Sharks are friends, not food!

I've been stitching like crazy the past few months, and more so the past few days (and I predict in the next few days too!) because guess what, my exhibit with photographer (and one of my favorite people, really) Mitch Mauricio opens next Saturday! I am excited and scared! I hope I finish these pieces soon. I've never been this delayed, haha. Other than this, though, I had the most awesome opportunity to be asked by Chief SPS Mermaid Anna Oposa to design something for a collaboration with Lush. LUSH! I love lush! And I love SPS, of course, and there was no way I wasn't getting involved in this project. I hope you get involved in the cause, too! ____________________

On October 15, LUSH Handmade Cosmetics will launch the limited edition Anti-Shark Fin Soap for the benefit of Save Philippine Seas (SPS), an independent movement that aims to establish a shark sanctuary in the Visayan Seas. The Anti-Shark Fin Soap is made of seaweed and sea salt. It is marked with a paper fin on top to highlight the animal’s most distinct feature. Approximately 70-100 million sharks are killed each year for their meat, oil, cartilage, and fins. Shark fishing is a lucrative industry, fueled by the high demand for shark’s fin soup in many countries. Populations of many shark species have fallen by over 90%.  It is unknown to many that sharks, as the apex of the marine ecosystem, have among the highest levels of toxic mercury found in fish. This can cause male sterility and extensive damage to the nervous system and fetuses. In addition to its potential health hazards, the high consumption of shark’s fin soup and shark meat has alarming implications to the environment. As the top predators of the sea, sharks play an important role in regulating all the species in the marine ecosystem. The loss of sharks can cause the entire marine ecosystem and biodiversity to collapse. Shark fishing is being done in coastal areas in the Philippines. The only shark species protected by national law is the whale shark, or butanding. SPS and LUSH are gathering an ideal set of champions to make a stand for marine conservation and against the shark finning and fishing industry. SPS invites public participation in this campaign by holding a photo shoot on the day of the launch, October 15, 2012 from 10AM-7PM at the Shangri-La branch of LUSH. The pictorial will be conducted by SPS. All photos will be digitally edited to have a unifying design. The tagline for this campaign is, “Sharks are friends, not food.” Supporters are also encouraged to write letters to leaders using the “Sharks are friends, not food” postcards.