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You guys, I MADE A BEER! This is hands down one of the coolest experiences I have had yet, and I did it with none other than a local brewery, Honolulu Beerworks! Now you can drink for a cause by purchasing my beer, the Coral Keeper (a hazy IPA) at Honolulu Beerworks for the entire month of September.

The Coral Keeper is available on tap or canned, where $1 of every draft or can sold goes to my nonprofit, Eco Mermaid Conservation, to help us continue our efforts to keep our oceans and nature trails clean of trash. 

You can go beyond drinking for a cause, and join us at our upcoming collab beach cleanup at Ala Moana Beach Park, October 1st @ 10am - 12pm.

You can find me at Honolulu Beerworks every Saturday for the month of September from 12pm - 5pm, giving you more information on my foundation and ways you can get involved in saving our oceans! 

2022 has been the year of travel for me, and I've loved every second of it. From Kauai, to Las Vegas, to New York City, it's been an amazing year. With everywhere I go, I try to travel with the planet in mind. 

I find flights that let me offset my carbon footprint, I try to avoid checking a bag, I use public transportation when I can, I choose hotels that try to give back to the planet. But of all my traveling I've done this past year, my most eco-friendly experience hands down, was in Costa Rica at the Punta Islita Autograph Collection. 

Sorry not sorry for what an ad this is about to sound like, but babes, I didn't get paid a dime to stay here and I cannot recommend it enough. 

Let's start with the fact that there are no plastic bottles anywhere on property. From the complimentary water bottles at check in, to the ones you purchase in your minifridge or at the bar, everything comes in a glass bottle. Even your soda products. Every hotel room comes with two refillable water bottles available for purchase. Water refill stations are all throughout the property. It was amazing and one of my favorite aspects of the hotel! I did end up buying one of the refillable water bottles as a souvenir, but mainly just refilled the reusable bottle I brought at the water refill stations.

Not one drink was served to me with a straw. I didn't even see them sitting out on bar tops as an option. I did overhear from someone that bamboo straws were available upon request, which is great for guests that need it.

The hotel has its own macaw sanctuary on property. They've successfully rehabilitated and reintroduced multiple macaws back into the wild, and you can sometimes even see pairs of them flying about the property. My boyfriend and I were lucky enough to see a pair flying about and land in a tree in front of our room. 

The ingredients of all of our food was either farm to table or locally caught/grown. Even the Pina coladas we drank were made with pineapples and coconuts grown on property. Best Pina colada of my life by the way. 

Even our room key was sustainable, which was an actual reusable key, instead of a throw away swipe card.  

Eco-tours are available to guests as well. You can zipline through the rainforest or go on a nature walk and observe sea turtles from a responsible distance. 

My boyfriend and I can't book our stay for next year fast enough. The Punta Islita Autograph Collection was more than a paradise and it was refreshing to see a property so dedicated to not only lowering their environmental impact but also giving back to the environment they are in. If you ever have the chance to stay here or are looking for a get away spot in Costa Rica, put the Punta Islita at the top of your list.

Link to hotel below:

www.hotelpuntaislita.com/ 

Ready or not, the holidays are here, the planets most wasteful time of year. Did you know that during from "Thanksgiving to New Years the US alone produces an extra 1 million tones of waste A WEEK?" 

Make mindful choices when shopping for others this year; gift them with something they actually need or want, or get them those sustainable swaps they wouldn't otherwise get themselves.

I take the holidays as the time to politely encourage my friends and family to make eco-friendly switches, and I always make sure it's something that they can actually use. My mom loves tea, so last year I got her a reusable tea diffuser and loose leaf tea, so she could avoid the single use waste and microplastics that come alone with individual tea bags, but also not have to make a major switch in her routine. 

This year, I'll be adding laundry detergent sheets to their stockings; it's something everyone can use, it cuts down on their plastic and it gives them an excuse to try an eco-friendly product that they might actually end up liking. 

Earth Breeze was amazing enough to send me some samples of their laundry detergent sheets and I honestly do love them. The packaging is recyclable, the sheets instantly dissolved, and they left me clothes genuinely feeling clean and fresh. 10/10 would recommend as a stocking stuffer or Hanukkah or whatever you celebrate gift this year.

lbre.stanford.edu/pssistanford-recycling/frequently-asked-questions/frequently-asked-questions-holiday-waste-prevention 

For the past few months I've been lucky enough to work with Surfrider O'ahu as their Beach Cleanup Coordinator. Together, we have been able to organize multiple beach cleanups across the island of O'ahu.

At one of our most recent cleanups this previous November at Ma'ili Beach Park, we had over 55 volunteers come out to help us remove over 58 pounds of trash from Hawai'i's coast. You can stay up to date on future beach cleanups I will be organizing through Surfrider O'ahu via my social media or by visiting the link below:

oahu.surfrider.org/?utm_term=&utm_campaign=Google_Search_DSA&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=4530688483&hsa_cam=1621151447&hsa_grp=62268573795&hsa_ad=309243341687&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=dsa-399587221838&hsa_kw=&hsa_mt=&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=CjwKCAiAhKycBhAQEiwAgf19eiKS_gbdyROXSd83oDHeWCy8k0W6w5-HHSpXEP35mSU3O2xG_R0fcxoCQ-cQAvD_BwE 

A common question I get from people when I tell them I organize beach & trail cleanups, is do I think the trash we remove really makes a difference? With garbage trucks of trash entering our oceans every single day, does the we remove really matter at the end of the day? Each time my answer remains the same. Yes, it matters. 

But how does it matter? 

Every piece of litter you pick up is one less piece of litter that can harm the environment and harm you. It's one less piece of litter that won't be eaten by an animal, contaminating its meat, which humans eat. 

It's be one less piece of litter that doesn't end up in our waterways, where toxins slowly release and poison the water that we drink from and swim in. 

It's one less piece of litter that won't end up slowly breaking down into smaller pieces in our soil, contaminating the ground where we grow our food.

Every piece of litter removed makes a difference to our environment and to you. It directly impacts your life. So make a positive impact in your life and others, and pick up some litter next time you see it. 

Are you one of those people that makes a list of things you want to change with the upcoming new year? Because same! With 2023 coming up, add sustainable habits to your new year goals list! Don't know where to start? I've got a few recommendations on how you can get started on your eco-friendly journey this January and it costs you $0 :

1. Start pouring leftover cooking oil into a sealed container, instead of down your sinks drain. I started pouring my leftover oil into an old kitty litter container. before that I was pouring it in left over milk jugs! Wait till the oil cools before transferring it into a sealed container!

2.  Come to the dark side and join the jar hoarders club. I've found SO MANY uses for left over salsa jars, honey jars, whatever it may be. Need some examples? I've used my jars as cups, as a holder for my makeup brushes, a cup to clean my paint brush's with, food containers, candle jars, candy jars, I've even turned them into mini tiki torches!

3. Cooking pasta? Save that unsalted pasta water and use it to water your plants or grass (after the water cools down of course)! Make sure the water is unsalted and has no added oils or seasonings! 

4. Calling all coffee drinkers! Stop throwing away your used coffee grinds and start turning them into coffee scrub! Store the used grinds in an upcyclced jar, add coconut oil, almond oil and vitamin E oil. Use in the shower and you've got a homemade coffee scrub! Coffee grinds are also compostable if you're not a coffee scrub type person!

5. Start storing your lemons and limes in the fridge in a sealed container with water. It will keep them fresh for up to 4 weeks longer, helping you avoid food waste.