The oceans are the planet’s last great living wilderness,
man’s only remaining frontier on Earth,
and perhaps his last chance to prove himself a rational species.
-John L. Culliney
Feeling a little out of place at a wedding reception at the Camden Aquarium, I made friends with a loggerhead turtle.
This is why I am not anti-zoo or anti-aquarium. For most of us, this is the only chance we have to interact with some of the world’s majestic creatures, and we need those connections to strengthen our commitment to saving them.
I would never have guessed that one of my more emotional connections with an animal would be with a plane of glass between us, but there you go. He swam right up to me, I looked in his eye, he stayed awhile so I could admire. At night’s end, I felt compelled to say goodbye and he returned immediately to the glass as though he’d been waiting. He did the same when I took my kids there years later. Coincidence? Does he just really like to look at people through the glass? Probably, but I was affected just the same.
Loggerhead turtles are endangered. They are beautiful, elegant creatures, 3 feet in length, and like dolphins will become hooked on lines or caught in nets. They travel great distances all over so their odds of being snagged are high, and they need air to breathe. They struggle and drown.
Loggerheads are important to ocean ecology in that they carry up to 100 plant and animal species on their backs from place to place, a habitat in themselves; their omnivorous eating patterns and migration mean they are key to recycling ocean floor nutrients and keeping them in balance.
Sarah at USA Love List (a site dedicated to products made in the USA, check it out!) introduced me to Loggerhead Apparel, a clothing company dedicated to supporting their local textile industry and the loggerheads:
The Loggerhead Sea Turtle is an endangered species, and the coast of South Carolina is extremely important to its survival.The textile industry of South Carolina, once thriving, is as endangered as the Loggerhead, and has a huge impact on the economy of our state.
Loggerhead Apparel will provide top-quality, American-grown, American-made clothing at a fair price. Ten percent of the revenue gained from the sale of all Loggerhead Apparel shirts will be donated directly to local causes supporting the conservation and protection of the Loggerhead.
In addition to supporting the Loggerhead, Loggerhead Apparel will also support the local textile industry, because no part of the production process will take place outside of the United States.
They also helpfully list a number of organizations to support if you would like to learn more about protecting the loggerhead turtle.
You know how I feel about using your dollar to support businesses whose values align with yours, so I’m happy to share this company’s mission with you.
But today I ALSO get to take part in a giveaway. So enter for your chance to win a Loggerhead Apparel polo— and if you win, when people ask about the adorb embroidered turtle, tell them about the company and the need to save the endangered loggerhead turtle and conserve our oceans.
Deal?
There are lots of ways to enter, do whichever you like to increase your odds of winning.
Good luck!
