Eluxe Magazine Recognizes Dulce Salerno as a Key Player in Gender Equality

/in /by

When we first launched our clothing brand, we wanted Dulce Salerno to be an inspiration for the new generation to change the world for the better. Through positive messages, call to actions and empowering designs, we wanted to build a community of change-makers who are aware of how their actions impact the planet and how simple acts of kindness can make a huge difference. In fact, every piece of Dulce clothing carries with it that goal and contributes to various causes such as living ethically and sustainably, giving back, preserving the environment, fighting cancer, saving water, ending poverty, providing equal opportunities, reducing waste, inspiring change, ensuring fair wages, protecting animals, empowering women, supporting artists and craftsmanship, all while providing high quality clothing.

Recently, Eluxe Magazine has highlighted another important cause that Dulce Salerno advocates for: Gender equality in the fashion industry. With a wide collection of unisex caps, Tees and belts, we are not restricting any specific color, cut or design to boys or girls. If you like it, then it’s yours regardless of who you may be. But most importantly, the messages that we are sending through our fashion items to young girls are the same that we are sending to young boys: you CAN make a difference, you CAN help a child fight cancer, you CAN give someone the gift of water, you CAN help end poverty, you CAN save our planet, you CAN be a superhero and you ARE enough. It doesn’t matter if you are a girl or a boy, it’s still on YOU to change this world for the better.

A big thank you to Eluxe Magazine for shedding light on this important issue and for featuring all those amazing ethical brands that celebrate genderless fashion as well. And do make sure to check out the article here!

While you are reading this… A few unfair statistics

/in /by

Our comfortable little lives tend to distance us from the atrocities that are happening every day in the world. Most of us carry our days without thinking much about what other people might be going through. Occasionally, we might stand up for a cause, give a little donation, do a little good and help someone in need. And don’t get us wrong, that is great. But have we ever stopped and really thought about what’s going on in this very moment around the world? Here’s a few facts that might shock you. We don’t promise that what you’re about to read will keep you comfortable, but we just hope that it will spark a little something within you.

While you are reading this,

– 827.5 million people around the world are starving and don’t have enough food to live a healthy life.

– 300,000 children are battling cancer yearly.

– 849.8 million people are thirsty and lack access to clean drinkable water and sanitation.

– 263 million children worldwide are out of school and do not have an education.

– 65 million people are separated from their families and displaced from their homes due to wars.

– 40 million humans around the world are living as modern slaves.

– 100 million people are literally homeless and don’t have a roof over their heads.

– 3.5 billion people still do not have access to the internet.

Now you can pretend you didn’t read that and carry on with your day as usual, or you can do something about it. Just because something is happening far away from us, doesn’t mean that it’s not happening at all and that we can’t do anything to change it. Those statistics are simply unacceptable in today’s world and it is up to us to make a difference and take a step towards a better world for the sake of humanity. All it takes is to have a Dulce heart and spread it as far as possible until we can all live in a complete world one day.

Sources:

http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/en/

http://www.worldometers.info/

https://www.acco.org/global-childhood-cancer-statistics/

https://en.unesco.org/news/one-every-five-children-adolescents-and-youth-out-school-worldwide

https://www.worldvision.org/refugees-news-stories/forced-to-flee-how-many-refugees-in-the-world

http://www.theweek.co.uk/91246/davos-2018-how-big-a-problem-is-modern-day-slavery

https://homelessworldcup.org/homelessness-statistics/

https://wearesocial.com/us/blog/2018/01/global-digital-report-2018

The Beauty of Having a Dulce Heart

/in /by

If you want to change the world, it always starts with a ‘Dulce Heart’. But what does that really mean? Inspired by little Dulce and the goodness her name is spreading to the world, having a ‘Dulce Heart’ is much more than an expression we like to throw around, it’s a way of life and a calling for all of us to follow this little girl’s lead for a chance at a more fair and equal world. Simply, having a ‘Dulce Heart’ means:

  • Caring for the things that happen outside our comfort zone and in different parts of the world.
  • Not just dreaming of a better world, but taking a step each day to make this world better.
  • Caring about the planet and the environment and doing our best not to harm it.
  • Reaching out a helping hand to the ones in need and giving back to humankind.
  • Being kind to animals, respecting the wildlife and refusing any products that cost the lives of animals.
  • Giving hope to children who don’t have much to hope for.
  • Standing up for the causes we believe in and letting our voices be heard.
  • Finding a deeper connection with nature.
  • Showing kindness and compassion, and letting love lead the way.
  • Dressing ethically and caring about who made our clothes.
  • Making purchases with a purpose and opting for sustainable and fair trade products.
  • Empowering women, local farmers, artists, craftsmanship, local and sustainable businesses through the products that we choose.
  • Fighting against child labor and forced labor.
  • Not turning the blind eye or looking the other way.
  • Standing up for equal rights for all.
  • Understanding how our actions impact the world, knowing that we are able to make a difference and leaving a positive social impact wherever we go.
  • Being thankful and being content with what we have.
  • Volunteering, donating and raising awareness.
  • Creating good and sustainable daily habits.
  • Being a voice for those who can’t be heard.
  • Saving water and preserving our oceans.
  • Helping more people gain access to medical facilities, safe water and food supplies.
  • Setting an example for others to follow and inspiring others to join the revolution.
  • Not settling for an average world, fighting for change and being the change we want to see in the world.

So have a Dulce heart, spread love wherever you go and join the revolution to make this world better and fairer.

The day Ethical Fashion conquers the world

/in /by

We are always saying that one day ‘ethical fashion’ will be just known as ‘fashion’ and ‘fast fashion’ will no longer exist. With the slow fashion movement slowly gaining momentum over the fast fashion world and customers demanding transparency, we can now not only dream of the win, but be sure of it. The day will come and on that special day we shall see the changes we have been fighting for all our lives. Here is a glimpse of what will happen the day ethical fashion finally conquers the world.

  • Animals will no longer live in fear of being murdered for their fur.
  • Local businesses will do a happy dance.
  • You can finally wear Tees with Woman Power quotes without feeling guilty that an enslaved woman made it.
  • Your lungs will breathe cleaner air as the second most polluting industry will no longer exist.
  • Cotton can finally stop drinking all that water and share it with the rest of the world instead.
  • Activists will have to search for a new purpose as slavery will be a thing of the past and everyone will live in fairness and equality.
  • You might find yourself arrested by the Fashion Police if you get caught wearing fast fashion.
  • Children can go back to being troublemakers instead of spending their time working in factories.
  • Your bank account will stay fuller as you’ll have less impulses to buy cheap products that you don’t need.
  • Landfills will get less crowded with low quality clothing that are thrown out after a few wears.
  • Plastic will fear extinction as more natural, organic and sustainable materials will have replaced polyester.
  • The only place you’ll find fast fashion will be in big libraries, in the “horror” and “sci-fi” section.

Good Habits Start at a Young Age

/in /by

In our previous blog, we mentioned “involving your children” as one of the key steps towards a more sustainable life. It is after all within this mindset that the Dulce Salerno brand was born and our journey of doing good began. It all started when our founder wanted to influence her children from an early age and install good habits within them so that doing good becomes a habit and not something that takes effort. In this post, we share with you some valuable insights from our founder on how to get your children involved in changing the world for the better.

 

Lead by example.

It’s no secret that children tend to learn the most when we’re not really teaching them. They observe our every move, pick up our habits and imitate our actions. So if we really want to pass on to our children valuable life lessons and fundamental values, the best way is to lead by example. If they see us being compassionate with others, being kind and responsible towards the environment, helping the less fortunate and standing up for causes, chances are they will follow the same path as well. But if they see us look the other way or wait for others to bring change, then our words won’t be enough and won’t mean much to them.

 

Let them see for themselves.

Children really do have a huge and creative imagination, but nothing works as good as seeing with their own eyes the realities that happen outside their loving home and comfort zones. Only then will they truly understand how privileged and lucky they are and how not everyone is born with the things we take for granted. Every now and then, schedule visits with them to see the less fortunate and give out donations. Do however prepare them ahead of time for what they are about to see. If you’re worried that they may be too sensitive and some experiences may scare them or traumatize them, reassure them that you will never leave them there and that you will be right by their side. Explain to them that you will always do your best to protect them and provide a good life for them so that they never have to go through the same, and let them know how much their visit by itself has helped those people for the better. When traveling, make it a point to visit a local charity or less fancy neighborhoods so that they can see the different levels of living in different parts of the world.

 

Explain the impact of their actions.

Children are more likely to learn to be responsible if they understand the impact of their actions. Telling a child not to leave the water running may work, but it’ll work even more if you explain to him why saving water is so important and what he can do not to waste water. Explain to them why it is so important to preserve the environment and how each action they make such as turning the lights off, picking up garbage from the streets, writing on both sides of paper, recycling, saving unused art supplies, avoiding plastic, planting trees, etc… contributes positively to the environment. When they give away their toys, make sure they know that because of them a less fortunate child is now smiling. Always remind them that they are powerful enough to make a difference and change the world for the better. Encourage them to volunteer so that they can be of use to humanity, and let them know that when they see something that isn’t fair such as bullying or discrimination, it is up to them to take a stand against it if they want change.

 

Connect them to Nature.

Playing outside will always be one of our fondest memories but unfortunately it’s not an activity that’s popular among children nowadays. There’s no better way for children to form a connection with earth and care more about the environment than by spending time outside. Don’t be afraid of dirt or a few falls, let your children run around in the fields and climb some trees. Try to limit your children’s time on TV, playstation and iPads and plan outdoor activities and trips instead whenever possible. Encourage them to ride their bikes and take up sport activities, or even gardening activities!

 

Give them love, not things.

It is very easy for children to get attached to things but if there’s one value our founder tries to teach her children every day is that the best gift that they can ever receive is the love they have for each other. Instead of wasting time on toys, TV and food, she focuses on quality family time, fun and learning experiences together and the little simple things. That way, they can appreciate what they have and learn early on in their life that they don’t need much to be happy.

