they work for city travels too.

  • Opt for reusable options and items. Some of the places we visit don’t offer options to recycle or compost. Things like reusable water bottles (if the water is safe to drink where you are at), reusable utensils, and canvas bags are great ways to reduce waste.

  • Be mindful of the things you purchase. We’ve been guilty of purchasing a lot of souvenirs in the past. But then we thought, “Do we really need seven different pins from one place? Each time?” No, no we don’t. We also try to think about where the product came from. If you do make a purchase, try to buy from a local artisan or business.

  • Give resources back to the community. As visitors in a new place, we can support the local community and economy by eating at the local eateries and shopping from local vendors. Shopping locally can also help offset your carbon footprint.
  • Conserve resources. Along with reducing your carbon footprint and being mindful, conserve energy and water through your everyday actions. Opt out of housekeeping during your stay, turn off all lights, water, and AC before leaving your hotel room, and take any leftover amenities like shampoo or conditioner bottles as they are often thrown away after each stay.

Continue through our eco-conscious travel series with flying and planning ahead, where to stay, and what to do after you leave.

Cheers,
Jennifer and Vivian

hotel window

Eco-Conscious Travel: Where to Stay

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Hi, welcome back! This is part two of our Eco-Conscious Travel series. If you’re new here, read our first article on Eco-Conscious Travel: Flying (and Planning Ahead).

As we continued to do our research, we found that finding a sustainable place to stay is not the most simple task. Sustainable accommodations are made available at larger hotels, but we also wanted to take into account the local environment, community, and economy. There are lots of factors that go into making your stay in a country a bit more green, and while we have a few suggestions, we suggest that you continue your research with the specifics from each place you decide to visit.

Please note: green hotels are plenty more expensive and these accommodations may not be for everyone – sometimes it just doesn’t fit your budget and that’s okay. We travel on a tight budget as well and have been lucky to find hotels that provide simple, but impactful accommodations. Things such as having water on tap, energy-efficient lights, or reusable plates and silverware may seem small, but if you add up all the people who take part in these green activities, it will help reduce waste and carbon emissions.

  • hotel hallway

On Hotels

There are eco-conscious hotels that work to reduce their pollution and carbon footprint. When doing your research, consider a hotel that recycles or composts, sources renewable energy from solar or wind, uses energy-efficient lighting, or are conscious of their plastic waste. Many hotels have chosen to reduce their plastic waste by removing single-use shampoo and conditioner bottles, offering reusable utensils, and displaying condiments in bulk.

For more information, check out these hotels that are LEED certified or are EMA Green Seal for Hospitality approved. When you book a hotel through GreenHotelWorld, they receive a small commission for each booking, which is then used to offset your carbon footprint by investing in environmental projects in India, Nicaragua, and Kenya. Here’s their list of green hotel/tourism certification labels.

On Airbnb

Airbnb is on a mission to make eco-conscious traveling possible with its new sustainability advisory board. They also encourage hosts to make recycling, composting, and pointing out public transportation available to travelers. We’ve stayed in a few Airbnb homes, and while we had a good experience each time, now, we’re certainly more aware of the effect it has on local communities. In some parts of the world, Airbnb listings are so saturated, these areas no longer feel ‘local’ but a buzzing hub for tourists. If you choose to stay at an Airbnb and want to continue to benefit the local community, look for places with a host who rents out a guest room (or their entire home while they are on vacation) so that housing isn’t taken away from locals and given to tourists.

Not a place to stay, but a note on toiletries–

A simple thing you can do is pack toiletries in reusable travel-sized containers to reduce waste. Shampoo, conditioner, body, and face bars are becoming popular alternatives as they are TSA-friendly and eco-friendly (they are usually made out of natural, non-toxic ingredients and come package-free as well).

Continue through our eco-conscious travel series with flying and planning ahead, what to do while you’re there, and what to do after you leave.

Cheers,
Jennifer and Vivian

flying above the clouds on an airplane

Eco-Conscious Travel: Flying (and Planning Ahead)

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Welcome to part one of our four-part Eco-Conscious Travel series. In this article, we’ll talk about how you can reduce your carbon footprint when flying and other things related to planning ahead.

