Archive for the ‘Clothing’ Category

Feb
09

Galapagos Tortoise Sebastian may well have been alive and well when Darwin was developing his theory of Natural Selection

Posted by in Clothing,Endangered Species,Field Research,Galapagos

Who are Sebastian and Carolina, why do they have T shirts, and why are they on sale here at the Houston Zoo?
1.Who are Sebastian and Carolina?
Sebastian and Carolina are wild giant tortoises who live on the Island of Santa Cruz in the heart of the Galapagos Archipelago. Under the auspices of the Galapagos Tortoise Programme, Sebastian and Carolina are participants in a study of tortoise migration, along with another 44 tortoises spread over three different islands: Santa Cruz, Isabela, and Española. The study is coordinated by the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany, in strong collaboration with the Galapagos National Park Service and the Charles Darwin Foundation.

Satellite tag

Sebastian and Carolina were fitted with Global Positioning System (GPS) telemetry tags in May 2009, and we have been following their movements ever since.  When we found the tortoises they did not have names of course, but it quickly because obvious what they should be called because a recently married Ecuadorian couple, Sebastian Cruz and Carolina Proaño, who are conducting sea bird research on Galapagos assisted in the tagging operation. Since the tortoises were found together after what must have been a night of passionate romance (judging by the amount of mud covering Carolina’s shell), we felt there was only one choice for their names, so Sebastian and Carolina they became.
Sebastian has his own Facebook page (Sebastian Keynes), and is always delighted to make new friends.

2. Why do they have T shirts?
The Galapagos Tortoise Programme seeks not only to do cutting edge ecological research, but also to do meaningful conservation. One way in which we attempt to do this is through education. On Galapagos, we are working with the Scalesia Foundation to develop a tortoise-based conservation education programme in the Tomas de Berlanga school, and hopefully others. We developed a highly productive collaboration with the Lonesome George & Company toward this effort. Lonesome George & Co. manufacture and distribute the special edition “Sebastian” and “Carolina” line of T shirts, which are sold in the company’s stores and online. Half of the post production revenues go to funding our education programme. The hope is that T shirt buyers will look good in their T shirts, support real conservation, and as Lonesome George & Company say “Show you care with the clothes you wear”.
Charles Darwin’s Great great grandson(left)  and the human Sebastian (right) sporting their T shirts in the Lonesome George & Co. store in Galapagos

3. Why are Sebastian and Carolina T shirts on sale in the Houston Zoo?
The Houston Zoo is not only committed to conservation and environmental education, so when we approached them to ask for help with our conservation education project on Galapagos, they were all ears. The Houston Zoo education department offered immediate assistance in developing training materials for school children, and we began discussing possibilities for initiating interactive education programmes between school pupils on Galapagos and in Houston. The Houston Zoo also offered to sell our T shirts in their gift store, and pledged that ALL proceeds from sales would go directly to the Galapagos Tortoise Programme. At the end of 2010, a team of educators from the Houston Zoo visited Galapagos to get a better feel for how they could engage with conservation education in the most productive way. We hope to roll out an exciting international education programme in this coming year.
Chronicles of Narnia star supports the Galapagos Tortoise Programme.
Skandar Keynes, who plays Edmund Pevensie, proudly wears his Sebastian T shirt to promote our activities. Skandar has Galapagos in his blood, since he is the Great great great grandson of  Charles Darwin…It is odd indeed to  think that Sebastian may well have been alive and well when Darwin was developing his theory of Natural Selection.

By Dr. Stephen Blake

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Nov
19

Conservation Holiday Gifts

Posted by in Africa,Clothing,community-based conservation,Conservation,Cotton-top Tamarin,Endangered Species,Galapagos,What You Can Do

Consider this your start of holiday shopping and there is no need to get in line at 4 am for our doorbuster specials. Our doors open at 9am by the way. If you have ever visited the zoo’s gift shop, there is a small corner behind the register which we call our conservation marketplace. By marketing these unique lines of quality crafts in our gift shop the Houston zoo enables local artisans to make a living outside wildlife parks, strengthen their communities and help preserve fragile endangered specie’s habitats. 

Much of the product here is made by local communities in Rwanda, Zimbabwe, Colombia, Mongolia and other countries. For example Iganyana Art Center was created by Painted Dog Conservation (PDC) in Zimbabwe. Fewer then 3000 African wild dogs remain in Africa due to various human pressures.   Poaching with snares (wire traps) continues to be one of the leading threats to the survival of this species. The wire collected by the anti-poaching units is sent to PDC’s Iganyana arts center, where local artisans from rural villages use it to create beautiful intricate art.  Production of this artwork provides skills and financial security for the artists. 

Virunga Artisan Products “The Art of People & Gorillas Living in Harmony ” is staffed by locals from the communities surrounding Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda/DR Congo and the Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. 
The women of the Nkuringo Basket Weavers Association live on the southwest edge of Bwindi National Park in an area seldom visited by tourists.  The people of Nkuringo traditionally have made their living from subsistence agriculture. Earnings from basket sales have made a tremendous difference in the lives of the women of Nkuringo and their families, including the ability to send their children to school and access to health care.

So you see, it is not about making a sale for sale’s sake with these products but it is another way the zoo conservation department works with programs to develop economic incentives for local people living with some of the world’s most threatened species.

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Sep
07

Contibute to Galapagos Tortoise Conservation by Buying a Stylish Tortoise T-shirt

Posted by in Clothing,Conservation,Endangered Species,Galapagos

 

Women's Galapagos Tortoise shirt

A company called Lonesome George & Co created a clothing line to raise awareness about Galapagos Island tortoises.  This company was named after the famous, Lonesome George, he is the last known surviving Galapagos Pinta Island Tortoise. He sits in a large captive facility on Santa Crus island; scientists hope they will find a female survivor for him in the near future. Lonesome George & Co. was created to guarantee that his legacy would live on.

Men's Galapagos tortoise shirt

These  t-shirts spotlight other Galapagos tortoises with the name of the individual on the front and a comical personal description on the back.     The shirts are bright blue and slate gray.  They are available in all sizes in both men’s and women’s styles.  A percentage of all the proceeds go to Galapagos tortoise conservation.  Come and visit the conservation area of  the Houston zoo gift shop and purchase your t-shirt soon!

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