Living a Sustainable Life

/in /by

If you’ve been hanging out with us for a while, you’ve probably already mastered the art of sustainable fashion and already doing your part to make this world a friendlier place. So what’s next?

Well, you’re already on the right track. Switching to slow fashion and recognizing fast fashion for the evil that it is, is in itself a huge step towards a more sustainable life. We know and you know that it is not an easy switch and just the fact that you’ve made this lifestyle change means that you care deeply about how your actions impact the environment and humanity.

Here are some other aspects in your daily life that you can focus on to contribute to a greener, kinder and more sustainable planet. You’d be surprised how easy some of those changes are!

 

Change starts at Home:

– Save energy: You can make a huge positive impact on the environment just by consuming less energy.   Simple habits such as switching off all lights before leaving your house or better yet, turning off the lights whenever you exit a room are a good place to start. Don’t charge your phone overnight, unplug all appliances that you’re not using and hang your clothes to dry instead of using a drier. Switch to LED lights or CFL bulbs as it has proven to last longer and be more efficient in energy consumption. The environment will send you a Thank You note in the form of a reduced electricity bill!

– Reduce waste: The best way to reduce waste is to consume less! If it can be solved with one paper towel, why use two? If a regular towel can do the job, why use the paper towel in the first place? The second best way to reduce waste is to reuse or upcycle. Those empty jars will definitely be of use later on and that wine bottle will make a lovely vase. If it can’t be used, then the third best way is to recycle. Finally, consider donating or reselling any item that you no longer have use for.

– Save water: The biggest favor you can do to Earth is to save water! Every drop of water counts so keep your showers short, check for water leakage and don’t keep the tap running!

 

Shop Responsibly:

– Plastic Who?: Plastic is probably the number one enemy of the environment and most often than not ends up in the ocean, harming the sea life along the way. When heading to the grocery store, bring your own shopping bag with you to minimize the use of plastic bags. If possible, avoid buying plastic-wrapped products and opt for paper bags instead. Ditch the single-use, disposable products and opt for long-lasting ones instead. Always keep with you a refillable coffee cup for those essential coffee breaks!

– Shop fair trade: It’s sad but a lot of the products that we buy are made using forced or child labor. Check for Fair Trade Certifications, this will guarantee that the product  you are buying was made ethically using fair labor.

– Choose eco-friendly products: Bamboo toothbrushes, organic cotton and biodegradable garbage bags are simple examples.

 

Connect with Nature:

– Transportation: If your feet can take you there, then let your feet take you there! Walking or biking to your destination will let you get a feel of nature, escape the stress of traffic, save up on gas, reduce CO2 emissions, get that much needed exercise and daily dose of vitamin D! It’s a win-win situation if you ask us!

– Disconnect: Every now and then, take a break from technology, get offline and spend some time in nature instead! Outdoor activities such as a walk in the park, a little family picnic, outdoor yoga, a swim in the sea, or a good hike can refresh your soul and make you feel more alive, all the while consuming less energy. Don’t worry, Netflix and your online friends will still be there when you return.

– Plant seeds: Gardening, growing your own food or even planting a tree are great ways to contribute positively to nature!

 

Lifestyle changes:

– Go Paperless: Disconnecting from technology may be important but technology can also have a positive effect on the environment, especially when it comes to paper usage. With emails, calendars, notes, reminders, document sharing, e-tickets and coupons, and infinite other apps at your disposal, you can pretty much do without any paper at all.

– Travel Sustainably: Living sustainably at home is not enough! Take sustainability wherever you go and make sure to make your travels as sustainable as possible!

– Eat Well: Less processed food, less home delivery or takeaway, and more organic food!

 

Human Connections:

– Involve your children: Teach your children early on in their lives the impact that their actions can have on the world. If they start at a young age, chances are they’ll carry their sustainable values with them as they grow up!

– Give Back: Help others, be kind and compassionate, donate, volunteer, support causes and charities, stand up for human rights and equality.

– Raise Awareness: Be an inspiration to the people around you and use your voice and your human connections to inspire others to take actions and follow your sustainable footsteps.

A Day in the Life of a Plastic Bag

/in /by

When Katie Perry released her song “Firework” in 2010, she raised an existential question when she asked: “Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?” If you’re one of those people who at some point wondered how does it actually feel to be a plastic bag, read on because today is your lucky day and you’re about to find out. If you’re not one of those people, read on anyway because this stuff is pretty interesting.

Today we’ll take you through the journey of a plastic bag called “Plastia”, your average plastic bag next door, who just like her other fellow plastic bags, is desperately trying to find her way back “home”. At first, Plastia might appear quite harmless and even useful. After all, she’s just trying to help you carry all your groceries back home. But don’t let appearances fool you, she’s not as innocent or well-intentioned as she seems. Just like her 160,000 brothers and sisters who are used globally every second, Plastia has known since day one that she has a bigger purpose in life and that she must find her way to her Promised Kingdom: the deep bottom of the ocean.

When you think of dangerous sea creatures, you probably think of sharks, sea snakes, jellyfishes or crocodiles. Now you can add one more creature to the list: Plastic Bags. Yes, you read that correctly. Plastic Bags are one of the world’s most dangerous “creatures” and they cause the biggest threat to our oceans. And the sad part is that they are everywhere, in every corner, in every home.

But back to Plastia who has just landed in your home. For most of us, our interaction with plastic bags is limited to our trip from the supermarket until we reach home and the bags are emptied. For Plastia though, that’s just a very short span in her long, long life which starts the day she is manufactured from tiny granules that are extracted from oil by the seas (where she will most likely end up back to eventually). After her birth in the factory, she is sold to shops or supermarkets where she waits impatiently for you to get her out of there. Luckily for Plastia, that day has finally come. As you head out of the supermarket, Plastia looks ahead as an empty plastic bag that accidentally made his way out by clinging on to the rest is blown away by the wind. She wonders if their paths will ever cross again someday. She is now transported to her new home, a welcome change from the supermarket, but she knows she won’t last long there as you have no more use for her now that you’ve emptied her. Some of her friends get recycled as garbage bags and Plastia is relieved that she’s been spared from that mission. After being tossed away with the rest of the useless plastic bags, her long awaited journey towards the Promised Kingdom finally begins.

Released into the wilderness, Plastia is now at the mercy of the wind, drifting through and wanting to start again. The wind blows her from one place to another as she enjoys the view and the feeling of freedom. She finds herself at the local park where she spots her old plastic friend from the supermarket. As she runs towards him, her excitement is short-lived when a dog suddenly leaps out of nowhere and attacks her friend. Realizing that the park is not very plastic bag friendly, she starts to make her way out. Unfortunately for Plastia, the local garbage collector spots her before she can run off, picks her up and throws her in the trash.

Plastia now finds herself in a dark, sticky and smelly place without any air to breathe. She can feel that she is being transported somewhere, but the road is much bumpier than the ride from the supermarket. After a few long and dark hours, the smell starts to get stronger and more uncomfortable and Plastia now knows that she is approaching a landfill. Once at the landfill, Plastia is tossed over a huge pile of garbage where she crashes in exhaustion, too weak to resist or try to get away.

For most items that end up in landfills, the story ends here where they live out the rest of their days until they decompose. But Plastia is a strong soul and a survivor. In fact, plastic bags can survive 700 years in landfills before they start degrading, severely harming the environment in the process. But that’s only if Earth is lucky enough to have them stay in the landfill. Most of the time, it gets worse. Being extremely thin and lightweight, it’s only a matter of time until Plastia is transported again by the wind, taken to the sea shores and getting swallowed up by the waves until she finally reaches her Promised Kingdom, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch (a floating landfill of garbage in the Pacific twice the size of Texas, mostly composed of plastic). Once in the ocean, Plastia, the once harmless and useful grocery bag, is now responsible for the death of birds, fishes and sea animals who mistake the plastic for food and consume it. Some animals die, others survive and are captured by humans who get to eat both the fish and the plastic unknowingly at the same time. As mentioned, it takes 700 years for plastic bags to start degrading and up to 1000 years for them to fully degrade. But even their degradation isn’t a relief. Plastic never really degrades naturally, instead it breaks down into the small particles of petroleum it is made of, which again pollute the ocean and end up being eaten by fish.

We can’t know for sure what is Plastia’s faith. Will she stay forever stuck in the landfills? Will she fulfill her destiny and find her way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? Or will she get eaten by animals before she can reach there? Whatever happens to her, we know it’s not good news to the environment, to the ocean or to the animals. It is estimated that less than 3% of plastic bags worldwide get recycled. That’s a pretty low percentage if you ask us. Please limit your use of plastic bags and start recycling because the ocean is worth saving.

Industries Still Using Forced Labor

/in /by

As an ethical clothing brand, we at Dulce Salerno make sure to never use any material that was produced using child or forced labor. It doesn’t just sound like the right thing to do, but more like the natural thing to do. In fact, in this time and age, it’s just absurd that forced labor still exists. But the sad truth is that it does still very much exist, in more industries than we can imagine, in common products that we use on a daily basis and by big international companies that make huge profits at the expense of workers. Even when a company does not directly use forced labor, a lot of times the materials it sources was produced using forced labor.

We thought we’d therefore shed some light on some of the industries that still employ forced labor and what you can do to not encourage it.

 

The Fashion and Textiles Industry

It’s only fitting that we start with fashion since this is the industry we are part of and that we are trying to change. Rarely does Fast Fashion and Good Working Conditions go hand in hand together. Too often, a worker was paid close to nothing to achieve that low price tag. And it’s not just the cheap fashion brands that are guilty of the same. Those expensive sports shoes? Made by the tiny hands of a child. Ever bought a t-shirt with smart captions such as “Girl Power” or “Wonder Woman”? A powerless woman was forced to make them. The list goes on but we’ll stop here since you probably get the idea.