Driving in a car, flying in a plane, and being physically present at the destination are all impacts on the environment. In this article, we’ll focus on flying; according to Climate Connections, about 3% of global carbon emissions are generated from air travel. We won’t ask you to stop getting on flights — that isn’t realistic and sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to give up the convenience of flights — but there are some ways we can help make flying more green.

flying above the clouds on an airplane

On Air Travel

  • If you can, fly less. If you’re taking a short trip — say an hour flight –it may be better to drive. Climate Connections states “per passenger-hour traveled however, aviation’s climate impact is a factor 6 to 47 higher than the impact from car travel.”For longer flights — say across the country — it makes more sense to fly.  There are more factors that go into this number, however, Nature Conservancy’s Carbon Calculator can help you track your carbon footprint when traveling.
  • Fly non-stop. The more times a plane takes off, the more fuel it uses, and the more greenhouse gases it emits. Flying non-stop flights can reduce emissions related to the land and take-off cycle.

On Planning Ahead

  • Choose a carbon offset destination. Popular travel destinations receive the most human impact, increasing the rate at which the landscape is shaped. In addition to damaging the ecosystem, we risk changing the local people’s way of life. There is a heap of beautiful places that aren’t overcrowded and visiting these less popular destinations can offset the impact and alleviate the pressure of over tourism. If you’re interested in visiting the more popular sites, consider going during the shoulder or off-season.
  • Plan ahead with prepared food and snacks. Reduce waste by preparing food and snacks instead of buying pre-packaged meals at the airport, convenience store, or gas stations. Bringing your own reusable utensils, straw, or cloth napkin with you can help too.
  • Plan ahead with research. Refuse single-use travel items such as brochures, maps, and flyers (unless absolutely needed). Instead, download all the information you need onto your phone before your trip.

Lastly, when booking a flight, hotel, or restaurant reservations, be curious and ask questions about each company’s sustainability initiatives. Most places would be happy to answer any questions you have.

Continue through our eco-conscious travel series with where to stay, what to do while you’re there, and what to do after you leave.

Cheers,
Jennifer and Vivian

public transportation - camper buses in Denali, Alaska

Eco-Conscious Travel: A Four-Part Series

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During one of our chats, we talked about how fortunate we are to have been able to see, explore, and be in the presence of the places we’ve had the privilege of visiting. Experiences like backpacking in Denali National Park, summitting Half Dome in Yosemite National Park, and taking a solo trip in Asia are lifetime experiences we’ll remember forever.

We enjoy our travels to new places because we love learning about the people, food, and culture of each place. The mental, physical, and emotional benefits of any sort of travel has definitely made us appreciate this planet we live on. Though, one thing that concerns us about the privilege of traveling is the environmental impact it has on the planet. We want to continue to enjoy these places and we want others to enjoy them too, so, we strive to be responsible and respectful visitors wherever we go, and if you’re reading this, we hope you feel the same.

Our travels impact the environment in both positive and negative ways. It broadens our perspectives and motivates us to continue to do what we can to preserve what we have. The thing is, we all want to “see the world”, but if we’re not careful, we can risk damaging the places we love and the people who live there. In the end, there may be no “world left to see”. We wondered what we could do to continue to enjoy the experience while being mindful of our impact.

We did a lot of research, wrote a lot of drafts, and we’re so excited to share them. Ultimately, we hope you find this eco-conscious guide useful. It’s a lot of information, so we posted this in a four-part series called, the Eco-Conscious Travel series. In this series, we touched upon (1) flying and planning ahead (2) where to stay (3) what to do while you’re there and (4) what to do after you leave.

Like all guides, it’s not a perfect list, but we hope it’s a start for you to dive deeper when researching for your next trip.

