1K Turtle Aid
In order to make a difference, do something drastic! Start today by reducing your plastic. Lowenna Designs launches 1K Turtle Aid, a campaign to help our sea turtles stay!
1000 turtles, that sounds like a lot doesn’t it? It certainly sounds like even more when you hear that more than a thousand turtles die every year due to the plastic and rubbish in our oceans. Just let that sink in for a moment… we are killing 1000 turtles due to our single use plastic waste. Even more shockingly it’s been discovered that 91% of turtles that get entangled in rubbish die, a death that could very well be avoided.
Marine turtles have been in our oceans for over 100 million years, and today due to us humans they are endangered. Six of the seven marine turtle species are at risk of extinction which is a heart breaking statistic. Not only are these magnificent and beautiful creatures, but they are also extremely important predators in our ocean food chains keeping our seas and coral reefs healthy.
I have sat and looked at the heartbreaking images of turtles caught in fishing nets or mistaking plastic bags for food. I have read up on the horrifying plastic statistics and I have been disheartened on how far we have let this go. I’m not a scientist, I can’t make any changes in the government and to be quite honest it often seems like maybe I’m not capable of changing that much… but do you know what I can do? I can paint.
So, I decided instead of just sitting around being upset that we are killing out marine life, I would get off my bum and actually do something about it. I will be painting 1000 turtles in order to raise money and awareness on how plastic is affecting our sea turtles and what we can do to help them.
1000 turtles is a lot and it’s a HUGE challenge… which is exactly why I’m doing it. I thought I could do 100 or 200 but that number doesn’t have much significance… 1000 does! 1000 is how many sea turtles we are killing each year and to be able to change something that drastic you need to do something BIG! (Which is exactly what I’m going to do)
I haven’t set a time limit because I’m not totally sure how long it will take me to paint 1000, but I will be starting straight away and it’s a project I am extremely excited to start. Through this project I will be researching further into all 7 sea turtle species, learning more about these incredible creatures, as well as starting to spread the word on how we can reduce our plastic footprint. You will be surprised at how small changes in your day to day life can make a massive difference in the long run.
As soon as each painting is finished they will be available to purchase from my site, I will be selling both prints and the originals. 25% from each sale will be donated to both Surfers Against Sewage and the Sea Turtle Conservancy.
I can’t wait to get started and to share all of my turtle paintings, it may be a long journey but I can’t wait to take you with me, and hey… your speed doesn’t matter, forward is forward!
Stay tuned for loads of turtley awesome content… (pun intended!)
Make sure to check out @lowennadesignson Instagram to keep up to date with this project… and use the hashtag #1KTurtleAid if you want to get involved!