How to stop it: Shop ethical brands, switch to slow fashion and encourage handmade fashion. Be vocal: in today’s social media world, it is more difficult for companies to hide scandals or not cave into pressure from their customers. Demand transparency, ask who made your clothes, start a revolution!

 

The Cotton Industry

Speaking of fashion, one of the most common material used in the fashion industry is cotton and as you might have guessed, the harvesting of cotton isn’t done in the most ethical of ways! While forced labor is used in the production of cotton in numerous countries, the most shocking of working conditions come from Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, where the government coerces their own citizens to make huge profits out of cotton exports. The government owns most of the lands and leases it to farmers who are forced to harvest a huge cotton production quota. The state then maintains a monopoly of the cotton, buying all the cotton at a price much lower than production cost and reselling all of it without distributing any of the profits. We bet those soft cotton sheets you’re sleeping on don’t feel so soft anymore after reading this.

How to stop it: Switch to organic and ethically sourced cotton, it’s also more eco-friendly and saves tons of water.

 

The Chocolate Industry

Chocolate is often known as a guilty pleasure because of all the calories that come with it. But if we knew the cruel working conditions that came with the making of chocolate, we’d feel even more guilty. Most confectionary companies buy their chocolate from the same source on the Ivory Coast, where forced labor, mostly by children, is used to harvest cocoa. Most of time, the working force constitutes of children that are abducted from poor countries and even sometimes sold to the industry by their poor parents.

How to stop it: We’d say stop eating chocolate, but anyone who’s ever been on a diet knows that it’s not that easy. Instead, do your research and find out which chocolate companies are guilty of using forced labor and boycott their product and demand change. That might mean you’ll have to give up your favorite chocolate bars but it’s also an opportunity to discover other delicious fair trade chocolate.

 

The Coffee Industry

It’s hard to start any morning without coffee. It’s even harder to get through Mondays without a few extra cups of coffee. Sanity is often preserved thanks to coffee. But sometimes, it’s all at the expense of slave work and families struggling to survive.  As coffee is a commodity, farmers’ living conditions depend heavily on the current market price and demands of coffee. When demand is low and work is slow, farmers do not make enough money to sustain their families. But when demand is high, the high coffee prices are incentives for farmers to harvest as much coffee as possible and even pull out their kids from school to work for long hours in the crops. In certain coffee-producing regions, powerful elites own large plantations where forced labor is used for very long working hours and with hazardous and often illegal working conditions. During peak demand periods, women and children are recruited and paid way below the male workers.

How to stop it: Read the certifications on coffee brands and opt for ethical sourcing. Organic coffee is produced without fertilizers and pesticides so workers are not subjected to all the chemicals. Fair trade coffee is even better because it ensures fair wage to the workers, regardless of the coffee market price.

 

The Tea Industry

If you just read the above and decided to drop coffee and switch to tea instead, we’re afraid we don’t have better news for you. The working conditions in the tea plantation are pretty similar to the coffee industry with child and forced labor in full use. Exhaustion, hazardous conditions, wage theft or even no wages at all, extremely long hours, lack of access to drinking water and in some cases sexual abuse are some of what workers in tea plantation are subject to.

How to stop it: Just like coffee, be a smart consumer and read the certifications on tea brands and opt for ethical sourcing, organic tea and fair trade tea.

 

The Tobacco Industry

We all know by now that smoking is detrimental to our health and to the health of the people we’re smoking next to. But here’s something we haven’t given much thought to: the real victims of smoking are the people working in the tobacco industry, too often in slave-like conditions. Harvesting tobacco requires a lot of seeds, pesticides and fertilizers which are costs that need to be absorbed by the farmers. The tobacco industry takes advantage of the high farming cost by selling the material needed to the farmers on loan, trapping them in a cycle of debt. Workers receive sub-poverty wages for their work, are subjected to long and exhausting work hours without access to clean drinking water or restroom facilities, and face the risk of nicotine poisoning. To be able to meet their tobacco quota, farmers must often resort to the help of their families to harvest the crop without any paid labor. This often requires children to pull out of school, which not only affects their education and future but also their health. Common side effects for children in tobacco fields include increase in hunger and stunted growth.

How to stop it: If you ever needed a new excuse to quit smoking, you’ve got one now. Save your life and the lives of the people working in the tobacco industry and quit smoking today!

 

The Makeup Industry

What if we told you that the glitter you wear on your face is actually made up of little children’s blood, sweat and tears? To add shimmer to beauty products such as lipsticks, eye shadows, foundations and blush, a mineral called Mica is used. Now the problem comes from the sourcing of Mica, where employers take advantage of children’s small physique for mining this natural mineral. In India, the country with the largest production of Mica, children as young as three are ’employed’ and as a result are exposed to highly toxic chemicals and heavy working duties to extract the Mica minerals.

How to stop it: Demand transparency from the cosmetic brands. Know what’s in your products, what was used and how it was sourced. Some cosmetics companies are sourcing their mica from companies with legal practices or from children friendly villages. Try to opt for brands that are tackling the issue.

 

The Diamonds Industry

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but they’re definitely not an ethical girl’s best friend, especially if sourced unethically.  The diamonds industry, particularly ‘Blood Diamonds‘ (or ‘Conflict Diamonds’), can be the most inhumane and abusive industry. ‘Blood Diamonds’ are the diamonds that are mined in war torn countries in Central and West Africa, usually by slave workers. The industry is controlled by rebels who oppose internationally recognized governments and illegally trade the diamonds in order to fund the cost of war. The ‘Blood Diamonds’ workers are mostly under 30 and include children workers who are preferred for their tiny hands. Working at less than $1 per day for 10-15 hours in extremely unsafe conditions, the workers are exposed to several health risks such as injuries, exhaustion, hernia, malaria  and drowning. And if the health and safety risks weren’t enough, ‘Blood Diamond’ workers are often subjected to physical abuse, sexual abuse and sometimes even murder.

How to stop it: Buy your diamonds from jewelers that are transparent about where they source their diamonds from and that can certify that their diamonds are non-conflict.

 

The Gold Industry

Diamonds isn’t the only material in our jewelry that we should be concerned about. The gold industry may seem shiny on the surface but if you dig deeper, you will find that it is also guilty of having blood on its hands. When you think of mafias and criminal organizations, you probably think of drug trafficking. But what you probably don’t know is that in countries like Columbia and Peru (who, thanks to Hollywood movies, have become almost synonyms with drug trafficking), criminal organizations gain far more profits from labor trafficking and illegal gold mining than from cocaine production. Gangs who run the unregulated mines evade taxes and make huge profits at the expense of workers who are held in slavery, work without contracts or safety gears, are constantly exposed to mercury and accumulate huge debts from having their salaries confiscated.

How to stop it: Make sure you are not buying ‘dirty’ gold by buying only from jewelers that ethically source their gold and who can provide certifications that the gold was fair-mined.

 

The Palm Oil Industry

The palm oil business has already made headlines for its negative effect on the environment, but it should also be making headlines for the abuse of the labor force and violation of human rights. The palm oil industry benefits from the fact that palm oil plantations are hidden in the middle of rural  rainforests, giving them ‘invisibility’ from the rest of the world and therefore allowing them to take advantage of forced labor without being seen. The nature of the work is very physically demanding itself and workers are expected to work for long hours every day in the heat without rest to meet their ridiculously high quota and are often punished for failing to do so or for picking up unripe fruit. Women are paid way below the minimum wage with no health insurance and children often work unpaid hours to help their parents. Health and safety risks involve exposure to toxic chemicals, respiratory damage from rainforest fires, physical pain from operating heavy equipments, bruises and injuries from processing the fruits and risk of falling off the trees.

How to stop it: It’s time for the palm oil plantations to lose their invisibility so that the exploitation of labor workers can be seen by the whole world. Be vocal, raise awareness and pressure the big companies to source their palm oil ethically.

 

The Carpets Industry

We always say handmade is better, but even handmade is not always a guarantee that something was made using fair labor. In India for example, handmade carpets are often weaved by the tiny hands of child labor in merciless working conditions.

How to stop it: Find a trusted rug dealer and buy fair trade and ethically sourced carpets.

 

The Electronic Devices Industry

If you’re reading this, whether through your phone, tablet or laptop, chances are you’re holding in your hands a product that was made using forced labor. The problem with electronic devices and the big companies who make them is not their labor policies, but their sourcing policies. The assembling of your phone or electronic device was probably made using fair labor, but was the material used sourced ethically? We doubt it. The biggest names in high-tech companies source the main components of their products from Malaysia, where migrant workers coming to work in the electronics sector are trapped in a vicious cycle of debt and forced labor. Not only do they earn way below their promised salaries, but they are also forced to pay a huge working fee upon arriving to Malaysia (which often amounts to two years of their salaries) and have their passports confiscated. The electronics companies in Malaysia operate under the radar and there is therefore no minimum wage, no overtime and no inspections. Other materials sourced for electronic devices often include illegally mined metals and gold.

How to stop it: Right now, the best we can do is put pressure on the big high-tech companies to source their material ethically and on governments to impose regulations against the sourcing of electronics made with forced labor.

 

Just because something is happening far away from us in different parts of the world, it doesn’t mean that it’s not happening and it doesn’t mean that we can’t do anything to stop it. As we always say time and time again, change starts within us. So let us be the change and take a step forward in ending forced labor once and for all.

