Introducing Our Shopping Cart RoundUp Campaign!

If 2020 taught us anything, it taught us that a community that is united and empowered has the ability to transform society and positively affect essential structural change. Last May, we watched in awe as people across the country and from diverse backgrounds joined together to protest the horrific and unjust killing of George Floyd. The actions and commitment of Black Lives Matter supporters inspired us to join in and take to the street ourselves to demand justice. From there, with your help, we were able to raise money for Color of Change, an Oakland, California based progressive, nonprofit advocacy organization committed to strengthening the political voice of African Americans. Our PAAVANI community’s action did not stop there. During Pride Month, we used our voices on social media to show our continued support to our LGBTQ brothers and sisters. In August, we joined other earth-friendly brands in the United by Earth Campaign and together raised money for The Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit environmental advocacy group that helps formulate ocean policy at the federal and state government levels. At the end of the summer, when record-breaking wildfires devastated the west coast and unhealthy levels of smoke filled the air, because of you, we were able to raise money for the California Fire Foundation’s SAVE (Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency) Fund, a nonprofit dedicated to bringing immediate, short-term relief to victims of fire and other natural disasters throughout California. To close out the year, during Black Friday weekend, with the help of your sales, we raised money to bring clean water to communities in need by donating to India through Wells For Life, a non-profit dedicated to providing safe drinking water to rural villages in India. All of these efforts could not have been achieved without us working together. Because of this, we can not thank you enough for shopping small with us and supporting our efforts to give big to the world!

The support that we were able to give by uniting together through last year’s social and environmental justice efforts ignited a passion within us and we have decided to keep that flame ablaze! As a company and community, we are committed to continuing to donate portions of our sales throughout the year to organizations that protect human rights and environmental justice. If this is something that also speaks to you, stay tuned to your inbox, as we will keep you updated and informed on when we have a call to action to support nonprofit organizations or communities in need. Additionally, we are proud to announce our new Round Up Campaign! Now, when you checkout on our website, you will notice a little box that asks if you would like to round up your purchase to donate to one or both of the causes we have selected to support throughout the entirety of this year. For 2021, we have chosen to support The Nature Conservancy and Campaign Zero. Both of these organizations are doing important, transformative work to protect our planet and humanity. 

The Nature Conservancy

As a company that relies on the gifts of the earth, we believe that it is important for us to offer respect and gratitude to the plants and minerals that make up our products and the soil, land and ecosystems that they come from. By doing what we can to offset our environmental impact and by setting honest standards of sustainability, we also hope to encourage others to do the same. Thus, supporting the biodiversity, preservation and health of our planet is of high regard and why we have chosen to support the efforts of The Nature Conservancy.

Since 1951, The Nature Conservancy has protected and cared for nature. Their first action was to purchase and protect 60 acres of hemlock forest in Bedford, NY. To date, the conservancy has protected 119,000,000 acres of land and thousands of miles of rivers worldwide. The Nature Conservancy has expanded to not only protect land and water but also to tackle climate change, build healthy cities and provide food and water sustainability. This important work helps ensure that our planet will advance in a sustainable manner in order to protect biodiversity and ensure a healthy planet for future generations. 

Campaign Zero

Simply put, the Black Lives Matter movement is not over. This wasn’t just a trend that happened over the summer and we vehemently refuse to forget about our black brothers and sisters and POC. With over 1,000 people killed in America by police each year, it is our duty as humans to call on legislators to enact structural change in order to protect the human rights of each citizen. Although African Americans only make up 13% of the US population, they are killed by police at twice the rate of white Americans. Hispanic Americans are also killed at a disproportionate rate compared to white Americans. To continue our active support of Black Lives Matter, we sought out Campaign Zero. 

Campaign Zero was developed by the non-profit organization, WeTheProtestors. All donations to Campaign Zero support the analysis of policing practices across the country, research to identify effective solutions to end police violence, technical assistance to organizers leading police accountability campaigns and the development of model legislation and advocacy to end police violence nationwide. 

Together, Let’s Continue to Enact Change!

As an Ayurvedic company, we value the health of animals, waterways, forests, plants, deserts, rural communities, cities and all human beings, everywhere. In this life and on this planet, the environment, our destinies and our wellbeing are all symbiotically intertwined. Without the health of the environment and all sentient beings, we can not have the health of the whole. This is why together we must continue to give back so that we can make a lasting impact on the world. 

Thank you in advance for rounding up your purchases when you can! We are grateful to have you as an essential part of our community. 

Works Cited:

Hero image courtesy of Alyssa Keys @alyssakeysphoto

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/investigations/police-shootings-database/

https://www.joincampaignzero.org/#campaign

https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/our-history/