Cheers,
Jennifer and Vivian

plants by the window - sustainable living

On Sustainable Living and Embracing the Green Trend

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We’re both on Instagram and follow a handful of outdoor and fashion brands. A thing we’ve noticed recently, as we scroll through sponsored posts, is the increasing number of companies who market their brand as “environmentally-friendly,” in support of sustainable living. Brands like these have committed (or so they claim) to integrate positive environmental, social, and economic impact in their business operations and invite consumers to choose better alternatives. It’s great, but this sudden realization made us wonder, has the green movement become a trend? If so, is it here to stay?

On the one hand, trends aren’t necessarily bad; the green trend can bring awareness to important environmental issues such as climate change. But on the other, the green trend can increase greenwashing which is a problem when a brand claims to be “environmentally-friendly” but are really not. With social media being an important part of marketing, influencers may play a part in greenwashing too. A trend we see often are influencers who create relevant, trendy content about “going green” and then go silent about the topic after the post. We’re aware that influencers don’t share every aspect of their lives (they shouldn’t have to), but if there are no intentions of continued progress or reconsidering sponsors who aren’t eco-friendly, it makes us cautious of the message they may be giving to their viewers. A sustainable lifestyle is a mindset and a shift in the way one chooses to live, not a marketing strategy to use to gain more viewers or consumers.

house plants - sustainable living

But why does it matter what the intentions of brands and influencers are if their impact is positive? It’s wonderful that the environment is gaining the awareness it needs (it’s greatly needed), but greenwashing can create room for false information and advertising. Yes, feelings of frustrations surface when we see brands and influencers profit off the green movement. No, it’s not fair of us to write off progress so quickly (intentional or not) because progress is not something that can easily be recognized in face value – so we take a step back to evaluate why we feel a certain way. But it’s not wrong to be skeptical of the content we see online – content that could be valuable in helping all of us make better choices.

So what can we do? Continue to educate ourselves; call, email, or contact such brands to ask questions on their sustainable efforts and be more self-aware of where we offer our support in terms of money and views. On a personal level, if the content we see online doesn’t align with our values, we can inspire others through our own individual actions. We practice sustainability as a way to care for the planet and its resources; we’re firm believers that small changes can make big impacts. And so, we want to share some ways we try to embrace sustainable living:

  1. Shop less, swap more. If we have an item that is in good condition but we no longer need it, we’ll give it away to someone who will find it useful. The rest can be donated to a local charity or thrift store.
  2. This year, we’ve made it a goal to reduce our carbon footprint by walking, cycling, taking public transportation, or carpooling more.
  3. We think about how we can reuse the things we already own before buying newer, nicer-looking or more updated items if they do not need to be replaced just yet. Lots of items can be multipurpose, too, if we try hard enough.
  4. To reduce our waste, we bring reusable utensils, containers, and water bottles with us when we dine out or grab a cup of coffee to go.
  5. We’ll buy in bulk at the grocery store when possible to reduce plastic waste.  
  6. To save money, we look into the purchase of used clothes, books, and outdoor gear (depending on the gear). It’s a great way to give items a second chance before they will be recycled or thrown away.
  7. We try to be mindful and take better care of our things so that they last longer (maybe even forever?).
  8. If they do break, we might learn how to fix broken items or mend torn clothes from a YouTube video or blog post online.

We try to be mindful, but a day in our life will never be perfectly “green” and we would never strive for that. There are things that do help – like being fortunate enough to live in cities that allow us the ability to embrace sustainable living and education. We’re aware of the privilege and are extremely grateful, but we know it’s not the same for everyone. The responsibility to “save the planet” should not be the sole responsibility of the individual – larger corporations have more resources to make a responsible impact. But if your lifestyle allows it, we encourage you to do what you can, when you can. Sustainable living doesn’t mean you have to integrate big changes to your lifestyle overnight. A sustainable life is different for everyone; for us, it’s more successful and meaningful when the right intentions are there.

Cheers,
Jennifer and Vivian

setting up camp in Denali, Alaska

Leave No Trace: Rethink Your Impact on the Outdoors

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Fruit peels in the wild: do they or don’t they belong?