Inspiring Celebrity Speeches

/in /by

Don’t you just love it when celebrities use their voices to share motivational personal stories, raise awareness for the causes that matter and inspire you to do good? From subjects that tackle looking after the environment, empowering women and helping others, here are some of our favorite celebrity speeches that resonate deeply within us:

 

Leonardo DiCaprio on Climate Change:

Leonardo DiCaprio is not just an outstanding actor. He’s also a great humanitarian, an avid climate change advocate and a United Nations Messenger of Peace. The Leonardo Di Caprio Foundation(LDF) is dedicated to the health and wellbeing of all Earth’s inhabitants, focusing on wild lands and oceans conservation, climate change and indigenous rights. With all his power, Leonardo focuses on increasing his ambition to overrun the climate crisis by promoting the best climate solutions, which includes a full transition to 100% renewable energy. In this empowering speech, he reminds us that it’s also on us to protect our planet and that we can either be part of the problem or part of the solution. He hits the nail on the head when he says: “Now think about the shame that each one of us will carry when our children and grandchildren look back and realize that we have the means of stopping this devastation but simply lack the political will to do so“.

 

Emma Watson on Gender Equality:

Just a few years back, you couldn’t think of Emma Watson without directly associating her to her Harry Potter character, Hermione. In recent years however, she went from being a childhood movie superstar of one of the most popular film series in the world to a powerful voice for women and a lashing power towards fighting gender inequality. Now whenever you think of Emma Watson, you cannot but think of women empowerment, sustainable fashion and human rights. What sets Emma apart is that she does not believe that feminism goes hand in hand with attacking men, but in demanding equal rights for both genders. In this beautiful speech, she takes the words right out of every woman’s mouth when she says: “I think it’s right that I am paid the same as my male counterpart. I think it’s right that I should be able to make decisions about my own body.”

 

Angelina Jolie on Being of Use:

Angelina Jolie is known all over the world for her beauty, her humbleness, her charitable efforts, her loving heart and for being a voice for the oppressed, the forgotten and the less fortunate. Through her actions and her words, she continuously inspires people to do good, to care more and to not turn a blind eye towards all the injustice happening in the world. In this heartfelt and emotional speech, Jolie reminds us of our responsibilities towards the less fortunate and that our purpose in life is to always be of use. She talks about the women across the world who are incapable of expressing themselves or having an opinion, and who worry if their families have enough food to eat or if their children will ever return home. In a broken voice, she speaks a line that echoes deep within us: “I don’t know why this is my life and that’s hers.“

 

Matt Damon on Clean Water:

As supporters of Water.org, it comes as no surprise that we’re big fans of Matt Damon and his commitment to ending the water crisis. The multi-talented actor, screenwriter, producer and humanitarian has gained international fame and love for his work both on- and off-screen. Matt has always devoted himself to environmental and social issues, with his biggest passion being providing access to safe water and sanitation in Sub-Saharan Africa. In this interview, Matt opens our eyes to what it means to not have water and how “it’s not just a life or death issue, it’s a quality of life issue.“

 

Rihanna on Being a Humanitarian:

If you live on this planet and listen to music, chances are you’re pretty familiar with Rihanna. A diva in her own rights, she’s stolen the hearts of millions with her chart-topping hits, her fashionable style and her strong girl vibes. But Rihanna doesn’t just use her voice for her singing career, she’s also a humanitarian who strives to inspire others to do good. After receiving Harvard’s Humanitarian Award, Rihanna delivered a genuine speech encouraging everyone to make a commitment to help one person. Helping others and saving the world often seems like an overwhelming responsibility, but the beautiful singer breaks it down to just one action, one person, one organization and even just one dollar. As she put is, “if you’ve got a dollar, there’s plenty to share.“

Luxury meets Sustainability: Top Eco-Hotels Around the World

/in /by

At the core of everything that Dulce Salerno stands for is sustainability. We carry this word, or should we say this value, every day with us whether through our eco-fashion choices or daily habits. It’s only natural therefore that it follows us in our travels as well.

There are many ways that you can make your travels as sustainable as possible, and the best place to start is with where you’ll be staying. So as many of you might be planning your next destination now, we thought we’d share with you four hotels and resorts that practice sustainability at its finest. That way, you can wanderlust without any guilt and indulge in luxury without compromising your ethical standards.

Whitepod Eco-Luxury hotel & Alpine Experience:

Located at a drastic 1400m altitude in the beautiful city of Valais in Switzerland, stands one of the most beautiful eco-friendly hotels in the world. Sustainability certainly does not disappoint at the Whitepod Eco-Luxury hotel & Alpine Experience where you can enjoy a unique experience at the heart of the Swiss Alps in one of their eco luxurious PODS. What makes the PODS so eco friendly you ask? Well, all their PODS are equipped with wood-burning stoves and organic luxury beds. But that’s just the PODS doing their eco work, and this Hotel truly proves that hospitality and environmental conservation can co-exist in a positive manner. It does so by following sustainable practices such as controlling water and energy (more on that in a bit), recycling waste, purchasing ALL their ingredients locally and making sure their staff lives close by so automated transport is brought to a minimum. WhitePod provides you with a natural environment and forces you to walk from the reception to the POD, as they are very serious about maintaining their sustainability, just as we are. So how do they control their energy and water consumption? Simple, they use closed fireplaces to slow down wood pellet consumption, they promote the use of class A electrical devices, they’ve installed timers on water boilers and shower heads, and use local spring water from the surrounding forests! It really cannot get more sustainable than this. Oh wait, it does! WhitePod limits night lighting and use 100% biodegradable cleaning products. If only we had more hotels like that!

 Jumeirah Vittaveli:

Located on the Bolifushi Island in the Republic Of Maldives, the Jumeirah Vittaveli resort has been highly recognized as one of the most sustainable and eco friendly places on this planet and has been re-certified by Green Globe. What does it mean to be a Green Globe certified member? The membership is reserved for companies and organizations who are committed to making positive contributions to people and planet. As per the words of Jumeira Resort’s General Manager: “as a globally recognized organization, the Green Globe validates our efforts when it comes to environmental initiatives”. So, what it is that makes Jumeriah Resort worthy of the Green Globe membership? For one, installing water dispensers and distributing free reusable water bottles to colleagues so that the resort can move closer to become a plastic bottle free island in the near future. They’ve got a ‘green team’ that is always brainstorming new ideas for the resort to be as sustainable as possible. To preserve the marine environment and preserve its natural resources, Jumeira’s on site marine biologist, Emily Armstrong-Smith, surveys the local reefs and works on planting coral frames to support natural growth and counter-act the EI Nino effect that usually causes bleaching and coral dieback. Emily also teaches both children and adults about the significance of coral protection and marine habitats.

Spice Island Beach resort:

A resort that also attained the Green Globe certificate and is considered one of the best in the world is the Spice Island Beach resort. Sitting on the world-famous Grande Anse beach of Grenada, this spectacular resort is surrounded with lemon, almond and sea-grape trees. The resort enforces sustainability through several ways: the swimming pools are generated by Salt Chlorine, herb gardens are home-grown, beachfront trees always replanted, and placement of garbage containers are set up along the beach. Internally, they practice energy conservation, reuse of office paper for internal printing, recycling plastic bottles to local medical clinic, paper shredding and composting program. Furthermore, their products are locally produced and are all environmentally friendly. It is very apparent that the resort is attempting to follow an eco-friendly way of life for the environment and its customers.

CAMPI YA KANZI:

Finally, located in the heart of Africa, Kenya, we find the famous Campi Ya Kanzi, a community owned and operated eco-tourism lodge that sets a new standard for the experience of true luxury that is also truly ecologically low-impact. People usually go there to pursue the African Safari of their dreams, since the area is also called “The Green Hills Of Africa”. What makes it so sustainable? The entire camp has been planned and built with the goal of having the lowest impact on the environment. Firstly, they offset all the carbon emissions produced to host its guests and for their safari activities. Carbon credits are purchased from REDD+ Chyulu Carbon Project.  Secondly, local building materials have been used, such as lava rocks and lumber from the environment. Thirdly, hot water is supplied by solar boilers; electricity, by solar systems and the food is prepared with eco-friendly charcoal produced by a UN project. Fourthly, waste is collected and properly recycled. Furthermore, the needs for water are met through rain cropping which entails that the black and grey waters are purified through natural filtration and recycled into a pond for wildfire. It is no surprise that the camp is recognized as one of the most environmentally friendly camps in Africa.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if we had more hotels with the likes of WhitePod, Jumeirah Vittaveli, Spice Island and Campi Ya Kanzi that successfully demonstrate how community, tourism and conservation can go hand in hand for a mutual benefit? Do keep these hotels in mind the next time you’re planning a luxurious yet sustainable getaway and do share with us your favorite eco-hotels as well! Oh, and don’t forget to pack your Dulce fashion essentials for the ultimate sustainable vacation!

 

Five simple tips for saving water that no one told you about

/in /by

It’s no secret, we care about water and we believe that it is a precious gift that should be accessible to everyone. Yet every day, a huge amount of water gets wasted by us humans. A lot of people take water for granted and don’t realize that in other parts of the world families are struggling to find safe and clean water. So we felt it is our responsibility to spread awareness on how we can all save water on a daily basis. Now, we all know the usual “don’t leave the water running while you brush your teeth” or “wash your clothes in full loads” tips so we’ve decided to share five new tips that no one told you about before!

1- Practice your speech in front of the mirror

You cannot imagine the amount of water that is wasted every year from people practicing their speeches in the shower. Save water by making your shower short and practicing what you’re going to say in front of the mirror instead. It’s even more effective.

2- Follow the organic trend

As a general rule, we don’t think any fashion trend should be followed. Except for the organic trend, you have our full blessings on that one. So go ahead and jump on the organic bandwagon because cotton is one hell of a thirsty crop and you’ll be saving so much water when you switch to organic cotton instead.

3- Buy your socks and underwear in the same color

Yes, those packs of socks and underwear that come in various different colors are absolutely adorable. The only problem is, every color or so needs to be washed separately. Think of how much less washing machine loads you’d need (and therefore how much water you’d save) if you bought them all in one or two colors instead.

