We’ve all seen the pictures by now:
Venice’s Grand Canal is so still and clear that dolphins and swans are swimming in it.
The air in major cities like LA, New York and Rome is nearly smog free.
The pollution in Beijing has been drastically reduced:
And there are many sightings of animals now taking back their domains. In Northeast Japan, deer and monkeys are exploring the gas stations and neighborhoods looking for food. We even had a bear in our front yard the other day:
It’s amazing that without human intervention, nature seems to be showing us her power. Fewer cars, boats and airplanes to create pollution and smog.
As a brand that cares about the ocean and the earth, we hope that we can learn from the positive outcomes of COVID-19 and find a way in the future to live seamlessly with nature. What we take from the earth, we give back to the earth. This is a humble lesson, but a critical one.
The challenge with climate change and pollution is that it has affected not only the things we can see (air, foliage, animals), but what we can’t see. And that is even more concerning.
Did you know that the oceans cover 71% of the Earth's surface and contain 97% of the Earth's water? Surprisingly, the oceans contain 99 percent of the living space on the planet. Because most of the ocean trash sinks to the bottom of the deep waters, we can’t see it and will likely never recover it. The trash creates “dead zones” and wreaks havoc on our ecosystem.
We will all need to work together to make a difference and respect nature’s power. At MASAMI, we are striving every day to find new ways to reduce our plastic production, proactively replenish the nutrient rich, ocean botanicals and support those who believe in ocean conservation. To this end, we are working in partnership with our esteemed design partner, Joe Doucet to develop a large size, refillable, ceramic bottle that will help reduce plastic use. We are making a cardboard, refill carton to accompany it with hopes that we can impact consumer behavior.
In addition, we created The MASAMI INSTITUTE, to aid in rebalancing the ocean ecosystem and support the local people in the northeast region of Japan, where the tsunami in 2011 devastated the area. Our team works with the local fisherman and coastline preservation groups to research, monitor, and document each season’s growth of Mekabu, the main ingredient in our products. Our goal is ultimately to preserve and restore the fragile ocean ecosystem, and to educate the world about the importance of maintaining balance in our world.
While we have a long way to go, let’s hope this wake up call creates a movement to restore nature to the wonder it is.