You might have seen them around: orange peels, apple cores, or leftover trail foods. These are just a few of the foods that have been making themselves more at home in the outdoors. Though they’re great snacks (we love them), when left scattered outdoors, they’re just trash. There’s this strange assumption that since fruits and nuts are compostable or biodegradable, it’s okay to leave them on the ground. However, these foods are not native to the wild environment and can destroy the natural ecosystem. In additional, nonnative foods are harmful to wildlife who become dependent on human foods and can’t fully digest it.

This got us thinking, “What is the role we, as travelers, have on the natural spaces we visit?” and “What is our impact on the outdoors?” We all want to explore the outdoors, but how can we continue to preserve it for generations to come?

Rethink the Leave No Trace Principles

backpacking in the outdoors (Denali, Alaska)

The idea to “leave no trace” when we travel means to leave zero trace of our presence in the places we visit. Realistically, it means to leave minimal impact on the outdoors to help preserve, protect, and respect the wild lands and wildlife. Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics helps educate people with their Leave No Trace Seven Principles. These are to:

  1. Plan Ahead and Prepare
  2. Travel and Camp on Durable Surfaces
  3. Dispose of Waste Properly
  4. Leave What You Find
  5. Minimize Campfire Impacts
  6. Respect Wildlife
  7. Be Considerate of Other Visitors

You can learn more about the Leave No Trace Seven Principles here.

Other Ways to Practice the Leave No Trace Principles

backpacking in the outdoors (Denali, Alaska)
  • Pack it in, pack it out. Anything you bring with you to the outdoors must be carried back out. This includes food, wrappers, gear, and human waste. Consider picking up any trash you see on the trails as well (everyone will appreciate you).
  • Research the rules of your intended destination. Rules are there to help protect the environment and keep visitors safe. Each place you visit may have different rules and regulations. Research them and follow them!
  • Stay on the trails. Established trails help maintain the land, plants, and microbes that are a part of each special ecosystem. We risk permanently damaging wild places by going off-trail. Plus, many people worked hard to establish the trails we are fortunate enough to walk on. Staying on the trails is an ode to their hard work.
  • Keep sounds to a minimal. The sounds of nature are rare and remarkable. Being outdoors brings a sense of calmness and peace to a lot of people. If you want to listen to your music, please wear headphones – this will preserve the sounds of nature and allow other people to enjoy it too.
  • Respect wildlife. It’s normal to get excited when we see animals in the wild. But in order to protect them and ourselves, we must observe from a safe distance (most national parks recommend at least 25 yards). Refrain from feeding them, too. Yes, even the squirrels are off limits.
  • Leave each place better than you found it. Clean up after yourself, pick up trash when you see it, and take nothing but pictures. Flowers, pinecones, rocks, and leaves are a part of the ecosystem and belong outdoors, not in our homes.
  • Speak up! Don’t be afraid to speak up when you see someone doing something they shouldn’t. Approach with kindness and an open mind.

If you’re interested in learning more about how you can protect the environment when traveling, read our Guide to Hiking Etiquette 101 and Guide to Backpacking 101.  

For anyone who enjoys being in the outdoors, we must consider our responsibility to help protect and preserve the places we visit. Wild places are a part of the fragile environment that took thousands and millions of years to form through various natural forces. They’re truly special. As we continue to invest in the development of cities, we lose more and more of our natural places. It’s so important to protect what we have now and to leave no trace wherever we go.

Did we miss anything above? We’d love to know how you Leave No Trace in the outdoors in the comment section below.

Cheers,
Vivian


Tinycaravan: On Environmental Optimism

Tinycaravan: On Environmental Optimism

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It’s been a while since our last post on Tinycaravan. The truth is, we needed a mental break. For a few months, we’ve been feeling less than optimistic about the environmental space. Even with all the positive talks we’ve had with friends, there are days when we felt powerless to change. Maybe even hopeless? When we see trash littered on hiking trails. When we read about Scott Pruitt or Andrew Wheeler advocating for policies to repeal laws which aim to protect the environment. Or when we hear news about visitors who visited Joshua Tree National Park and destroyed the wild space. Yeah. On those days it’s hard to look at the world and be optimistic about the future of the environment.