4- Be happy

OK, this is a tough one to explain but we’ll give it a try. The water in our body is to a certain extent reusable. That means that the water you’re drinking right now was already drank by someone else before (we apologize for putting that image in your head). But when you cry, that water is simply wasted (we weren’t kidding when we said that every drop counts). So just smile, be happy and save water along the way!

5- Wear Dulce

First, our products are organic and eco-friendly, therefore saving water in the process. Second, all of our profits are donated to charity, with one of those charities being Water.Org. That’s two birds in one stone! So save up some water, start shopping and give families in need the gift of water!

Posted by Dulce Salerno

They Say Travel ‘Light’, We Say Travel ‘Sustainably’

/in /by

Every bucket list has one thing in common: traveling. We are by nature wanderers, seekers, discoverers. If we’re not traveling, we’re planning for our next trip, or at least dreaming about it. Traveling opens our minds, eyes and hearts.

Unfortunately, traveling isn’t very sustainable and that is by itself a challenge for us sustainably-oriented peeps who love to travel. In a perfectly sustainable and eco-friendly world, no plane would ever take off. But we all know that is not an option nor a solution. So what can we do to make our travels more sustainable and reduce our carbon footprint?  

It starts with you (everything always does) and with little individual habits that may not seem like much but, collectively, can have a huge impact. Here are some tips from Dulce on how you can enjoy your vacation without compromising your sustainable ethics!

Transportation

  • When available, always book a direct flight instead of one with layover. That will reduce your carbon footprint immensely.
  • The best way to discover a new city is by feet or by riding a bike. If you’re going long distances or weather gets in the way, resort to public transportation or at least a shared cab.

Hotels

  • More and more eco hotels are becoming available worldwide. When planning your trip, try searching for an eco hotel in the area or at least a hotel with sustainable practices.
  • Don’t forget to switch off all lights, turn off the AC and unplug your chargers and electronic devices every time before leaving your room!
  • Avoid giving out your laundry at the hotel. Most hotels wash each room’s laundry separately even if it’s just a few items. That’s a whole lot of laundry loads. Very, very bad.
  • In some countries, water is a scarce resource. Keep your showers short and try not to consume a lot of water.

Shopping

  • Shop at local shops and dine at local restaurants instead of big chains. It’ll boost the local economy you are visiting and will also give you a richer experience of the country’s culture.
  • Bring your own shopping bag with you to reduce the use of plastic bags.

Behavior

  • Respect cultures, norms and rules, and try not to offend locals.
  • It goes without saying, but don’t litter! Keep the country you’re visiting clean (or at least don’t participate in making it even more polluted).

Animals

  • Don’t disrupt the wildlife by feeding them or getting too close to them!
  • Avoid tourist activities that encourage animal slavery such as elephant riding or tiger walking.

Give Back

  • Finally, give back by donating to a local charity before heading back home!

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Dulce Salerno meets the International Business Standards Organization (IBSO) qualifications

/in /by

Dulce Salerno successfully meets the International Business Standards Organization (IBSO) qualifications. IBSO is basically a business rating organization which provides ethical and evaluative standards for public as well as private institutions, which are firms and companies involved in international trade and finance. We are proud to be supported by such an organization because it means Dulce Salerno meets all the eligibility criteria and meets the values and objectives that are consistent with the main Charter Principles. The criteria are as follows:

  1. As a minimum standard, comply with all applicable local, state, provincial and federal laws and regulations in all the countries where we operate.
  2. To not sell or deal in counterfeit and pirated goods. To refrain from infringing on intellectual property or other proprietary rights owned by a third party.
  3. To act with the highest ethical standards and integrity, implementing good faith and fair dealing norms and compete in a transparent and open manner with a zero tolerance on corruption.
  4. To respect the relationships with contractors, partners, clients and customers, any kind of fraud, falsifying or misrepresenting practice is unacceptable.
  5. To present the organization’s financial data and non-financial information honestly, accurately and objectively.
  6. To respect the cultures and customs of the countries in which the organization works by demonstrating a spirit of tolerance, integrity and social responsibility.
  7. Wherever the operations are located, provide all internationally recognized human rights, a safe work environment, fair treatment and salary for all employees including the principle of “equal pay for equal work” without discrimination of any kind, to take all possible measures to avoid or minimize damage to the environment and human health.
  8. Take all actions necessary to comply with the requirements of this Charter.

Furthermore, being participants in the United Nations and Global impact, they are a unique world-class standards organization.

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Love Animals? Then Quit Fast Fashion

/in /by

If animals could speak, they would probably say something like “please don’t wear that.” And it’s not because they are activists and want to save the environment or protect human rights, but because they want to save themselves too.

We may not realize it, but our beauty and fashion choices directly affect, harm and endanger animals. In recent years, we’ve all grown more conscious about the dark side of fast fashion and probably heard about its negative effect on the environment and the poor working conditions of the people who make these clothes (if you haven’t yet, we strongly suggest you read more about this issue here). Yet, not enough light has been shed on the animals that suffer at the expense of our fashion habits.

So for all you animal lovers out there, here’s an insight on what fast fashion and beauty does to animals and what you can do to avoid it.

 

Leather, fur and animal skin:

We’ll start with the obvious one that most people already know about but too often ignore. Leather, exotic fur and animal skin fashion products such as shoes, bags, coats and jackets are often associated with superior quality, luxury and an expensive price tag. But as high as we might’ve paid for that ‘luxurious’ item, it’s worth remembering that an animal has had to pay an even higher price for it. In the name of fashion, these animals have to go through forced farming, food deprivation, mistreatment, painful killing methods, and sometimes even being skinned alive. And you probably wouldn’t wish that to even your worst enemy.

What you can do: Buy sustainable leather or vegan leather (mushroom leather and pineapple leather are really making headlines now), opt for faux-fur instead of real fur (although we’re not really enthusiastic about this given that faux-fur is rarely environmentally friendly), or buy recycled, upcycled or secondhand products.

 

Wool:

This one is a little less obvious especially since wool is usually praised for being a sustainable material. And while it is true that this material can be eco-friendly, it is not always produced in the most ethical manner. Sheep are usually sheared once a year for the purpose of using their wool and this process can be quite painful for them. In Australia, where most of the wool comes from, it is common practice to use a painful and inhumane technique called “mulesing” to try to avoid “flystrike” (a common problem in the Australian climate during the hot months where flies attack sheep). “Mulesing” involves cutting flesh from the sheep’s backside and is often carried out without any painkillers.

What you can do: learn more about which type of wool each brands use and opt for brands that use non-mulesed wool.

 

Cosmetics:

Animal cruelty doesn’t just exist in the clothing industry but also in the cosmetics industry. A lot of times, those beauty products that you are putting on your face have first been tried and tested on animals first in the most cruel imaginable settings. So do you really want to wear animal blood on your face?

What you can do: There are a lot of cosmetics brands that do not test their products on animals and sell cruelty-free makeup. Choose to support these brands instead and refuse to buy beauty products from brands that sell animal-tested products.

 

Micro-fibers:

Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world. And the pollution cycle doesn’t just end after the clothing items have been manufactured and shipped, but carries on every time the item is being washed. When we put our clothes in the washing machine, synthetic microfibers are released while the items are being washed and this debris later ends up in our sea. This directly affects the fish and marine life who end up swallowing those microfibers and therefore disrupting their food chain. The lower the quality of the materials, the more microfibers it shreds while being washed.

What you can do: Skip cheap materials that release more microfibers and instead choose natural and organic material and higher quality products. And this might seem a little odd to you, but wash your clothes less often and only when necessary (denim products for example don’t need to be washed that often).

 

Cotton Pesticides and Textile Dyes:

Synthetic microfibers aren’t the only fashion related pollutants that end up in the water and disrupt the sea life. Pesticides from cotton farming and the dyes used from textile processing also find a way into our rivers and as a result pollute our waters and the entire food chains, causing large amounts of fish to die every year.

What you can do: Buy organic cotton, eco-friendly products and sustainable materials such as bamboo that do not pollute the environment and water.

 

As you can see, fashion really isn’t just about you. It’s not just about what you wear, how great you look, how good it makes you feel or how unique your style is. More than often, there are other living beings involved and some of them don’t have a voice of their own to speak up. So don’t let fashion be something shallow that revolves only around your outer beauty and what’s in fashion this season. Let it instead be a choice that reflects your inner beauty and that considers and protects our little furry friends. As we like to say: be kind to animals, they’re the only friends who’ll never share your secrets.

Posted by Dulce Salerno

“Fast” and “Slow” fashion: A brief understanding of each trend and how they impact our world

/in /by

Nowadays, the mainstream fashion industry counts on mass production in which fashion clothes are designed and created in a matter of weeks. The latest fashion trends are sold by retailers at low prices, which causes the public to buy more than they need. Furthermore, this industry comes at a hidden cost, which includes our environment and labor workers. These are human lives we are talking about, and this is the world that we will leave for the future generations to come. Mainstream fashion is also called “Fast Fashion”, and disturbs our world in numerous ways, which include: the deterioration of fossil fuels and fresh water reservoirs being eliminated for cotton crop farming, entering pesticides into our nature, and putting our ecosystems in risk of destruction. In summary, “Fast Fashion” is correlated with negative effects on our ecological and social environment. I’m sure you’ve heard of the quote that say’s “Today’s Treasures, Tomorrow’s Trash”, as it perfectly fits the end consumer of the fast fashion industry. Disposability plays a key role here, laterally with speed and style. Edith, a thirty-five-year-old HONG KONG consultant, said: These companies [referring to H&M] use designers like Stella McCartney to create limited, one-time collections, which get usually sold out the next day. An effective strategy indeed, which also means that consumers are buying more clothes more frequently due to affordable prices. However, that also means that they’re unfortunately disposable. You may keep an item after ten washes, but the item’s shine will surely fade away literally or will no longer be popular the next day in the fashion world.

