Welcome to 2020 and our commitment to Rainforest.

A new year, a new decade and hopefully a new direction for Australia. I have found the bush fire situation distressing and heart breaking. The loss of wildlife is horrendous and hard to comprehend that so many of our precious birds and animals have perished. 

But there is always a heart warming side to these disasters, it's when people rally together to help those in need. Bush fire relief coming from the average person, people feeling compelled to help in any way they can. I could go on a 'rant' about the inaction of our government, how 'Scotty from Marketing' has used this as a self promotion occasion and still won't admit that there is such a thing as climate change, but that will not help anything, we must move past the anger and do what we can to move forward in a proactive manner. 

We did a fund raising weekend ( for WIRES ) back in November when the fires killed so many Koalas near Port Macquarie. We knew the effects of the fires back then because the store we sell to in Bellingen was shrouded in smoke and had been since July when the Dorrigo forest first caught on fire. Businesses in that town were suffering because there is limited access and the roads were often closed due to the fire, also living in the smoke makes life hard. We were getting the smokey days at that time too here in Brisbane and there was a fire in our suburb of The Gap which isn't uncommon as we are surrounded by National Parks. 

So this situation has been going on for months ahead of the 'normal' bush fire season, along with the terrible drought effecting many rural areas. We have been thinking about what would be the best way we can help moving forward. Many businesses are doing fund raising events, artists are auctioning off artwork and people are sewing wildlife pouches. This is great and I hope that this has started something that they will continue with. The situation is dire at the moment and urgent help is needed, however our burnt land and wildlife will need continued support.

Our business has always donated 5% of sales to wildlife charities and towards Rainforest restoration. That's 5% of sales not a percentage of profit which isn't easy to know how much actually will be donated. So every time you purchase with us, you can easily see how much of your sale is going to these causes; Rainforest Rescue, The Australian Marine Conservation Foundation and Wildlife QLD.

With so much of our forests being destroyed and species under extreme threat of extinction we want to ensure that important areas like the Daintree are able to support the diverse wildlife. We have been supporting Rainforest Rescue for many years now and donate $500 each month ($6,000 each year) and last year we were able to donate an extra $1000 to help secure the purchase of another Daintree property. Rainforest Rescue buy back these properties that connect to the World Heritage area and rehabilitate them with seedlings they propagate themselves in their nursery. We get monthly updates about the Cassowary sightings etc 

Below is a pic by Martin Springer of the cute Cassowary chicks. The other wildlife pics i have used are also by Martin Springer via the Rainforest Rescue website.

So our commitment will be to continue our help in the Daintree. It's such an important area with so many plant and animal species that need protecting. I know that the forests of NSW, VIC and South Australia need urgent help and will for many years to try and recover and they are getting much needed funds which is great, but so many other forest areas are also under threat and have been for years.

Stay strong, help where ever you can and we will stay focussed on what we are doing. Making 100% of our garments in Australia supporting local industry and donating 5% of all sales to ensure our beautiful and unique environment lives on.

Cheers

Sarah