And when the future looks so grim, we wondered, what can we do?

We had many conversations on this topic and spent a good amount of time expressing our feelings of hopelessness and frustrations. Yet, after sitting and sulking about the negative news around us, we realized it was not the most productive (or healthy) way to move forward or change the circumstances.

Tinycaravan: On Environmental Optimism

Instead, we started to talk about environmental optimism and began to –

Change Our Perspectives. On a single day, there will be bad news in the world, but there is also good news too. Rather than let the bad news continue to fill our sense of hopelessness, we needed to change how we responded to it. We talked a lot about using the “bad” news as motivation to continue to take action, to be more vocal, and to share how we can work together for the betterment of the planet. There’s always the potential to do more, but we’re trying to understand that sometimes it’s okay to just do what you can and go from there. In the grand scheme, we still believe that our individual impact matters.

If you’re interested, we wrote an article on ways to stay environmentally and politically active.

Surround Ourselves With Those Who Do Care. It’s very important to surround ourselves with those who are consciously aware. Recently, we received a message from a dear friend who was excited to talk about how she got her office to be more green by reducing single-use plastics in the office kitchen. Another friend messaged us and said he started to carry reusable utensils with him inspired by our post, Dining Tip: Bring Your Own Reusable Utensils. It’s motivating and up lifting. We’re trying to feed off all this positive and proactive energy as much as we can.

If that made you happy too, read more inspiring stories from our friends in our Zero Hour Story series.

Stay Inform About the Good News Too. As citizens of the world, we feel that it is our responsibility to stay up-to-date with the latest news around us. But again, sometimes the news can be dangerously negative. We think it’s just as important to fill our minds with other stories, particularly those that engage us and you know, gives us hope. Influencers like Kaméa Chayne from Green Dreamer podcast, Sara Tso from Matchbox Kitchen, Celia from Litterless, Chris Burkard, and Levi “Save the World” Hildebrand create a positive space that helps remind us of just that.

We hope Tinycaravan serves that purpose for you, too.

Take a Step Back to Breathe. And of course, self-care. We cannot stress how important our mental well-being is. The things that are happening in the world can be overwhelming – we’re human, we’re not perfect, and we can only take so much. Give yourself time to take a step back and focus on your mental and physical health. And breathe. That’s important too.

Have you been feeling the same way? What do you do to stay optimistic about the future of the environment?

P.S. Thank you to all those who have continued to support and follow us through it all. We love you and appreciate you. Take care, until next time ~

Cheers,
Jennifer and Vivian

Photo of a gray whale's tail

What We’re Watching: “Mission Blue”

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Mission Blue is a documentary about famed oceanographer, Dr. Sylvia Earle, and her passion for the ocean. Dr. Earle’s lifelong mission is to bring public awareness to the current state of the ocean and to protect it like we do with national parks. The film dives deep into her journey as an oceanographer, the vast beauty of our oceans, and the importance of understanding it for the sake of all living things.

Many of us know the ocean by what we see at the beach, never diving or looking further. With Mission Blue, we join Dr. Earle as she dives deep into the unknown waters to see beyond a couple hundred feet, to miles below the ocean. We saw the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry), overfishing, climate change, and plastic pollution. It’s shocking and sad to see a place that was once brimming with colorful corals and diverse sea animals, consumed by plastic bags, fishing nets, and dead corals. The ocean that was alive with life, is now dark and bleak.

It’s difficult not to feel hopeless with the images presented, but still (maybe because we’re too optimistic), we were uplifted by Dr. Earle’s passion for the ocean. She states in an interview, “If we fail to take care of the ocean, nothing else matters.” And it’s true. The ocean plays a large part in balancing our ecosystem and sustaining life on Earth. The film truly made us reflect on our own everyday habits & actions. We hope this film brings about a new perspective on everyone who sees it too.

“In the same way that humans have the ability to consciously shift the balance of the Earth, which we’ve done, we also have the capacity and capability of stopping it.” – Michael deGruy

You can watch Mission Blue on Netflix now.

Cheers,
Jennifer and Vivian