Rain Tees Exclusive interview with Debi Nova!

BY raintees

January 16, 2012

At Rain Tees we are so lucky to have a range of amazing contributors. One of them is the incredibly talented Debi Nova, a renowned musician and dedicated environmentalist. Nova’s dual cultural background and multi-instrumental abilities create a unique sound and musical style that has become very popular in both the United States and her native Costa Rica. She has six Grammy nominated projects, a number one dance single, and has worked with the likes of Ricky Martin and Sergio Mendes. In addition to being a superstar, Nova is passionate about the health of our planet and uses her music and celebrity to communicate the importance of sustainability and environmental awareness. We recently had the honor of conducting an interview with Debi regarding her work, read below!

Rain Tees: Your musical career is amazing! As a songwriter, vocalist, and multi-instrumentalist, you are truly a talented artist. Have you always been interested in music? What drew you to this area?

Debi Nova: Thank you! Music has always been part of my life. I started playing piano at 4 and it was around 14 when I knew that music would be my path. There wasn’t any specific experiences that brought that realization, more like it was always there and one day I saw it with clarity. I always say that I never had to find my path, it found me.

RT: Your music encompasses a variety of sounds, styles, and languages. As a citizen of both Costa Rica and the U.S., you represent a growing group of bi lingual entertainers. How do you feel about being seen as a star in both cultures? Do you feel equally connected to both countries?

Debi Nova: Yes, my most recent album Luna Nueva is a testimony of that duality. The idea of the album was to bring to light that the world is becoming smaller. That like me there are millions of people that have more than one cultural background and that there is no reason why that shouldn’t be celebrated. When I wrote the songs for the album I had no barriers as far as language and if a verse wanted to come in Spanish and the next in English, I left it that way. Same goes with the musical inspirations for it. I listen to everything from Pop and Soul, to Ballenato and Salsa.

RT: Rain Tees is honored to have you as a contributor and supporter. Your dedication to environmentalism is wonderful and is highlighted in your lyrics, such as in the song “Ashes and Pearls”. What inspired you to write this song and how have environmental issues impacted your career?

Debi Nova: I think that we musicians have the responsibility to use our music as a tool to communicate positive messages and to create changes. It’s no secret that our planet is suffering now more than ever from centuries of abuse. We are in a moment when it’s imperative for us to be conscious about how we treat our environment. Ashes and Pearls talks about how our quest for material success is so blinding that we don’t see that everything is “burning down” around us. I felt the need to bring some light to these issues, specially cause I come from a country where a lot of times the rapid economic growth in the last decade has caused many environmental problems.

RT: What is your favorite Rain Tees design and why? How can our fans support your work?

Debi Nova: I love all of them. I love that the signature of the little boy or girl that drew it is on it making you relate so much more to the story of the t-shirt and what was going through their little heads while they were drawing it. I love what Rain Tees stands for and the ideology behind its process. I’m a fan!

My album Luna Nueva is available in stores and anywhere online and I love sharing new music and updates with my beautiful community of listeners on Twitter (@debinova) and Facebook.

Thank you so much Debi for taking the time to share your experiences and insight with us at Rain Tees. Your work continues to inspire us and your music adds fun and movement to our lives. We look forward to hearing what comes next for you! Check out Debi’s website and listen to her tunes at http://www.debinova.com/

By
Chloe Hallock
Rain Tees Contributor

About the Author:

Chloe Hallock is a yoga teacher, artist and model from Portland Oregon. For her 24 years, Chloe is an old and dynamic soul having traveled extensively, attending university in Victoria, BC, sailing around the world on Semester at Sea and teaching and modeling in Australia. She is a yoga competitor placing 11th in the USA and her passions for art, yoga and travel led her create her own yoga apparel line, Choco Designs. She loves interning at Rain Tees, writing, graphic designing and working on social media campaigns.

Posted in: Stories

1 Comment

Rain Tees Exclusive with Alicia Silverstone!

BY raintees

December 6, 2011

Rain Tees is honored to have had the opportunity to interview the inspiring and beautiful Alicia Silverstone. Alicia is not only a talented actress, but also an author and avid environmentalist, advocate for animal rights, veganism, green living, and and a kinder every day lifestyle. Below is our exclusive interview with Alicia – read on and be inspired!

RT: We love your website and book and the variety of information and tips it provides. What inspired you to start The Kind Life and what has been the impact so far? Do you plan on writing another book?

I started The Kind Life in October 2009 at the same time I published my book, The Kind Diet. Both were inspired by the transformation I experienced after adopting this way of eating. I saw others around me do the same and experience the same positive changes, and I realized it was just too good a secret to keep to myself. I had way too much to say to fit it all in one book, so the site is an extension of the book. While my book provides a strong foundation for getting started, the site inspires people to keep going and stay excited as they continue their kind journeys. I wanted to give everyone the tools to make this lifestyle as fun and easy as possible.