The business model of Fast Fashion entails that large retailers reduce large volume of seasonal fashion production and avoid inventory that can’t be sold, also called “unsalable inventory” (Silver-Stein and Fisk, 2008). The business model is based on a “quick response” design, to produce, and distribute on demand. The products then end up being in the market as being “fashionable and affordable” (Caro And Albeinz,2014), which increases demand and turnover of the merchandise. There are four factors in this model that result in profitability in this industry: logistics, technology, flexible value chain, and emerging markets. The more the traditional companies are being aware of increased revenues due to the fast fashion Model, the more they are prone to adopt fast fashion elements and integrate them into their own industry.

I’m sure many of you are wondering what slow Fashion is and how it differs from fast Fashion. Slow fashion embodies everything that is “ethical” or “eco” in one integrated movement. Let’s call it a fashion revolution since it demands that the production of garments is done in an eco-friendly way, gives proper value to the product, and be more environment conscience. The beauty of slow Fashion is that the producers are all interconnected, therefore, they all support each other in the social and environmental system. By switching to slow Fashion, we allow our earth to better rejuvenate and allow its heart to beat peacefully and in a healthy rhythm. Earth has hosted and nurtured us, the least we could do in return is to not damage it for our own greed and desires. Earth aside for now, what about us? What about those poor children being forced into minimum wage labor so they could have the privilege of living? Slow Fashion takes part of campaigns to ensure that workers are treated fairly and ethically. Brands that partook in such campaigns include “Dulce Salerno”, “People Tree”, “Everlane”, “Nisolo”, and many more. Ethical brands tell you the exact process of the cycle of how you can make a difference when you purchase an item. There is a story behind every garment and you are free to take part in the design process if needed. “It’s about the consumer becoming aware of the whole process–from design through production through use and through the potential to reuse,” Hazel Clark, research chair of fashion at Parsons said. The business model of slow fashion differs substantially from the fast fashion model, and emerged in reaction to it. The model’s values are hardly seen in large economy of scale companies, it “saves firms that promote localism and equity, and maximizes the product’s lifespan and environmental sustainability” (Jung and Byoungho, 2014). Recently, many slow fashion companies are using online platforms to do business, which facilitated the process for consumers and making the concept more popular. According to Nielson, a large research firm, sustainable fashion consumers are growing globally in enormous numbers,

You know what is even better? ALL profits go to charity! And yes, you read that correctly, 100%. The whole idea is that you are buying an item for yourself and in return giving back to the world. Sounds too good to be true, right? The price of items in slow Fashion is often higher, that is because they are using delicate materials such as organic cotton or bamboo which cost more to make, and labor wages are at an ethical level. However, there is more to Slow Fashion than the materials, “slow fashion encompasses sustainable fashion, but it takes a broader view than just supporting organic T-Shirts,” said Elizabeth Cline, author of Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion. Furthermore, it is important to note that slow fashion does not only focus on the quality of the product, but rather on the consumer’s quality of life, concepts related to the “slow food movement” (Fletcher, 2014).

Let us be real with each other, till when should we continue with taking the “easy way out”? Join us in our cause and let us heal this world person to person, hand by hand. It all starts with you.

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Dulce Salerno: 2017 Good Brand Award from Sublime Magazine

/in /by

It’s award season and we’re not talking about the Oscars or the Grammy’s!

Being a brand that always strives to be ethical, eco-friendly and to use fashion as a force for good, we couldn’t be happier and proud to receive the 2017 Good Brand Award from Sublime Magazine.

The Good Brand award is an endorsement award that has been given by Sublime Magazine since 2007 to businesses whose products and services are both manufactured and delivered in an environmentally and socially friendly manner. The award itself is an indication to customers that the brand is ethical and can be trusted.

At Dulce Salerno, we pride ourselves with our commitment towards a sustainable cycle right from the moment the idea/design is conceived, all the way to the manufacturing process and long after the product is purchased. Whether you are buying one of our t-shirts, belts or caps, you can rest assured that every piece has been carefully crafted with utmost love and care towards both humanity and the environment, and that your purchase has improved the quality of someone else’s life.

Sublime Award

Dulce Salerno Tee

From Dulce, a big thank you to Sublime Magazine for the love and recognition, and to all other like-minded brands who are on the same ethical journey as Dulce to making this world better.

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Bamboo: The Secret Behind Dulce Salerno’s Eco-Friendly Fashion Brand

/in /by

At Dulce Salerno, we put extreme care into the making of all our products from our wide variety of organic t-shirts, to our handmade belts and recycled caps. We design and produce each product meticulously to meet our customers’ needs, cater to their taste and satisfy their needs while always keeping in mind our core values: Fair trade and Ecofriendly production. To achieve this, we place great importance on the material we use in our manufacturing process, such as organic and recycled cotton. But our main secret is bamboo.

Why Bamboo Clothing?

You only need to try bamboo clothing once to know why it is so fabulous. Its luxurious feel, incredible softness, gentle touch and the great comfort that comes with it has put bamboo at the spotlight in the fashion industry. Customers also love bamboo for its hypoallergenic, antibacterial and UV protective features, its easy price – compared with silk as cashmere – and not to mention its ecofriendly cachet.

More importantly, Bamboo Clothing is touted as a super-sustainable fabric and is proclaimed as the world’s most renewable material: it is naturally pest-resistant, grows incredibly fast and can actually help rebuild eroded soil. On top of that, it is 100% natural and biodegradable.

All this being said, whenever you purchase a Dulce Salerno product, you are not only getting an Italian design or a UK based brand, but you are also guaranteeing a better environment for generations to come.

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Dulce Salerno: An Ethical Brand with a Deeper Purpose

/in /by

If you’re familiar with the Dulce Salerno brand, you probably already know what we do and why we do it. We’re all about ethical fashion, fair trade, supporting the causes we believe in and raising funds for charities. But there is even more to our brand than meets the eye. Dulce Salerno is a symbol of Peace and Hope, and we don’t want to just sell t-shirts and donate to charities. We want to do so much more:

  • We want to inspire and empower the new generation.
  • We want to spread love and kindness.
  • We want you to know that you do hold the power to change and to positively influence the world every day with small daily acts.
  • We want to draw smiles on children’s faces.
  • We want to give a helping hand to those in need and make somebody’s difficult journey a little easier.
  • We want to use art and fashion as a force for good to tell inspiring stories and raise awareness for the causes we support and believe in.
  • We want you to create good habits early on in your children’s lives.
  • We want to take part in a fashion revolution that will hit the world by storm and create a chain of positive actions.
  • We want you to start thinking about who made your clothes.
  • We want to create a conscious community of shoppers.
  • We want to make “doing good” in fashion and “giving back” the new trend.
  • We want you to be kind to our planet, connect with nature and think about the impact your actions have on our environment.
  • We want to build a new generation of change-makers that doesn’t just go with the flow, but stops and thinks, feels, analyzes, questions, refuses, acts and casts a vote.
  • We want to empower artists and craftsmanship, and create beautiful pieces without harming the environment.
  • We want to leave the planet in a better condition for our children.
  • We want to make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today.
  • We want you not to lose hope.
  • We want to see a world where injustice, poverty, hunger, child labor and modern slavery no longer exist. A world where all children have access to safe water, education and health care facilities.
  • We want to feel pride in what we do and to know that we stood up for what we believe in.
  • We want to do our part in making this world a better place to live in and we want you to join us.

 

With Love,

Dulce.

A Glimpse into the Stories behind Dulce Salerno’s Art

/in /by

Just like fashion, we believe that art can be used as a voice to send a message of love and hope. If you take a closer look at our products, you will see that behind every Dulce piece, there is a story being told through its simple yet deep artwork. We work with passionate artists worldwide that pour their hearts into each design to create a story that reflects perfectly the causes we support.


Every Drop Counts – Designed for Water.org:

1 in 10 people lack access to safe water. For some children, this means staying out of school and walking hours each day to collect water. This design conveys the idea that everyone, through simple actions, can help others and participate in the preservation of the planet regardless of age, gender, ethnic or social origin. And while to some of us, water might seem like an infinite resource, to someone else, every single drop counts. And so this design is meant to remind us of the scarcity of water and it reminds us to appreciate the precious gift that water is and to not waste it. It starts as a drop, but one by one these little drops all add up to fill a cup, and then a bottle, and then a gallon. The same applies to good actions. A small good deed may appear like a little drop, but when many good deeds come together, they create an ocean.

 

Hero – Designed for Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL):

blog2This design is dedicated to every child and little hero battling cancer. With proper treatments, 80% of the children with cancer will heal. This is an impressive figure and in this design we wanted to focus on this positive aspect and send a message of hope. We believe that a positive mind can fight any disease inside-out and that no matter how innocent or vulnerable children are, they can emerge as heroes defeating cancer.

 

Feed the Future – Designed for Farm Africa:

blog3Using colorful, bright and primary colors, this design aims to show that nature is an inexhaustible source of wealth providing food, materials and tools to feed one generation after the other. When farmers have all the necessary resources and knowledge to manage their crops, they can double or triple their yields so they can grow enough food to feed their family. And if they can grow enough to sell as well, they can create a sustainable business that will help them build a better future for themselves, for their children and for their children’s children.

 

Leb-Map – Designed for the Lebanese Red Cross:

image001This design is dedicated to the Lebanese Red Cross and to all its volunteers who give so much to the community while having so little, and who everyday dedicate their time to saving lives and helping people.

It is so often that the heroes of a country are the ones who work in the shadows, away from the lights of fame and glory, to make their country better and their people healthier. This design is a way to honor them and to show our appreciation to them.

 

Dulce’s Candide – Supporting All Causes:

image003Dulce Salerno is a symbol of Peace and Hope. Everything around Dulce is lush, full of life, beautiful and abundant. In a world full of darkness and misfortune, Dulce stands out like a ray of light, shining her love on the world, radiating joy and adding color to the gray clouds surrounding people. This design is meant to inspire others to follow Dulce’s footsteps, to do good and to have a Dulce heart.

 

Give Water – Designed for Water.org:

image005Water is life, water is hope, water is peace. It is by far the most precious gift that Mother Earth has given us and it is every individual’s most basic and vital human right. This design is a celebration of this treasured liquid that is for all of us to share amongst us and maintain. With our hands outstretched to the sky, we gladly receive this gift and pass it on to the others who lack access to safe water.

 

Fighter for Life – Designed for Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL):

image007Some people have to fight battles very early on in their lives. One of the hardest battles and struggles children can face is having to fight cancer. Through this design, we wanted to convey the message that children are not alone in this fight. We all lead this battle for this life and we are fighting alongside them to overcome this disease. Indeed, this design glitters with messages for a better tomorrow. A tomorrow where we all stand up and fight cancer inside-out.  A tomorrow where we don’t give up and just keep fighting until we get our lives back. Because not even cancer can take away our love for life and our love for the children.

 

End Hunger – Designed for Farm Africa:

image009Africa is blessed with a large quantity of natural resources, enough to feed the world. And yet, when we think of Africa, images of poverty, diseases and hunger come to our mind. This designs presents the simple formula needed to help end hunger in Africa: Educate, Farm, Feed. In other words, teach the population the proper farming techniques to produce food, provide them with the needed tools and resources, and show them how to use it. This is how poor communities can become autonomous, sustain and grow their crops and finally end hunger.

 

Volunteers – Designed for the Lebanese Red Cross:

image011The most common excuse that people give is that they do not have enough time. Yes, life can get very busy. But volunteers know that helping others is not about time, it is about love. And so this design depicts the beautiful heart of these volunteers who give so much of themselves to give a dying heart a second chance to beat.

 

 

Dulce Salerno – Supporting All Causes:

image013This design sums up what the Dulce Salerno brand is all about and its stance on ethical fashion. The Dulce world is a world where fashion is used as force for good, as a means for helping others and giving back to the community. It is a sustainable world where we believe in social responsibility, in fair trade, in ethical living, in preserving the environment and in respecting humanity. Simply, it is a world where we challenge you to think deeper about the causes that matter and where we encourage you to be the best version of yourself.

 

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Eco-friendly Monaco

Before the Flood, Paris Agreement & COP22: A Big Week for Climate Change

/in /by

It’s been a big week for Climate Change.

First, we’ve had Leonardo DiCaprio’s Before the Flood released, a fascinating documentary to educate people about Climate Change, how it affects our planet and us all, and raise awareness about what we can still do to slow it down.

And just a few days after the release of Before the Flood, a historic achievement was made as the Paris Agreement for Climate Change finally entered into force on Friday November 4, 2016 marking an important day for the Global Community and the planet. The Paris Agreement is important because it sets a transparency framework of what needs to be done in the coming decades to deal with Climate Change and because countries can now be held accountable for their impact on the environment. But still, it is not enough alone to solve the problem.

Climate Change will once again become the global focus next week as countries gather in Marrakech for COP22 (the UN Climate Body’s 22nd Conference of the Parties) to discuss the actions that need to be implemented and the responsibilities that must be taken by different parties.

Climate Change is no doubt the most pressing matter surrounding our environment. Scientists have been screaming about it for years and years, and somehow we’ve managed to shrug it off. But now people are finally listening and they have finally started to realize how badly it is affecting us. The question is, will we do anything to turn back the wheel and save our planet?

If you haven’t watched Before the Flood yet, we recommend that you do while it is still available to watch for free on the Geographic National Channel.

Posted by Dulce Salerno

fashion for ending hunger

The Dulce Salerno Cycle: Sustainability every step of the way

/in /by

Dulce Salerno is based on the belief that fashion can be used as a good force to inspire our generation and create awareness for a better tomorrow. We believe that every day, the choices we make have an impact not only on our lives but on the rest of the world as well. One of the very first choices people make every single morning is: What should I wear today? And so we decided that we want to change the world by influencing this one particular choice and creating sustainable and socially responsible fashion that not only looks good, but does good.

This principle is at the core heart of our brand and is reflected in every step of our work cycle, starting from the design creation, to the manufacturing process, and way after the product sale.

Every Dulce piece is designed with a main goal in mind: planting seeds of thoughts for a better tomorrow. We work with passionate artists worldwide who use their talent to draw for a cause and create designs that carry a strong and positive message to inspire the younger generation, adding with each paintbrush a stroke of hope, love, compassion and gratitude.

Our artworks are then executed on organic sourced cotton and bamboo threads that make seamless fabrics for Dulce Salerno. We use only products that are of good quality, eco-friendly, not made by child labor or forced labor in unhealthy and unsafe working conditions. The manufacturing is done under Italian design direction in both Italy and UK, following global organic textile standards as well as fair wear foundation principles, resulting in apparels that comply with the global recycling standards and the low reducing Carbon trust foundations.

The seeds of change are further communicated with real bamboo seeds inserted in each of our t-shirts’ eco-friendly tags to ensure that our products can trace to an ethical and sustainable path back to their origins. One to two of the seeds will grow to become a bamboo tree, and this by its turn will give back to the ecosystem.

Our final products (t-shirts, belts and caps) carry with them powerful messages and inspiring stories that raise awareness for the multiple causes we support. Our collection is sold online and is accessible to all customers worldwide. This is where you step in.

We make the product, you make the difference. When you purchase a Dulce product, you are directly contributing to the causes we support as 100% of our profit is donated to charity. When you purchase our products, you are directly participating in our quest to end world hunger, provide medical facilities to those in need, beat the water crisis, and cure children from cancer.

Your contribution doesn’t stop here. When you wear a Dulce product, you are helping spread our message of love and raise awareness for our causes. More importantly, you are making a choice every day to make this world a better place to live in.

Inside-Blog-Picture

Have a Dulce heart, dress for a cause and help us change the world for the better!

Posted by Dulce Salerno

charitable fashion brand lebanon

The Lebanese Red Cross: Supporting Our Heroes

/in /by

What makes a hero? In a world where superhero movies dominate the movie scene and where children idolize fictional superhero characters with fictional superpowers, the true meaning of a hero is often forgotten.

True heroes are often the ones that are unspoken of, the ones who don’t seek recognition, the ones who everyday give to the world and do little acts of kindness and bravery to make this world a little better. Their “superpowers” come from their good heart, and their strength comes from their strong mind.

In Lebanon, there are many national heroes that we do not give enough credit to. Among those heroes are the Lebanese Red Cross. Dedicated and thoroughly trained individuals and volunteers whose everyday mission is to save lives and assist in emergencies.

The Lebanese Red Cross needs no introduction. Since its establishment in 1945, it has been disseminating peace, serving the Lebanese society and alleviating human suffering with neutrality and without any racial, sexual, social, religious or political distinction. Its emergency services span out to all areas in the country, because with the Lebanese Red Cross, every life is worth saving.

At Dulce Salerno, we believe in empowering our heroes and recognizing the positive impact they have on our world. We are proud supporters of the Lebanese Red Cross and their causes, and we believe that we can all contribute to help them do what they do best: saving lives. For that reason, Dulce Salerno is partnering up with the Lebanese Red Cross and whenever you purchase a Dulce Salerno item, you are directly contributing to this cause since a portion of Dulce Salerno’s profits (100% of which is equally and fully divided among all charities supported by Dulce Salerno) will go out to the Lebanese Red Cross.

If you believe in our cause, there are many ways that you can contribute to the Lebanese Red Cross, whether by volunteering, donating, attending fundraising events, etc… You can find out more about how you can help by visiting the Lebanese Red Cross website http://www.redcross.org.lb/. You can directly donate to the Lebanese Red Cross through the following link: http://goo.gl/Fv1rKg

In addition, the following Dulce Salerno t-shirts (available in different styles) are designed specifically for the Lebanese Red Cross and 100% of the profits generated by the sale of these specific items will go fully to the Lebanese Red Cross.

Have a Dulce heart and help us give back to our everyday heroes.

Dulce Salerno "Volunteers" Tee designed especially for the Lebanese Red Cross

Dulce Salerno “Volunteers” Tee designed especially for the Lebanese Red Cross

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Fashion for ending hunger

Farm Africa: Fighting Poverty and Ending Hunger

/in /by

We all know how serious poverty and world hunger is. We all know that certain countries suffer more than others. What we probably don’t know though is how many people across the world are affected. In case you’re wondering, that number is nearly a billion people.

It doesn’t just stop here. With growing populations and climate change, food production needs to rise by around 70% over 40 years to meet demand.

For that reason, Dulce Salerno is a proud supporter of Farm Africa.

Established in 1985 by Sir Michael Wood and David Campbell, Farm Africa’s mission is to end hunger and reduce poverty permanently by unleashing African farmers abilities to grow their incomes and manage their natural resources sustainably. Farm Africa believes that Africa has the power to feed itself and therefore works directly with local farmers to help them unleash their potential to feed Africa’s people.

Farm Africa has successfully helped families in Africa efficiently manage their small crops to produce more food from it, generate more business from their livestock, increase fish farming by promoting aquaculture, harvest the forests in a sustainable way, and build resilience to climate change.

Beatrice is one of the women whose life was transformed thanks to the efforts from Farm Africa. Previously surviving on just one meal per day, her crops are now enough to provide her and her family with three good meals a day and generating money by selling the surplus of food left. You can read her story and other success stories on Farm Africa’s website: http://www.farmafrica.org/stories-from-our-work/beatrices-story.