Since I started The Kind Life two years ago, the community has grown to over 40,000 members. Each week, I post success stories readers have shared with me. It’s inspiring to hear from people of all walks of life who have healed a variety of health problems, from acne to diabetes, to obesity, to post-traumatic stress disorder – just by changing the way they eat. The impact of The Kind Diet has been incredibly gratifying, and I definitely plan to write more books.

RT: You have done a lot of work with PETA and various organizations to help animals. Have you always been an animal lover? Is this dedication to animals what inspired you to adopt a vegan lifestyle?

I have always loved animals. When I was a little girl, my mom and I rescued them together. Anytime we were driving and saw a stray, we would pull over and help, even on the freeway! As an adult, I realized that farm animals aren’t that different from dogs and cats, or any animal that we think of as pets. I wouldn’t eat my dog, so why would I eat cows or pigs, who are highly intelligent and can show the same range of emotions as my pets? My love of animals is what inspired me to become vegan, and luckily, it’s a choice that has made me healthier than ever.

RT: Our fans would love to help out with your work – how can they get involved?

First, I would say read The Kind Diet, then visit The Kind Life and share your thoughts and questions with me and the community. You have to make the choices that feel right to you, but to become your best self, you also need to be well-informed. My experience has been that when people educate themselves about the food industry and learn about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, adopting a kinder way of life becomes a no-brainer. Follow your heart, and everything will unfold from there.

RT: We are excited for your new line of eco-friendly makeup brushes and bags. Do you have hopes of expansion for the line? If so, what do they include?

I am in my third year of collaboration with EcoTools, and we’re about to launch our third collection, so look out!

Thank you so much Alicia for your time and sharing your wisdom with Rain Tees and our fans. Your efforts and dedication to health and well being motivate us to become better human beings and make better choices for ourselves and others. We are looking forward to seeing your third collection with Eco Tools!

To learn more visit Alicia’s blog please visit The Kind Life!

By
Chloe Hallock
Rain Tees Contributor

About the Author:

Posted in: Stories

No Comments

Rain Tees & Lindee Daniel in Port Au Prince, Haiti 2011

BY raintees

November 22, 2011

Our friend and sustainable fashion designer, Lindee Daniel, had the extraordinary opportunity to volunteer in Haiti for nine days and was thrilled to do a Rain Tees art session with the children there!

Lindee worked in some of the poorest areas of Port Au Prince, and the beautiful thing is that in an area where so much is lacking and continues to be destroyed, there is also a lot of good happening.

Two private schools have been built and the children in the community, through sponsorship, have a safe place to learn and at the same time are given meals, vitamins, and love.

Lindee took a couple days away from the manual labor of building a medical clinic and was thrilled to visit a handful of classrooms in the two schools!

The children were immediately excited when they saw Lindee walk in with crayons and paper. Not to overwhelm them, Lindee shared a little story about Rain Tees and the importance of trees and caring for our environment. Afterwards they enjoyed time drawing and coloring together about whatever came to mind.

Some of the kids were very shy, and some were very outgoing, but all of them have been through incredible challenges in their lives. Even though it was explained that there was no perfection required or a right or wrong when creating art from their hearts, they were focused on being precise and incredibly focused as students. Only one out of about 150 students actually colored with the crayons from the start! All of the others wanted to draw with a pencil and get it “right” before coloring.

They also loved the camera! And they loved taking photos with Lindee and their artwork even more! What a mutual blessing indeed!

Haiti is the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation, further devastated by an earthquake in 2010 that crumbled much of Port Au Prince. An estimated 316,000 people died, 300,000 injured and 1,000,000 made homeless. With no effective free public education program, Haitian children heavily rely on sponsorship to go to school. Haiti Outreach Ministries, through which Lindee volunteered, is one awesome organization doing so much good there.

THE COST FOR SPONSORING A PRIMARY STUDENT IS $25/MONTH. (This includes academic instruction, hot lunch and breakfast snack, vitamins, books, classroom materials, uniforms and Christmas and birthday celebrations.)

Feel free to also write Lindee if you want more information, or desire to send physical items (since shipments cannot go directly into Haiti) at lindee@lindeedaniel.com

*Photos and words by Lindee Daniel

Posted in: Stories

No Comments

Wangari Maathai - Credit: Green Belt Movement

A Beautiful Hero

BY raintees

September 27, 2011

“She will be remembered as a committed champion of the environment, sustainable development, women’s rights, and democracy.” – Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General

I had the incredible honor of hearing the Nobel Laureate and one of the most incredible women I have ever known, Wangari Maathai, speak earlier this year alongside former UN secretary general, Kofi Annan. Sadly, Ms. Maathai passed away while undergoing treatment for ovarian cancer on Monday.