You can join Farm Africa’s battle to end hunger and help other families like Beatrice’s. Visit Farm Africa’s website to find out how you can contribute to Farm Africa’s cause and eliminate hunger: http://goo.gl/JBXjTq

It is also worth noting that whenever you purchase any Dulce Salerno product, you are directly helping Farm Africa in their fight against hunger, as Farm Africa is one of the charities supported by Dulce Salerno. Therefore, a portion of Dulce Salerno’s profits (100% of which is equally and fully divided among all charities supported by Dulce Salerno) will go out to Farm Africa. In addition, the following Dulce Salerno t-shirts (available in different styles) are designed specifically for Farm Africa and 100% of the profits generated by the sale of these specific items will go fully to Farm Africa.

Dulce Salerno’s “Feed the Future” Tee designed especially for Farm Africa

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Water.org: Transforming millions of lives around the world

/in /by

Safe and clean water. A most basic and vital human right that we so often take for granted. Well, here is something to think about the next time you take a long shower or bath, or throw away a bottle of water that isn’t empty yet: one in ten people lack access to safe water and, believe it or not, one in three people lack access to a toilet.

Those statistics might sound shocking when you first hear them, but the water crisis is real. The good news is: it is solvable. And the better news is: you can also help.

Dulce Salerno is a proud supporter of Water.org.

663 million people, 1 in 10 lack access to safe water; 2.4 billion people, 1 in 3 lack access to a toilet. Water.org is dedicated to changing this. Through sustainable solutions and financing models such as WaterCredit, we can provide safe water and the dignity of a toilet for all.

Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, Water.org pioneers innovative, community-driven and market-based solutions to provide access to safe water and sanitation — giving women hope, children health and communities a future. To date, Water.org has positively transformed millions of lives around the world, ensuring a better life for generations ahead.

Water changes life and a little bit of help can make a huge difference. In fact, every one US dollar invested in water and sanitation provides an economic return of four US dollars. And for only $25, Water.org can bring someone access to safe water.

There are various ways that you can get involved to help water.org beat the water crisis. From making donations, to starting a fundraiser, getting social, taking part in athletic competition, etc… Visit Water.org website to find out more about the water crisis and how you can contribute: http://goo.gl/K1EmCy

It is also worth nothing that whenever you purchase any Dulce Salerno product, you are directly helping people gain access to safe water, as Water.org is one of the charities supported by Dulce Salerno. Therefore, a portion of Dulce Salerno’s profits (100% of which is equally and fully divided among all charities supported by Dulce Salerno) will go out to Water.org. In addition, the following Dulce Salerno t-shirts (available in different styles) are designed specifically for Water.org and 100% of the profits generated by the sale of these specific items will go fully to Water.org.

Dulce Salerno’s “Give Water” Tee designed especially for Water.org

Posted by Dulce Salerno writer Diana Zeidan.

Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon: A world of Hope for our Children

/in /by

Imagine a world where hope rules over fear. A world where the health and wellbeing of children is a priority. A world where children are treated equally regardless of their gender, race, religion and without any discrimination. Imagine a world where hospitals do not shut their doors on the poor and where children do not die just because their parents can’t afford their medical bills. Imagine a world filled with kindness, compassion and love, and where people lend a helping hand to help the children in need. A world where smiles can be drawn among struggles and difficult times. A world where terminally ill diseases do not terminate a child’s hope of recovery or chances for a better life or future. Such a world does exist.

At the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon, children from different backgrounds, different regions and different religions all share one thing in common: Hope.

Inaugurated in 2002, the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL), which is affiliated to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (SJCRH) in Memphis, Tennessee, and works in close coordination with the American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), has treated over 1000 children with cancer and has provided over 4000 consultations. CCCL’s doors are open to all children diagnosed with cancer, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, religion or nationality, giving an equal chance to all children to fight their battle against cancer. In addition, parents don’t have to worry about not being able to afford treatment as all children at CCCL are treated at no cost to their parents, providing equal chances to the rich and poor.

With a passionate and professional team committed to its mission of hope and healthy future for the dear children, CCCL has an average cure rate of 80% among its patients.This incredible cure rate is a step closer in realizing Danny Thomas’ dream (founder of St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis) that no child should die in the dawn of life.

We can all take part in that dream too.

Being a non-profit organization that covers all costs related to the treatment of their patients within the center, CCCL depends only on donations to be able to carry out its mission. It depends on passionate volunteers who want to make a difference in these children’s lives. It depends on the compassion and generosity of good people who believe in helping others whenever they can. It depends on humanity. It depends on US. On ME. On YOU.

No child deserves to suffer. We cannot prevent cancer from striking our children, but we can help them fight this battle, we can help give them hope, and we can help make this difficult journey a little easier for them.

There are many ways that we can help the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon maintain this world of hope, love, equality and above all health for our children. Visit CCCL’s website to find out how you can make a difference: http://goo.gl/xBggK3 and follow their social media channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) handle @CCCLebanon. You can also directly donate to the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon through the following link: http://goo.gl/2qTTQO

At Dulce Salerno, we care about our children and we are proud supporters of CCCL and its mission. For that reason, whenever you purchase a Dulce Salerno item, you are directly making a difference in a child’s life and contributing to their fight against cancer, as a portion of Dulce Salerno’s profits (100% of which is equally and fully divided among all charities supported by Dulce Salerno) will go out to CCCL. In addition, the following Dulce Salerno t-shirts (available in different styles) are designed specifically for CCCL and 100% of the profits generated by the sale of these specific items will go fully to CCCL.

Dulce Salerno “Hero” Tee designed especially for CCCL

To the health and future of all children, with love.

Posted by Dulce Salerno

A Special Visit to Birds’ Nest

/in /by

“If we are ever to have real peace in this world, we shall have to begin with the children.”

Mahatma Ghandi

Good habits start at a young age

The best way to create a good habit is to plant a seed at a very young age. Some children are born into privileged and healthy homes, while other children are born into more difficult circumstances. It is important to teach our children from a young age to be thankful for what they have; it is important for them to know that not all children have it easy; and it is important to teach them to have compassion and to help those in need whenever possible. When positive habits are installed early on, they stay with us for a lifetime.

The Welcome

The Welcome

A special visit

On a sunny Saturday afternoon, Dulce Salerno along with her two older brothers (aged 5 and 3) and her mother headed to the old city of Jbeil (Byblos) to spend a day with the children of Birds’ Nest, an orphanage and school for Armenian children. The purpose of the trip was to visit the children and the school, play and spend time with them and draw a smile on their face. But it was also an important lesson for the children: to interact and play with children from different backgrounds and share their toys with them, and to practice the habit of reaching out a hand to the less fortunate early on in their childhood.

During our visit, we were happy to see that the children at Birds’ Nest are well taken care of. They are sweet, disciplined, smart and social children, and they love to interact with new people. They showed us much affection by running to greet us, smiling and laughing with us, and hugging us goodbye as we were leaving. When you don’t have much in this world, it takes very little to make you smile. And when you don’t have a family of your own, a little love and affection is all you need.

Fun with the kids

Fun with the kids

About Birds’ Nest

Birds’ Nest was founded in 1926 by a Danish missionary, Miss Maria Jacobson who dedicated her life to the Armenian orphans until her death in 1960. Since then, Birds’ Nest is under the jurisdiction and protection of the Catholicosate of Cilicia whose catholicois extend their fatherly blessing and love to the Armenian orphans. Birds’ Nest is Authorized by the Ministry of Education of the Lebanese Government.

Birds’ Nest provides a home for orphaned children and children from families with social problems such as drug addiction, alcoholism, child abuse, mental disorders. It ensures their education, helps in their social and psychological rehabilitation and contributes to their well-being and health development. Birds’ Nest also puts a special emphasis on extra-curricular cultural and sportive activities. The number of student varies between 130-160 depending on the annual budget balanced by generous donors. The children grow in a loving and caring atmosphere and after their graduation, they become a good asset to both the Armenian nation and humanity.

How you can help

There are many ways that you can contribute to the children of Birds’ Nest. For one, you can visit the school to spend time some quality time with the children and bring a smile to their day. You can donate clothes and toys, and you can donate money. For more information, please contact them on +961-9-540867.

Posted by Dulce Salerno

Water.org

/in /by

780 million people, about 1 in 9, lack access to safe water; 2.5 billion people lack access to a toilet. Water.org is dedicated to changing this. Through sustainable solutions and financing models such as WaterCredit, we can provide safe water and the dignity of a toilet for all.

Founded by Gary White and Matt Damon, Water.org pioneers innovative, community-driven and market-based solutions to provide access to safe water and sanitation — giving women hope, children health and communities a future. To date, Water.org has positively transformed millions of lives around the world, ensuring a better life for generations ahead.

Donate to WATER.ORG

Farm Africa ending hunger in Africa for good

/in /by

In sub-Saharan Africa one in three people do not have enough to eat. Families go to bed hungry each and every night. When food runs out so does hope. Farm Africa is a different kind of charity, creating permanent solutions to hunger. They don’t give handouts, they help farmers help themselves. They provide improved seeds and training that help farmers double or triple their yields so they can grow enough food to feed their family. And if they can grow enough to sell too, they can build a better future for themselves, for their children and for their children’s children.

Donate to FARM AFRICA

Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL)

/in /by

The Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL) is a regional center pioneering in the treatment of children with cancer: at no cost to their parents and with complete dependency on donations. Affiliated with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee; and thanks to the rigorous research of doctors at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, the average cure rate reaches 80%! Inaugurated in April 2002, the CCCL has treated over 1,000 children with cancer from all over Lebanon and the Arab region; and offered around 4,000 consultations. The treatment usually lasts for 3 years, costing around 50,000 USD a year for each patient.

Donate to CCCL

Lebanese Red Cross

/in /by

The Lebanese Red Cross (LRC) is a humanitarian organization established on July 9, 1945 as an independent national society. It is led by volunteers, whose mission is to provide relief to victims of natural and human made disasters, and help people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies, and to mitigate the suffering of the most vulnerable. It disseminates the Fundamental Principals of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and the International Humanitarian Law in order to spread the spirit of peace, understanding and respect among the people, especially the youth and children.

Donate to LRC