Wangari was a Kenyan environmental and political activist. who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women’s rights, and through it she assisted women in planting more than 40 million trees.

In 2004, she became the first African woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for “her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace,” and was also the first Eastern African woman to receive a Ph.D., elected to Parliament where she served as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources in Kenya.

At Rain Tees we have built a model of sustainability and work with our charity partners around the world who clearly echo Wangari’s beautiful dedication and feelings about our earth.

In her words, “You cannot protect the environment unless you empower people, you inform them, and you help them understand that these resources are their own, that they must protect them.”

We are all sad to see her pass but know that her legacy and profound achievements will live on in all of our hearts and remind us all that we can indeed achieve what may seem impossible each and every day.

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

Posted in: News, Stories

No Comments

sOccket Launch!

BY raintees

September 15, 2011

Rain Tees was super stoked to get a personal invite to the swanky NYC launch of what CNN has called “Magic”, Bill Clinton has called “extraordinary”, and New York Magazine raves is, ” “Highbrow and brilliant.” So what is it? It’s a soccer ball and it’s changing the world.

Invented by an all-female group of Harvard undergraduates in 2008, including the super sweet Jessica Matthews who I happened to meet randomly in an elevator in Chelsea while working in NYC a few years ago, the award-winning sOccket is a soccer ball that harnesses energy generated during play to power small electrical appliances that are so critical to survival for many in the developing world.

The balls are made using up to 95 percent recyclable materials and can last between 3-15 years. The founders are also putting together an auction which you can learn more about here.

Two of the sOccket’s original inventors, Jessica O. Matthews, 23, and Julia C. Silverman, 22, founded the non-profit social enterprise Uncharted Play to develop fun toys that also address pressing real-world issues.

Matthews and Silverman invested thousands of dollars from their personal savings in the redesign and development of the ball that powers functional tools, such as water purifiers.

“Keeping the realities of the resource-poor child in mind, we worked very hard to develop a ball we feel can make a difference in the lives of people around the world,” said Uncharted Play Chief Social Officer and non-profit head, Julia Silverman.

For more information about sOccket and Unchartered Play, and to find out how to get your own and give one in the process, contact Zena Hanna at press(at)soccket(dot)com or visit sOccket!

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

Posted in: Conservation, Stories

No Comments

Fendi’s Eco Fashion

BY raintees

August 2, 2011

So you thought that eco fashion couldn’t be couture? Think again. Carmina Campus takes creative recycling and applies it to fashion and design – and it’s straight from the Fendi family! Maria Ilaria Venturini Fendi, third generation of the Fendi line, created Carmina Campus and has partnered with the International Trade Centre and Ethical Fashion Africa to promote development of working opportunities for communities of marginalized women in Kenya and Uganda. Ilaria’s specific focus on the environment uses recycled and re-used materials in an innovative and rather distinctive way to create ethically produced accessories.

A major part of Carmina Campus’ production is located in Italy, like most of the Fendi line, but most notably are the products semi-finished in Africa.

Recently, Ilaria presented collections produced 100% in Africa using eco-friendly materials that enable hundreds of artisan women to improve their lives both economically and socially. Additionally, Carmina Campus sends skilled accessory design professionals to train those involved with the Ethical Fashion Africa program.

With the goal to benefit people and communities while minimizing the impact on the environment, Ethical Fashion strives to take an active role in poverty reduction, sustainable livelihood creation, and counteracting environmental concerns. They call this the ‘Revolution in Consumerism’ and it’s changing the market and disclosing opportunities for informal manufacturers to become part of the global supply chain both domestically and regionally.

“Carmina Campus – Not Charity, Just Work”

This new approach is designed to promote sustainable business rather than aid dependency and it’s no wonder why Carmina Campus’ slogan tagged on several styles of the “100% Made in Africa” collection read NOT CHARITY, JUST WORK.

Ilaria Fendi has shed light on sustainable living for African communities while also sharing her love of fashion in an eco-conscious way. We here at Rain Tees invite and encourage you to check out Carmina Campus and support what they do for both the environment and the women of Africa, which is a region we have launched into this year as well.

By
Raissa Wagner
Rain Tees Contributor

Posted in: Fashion, News, Stories, Video

No Comments

Zoe Tryon and Nina Gualinga - Credit: Zoe Tryon

Battle in the Jungle

BY raintees

July 8, 2011

Rain Tees contributor Zoe Tryon (pictured above left with Nina Gualinga) is in Costa Rica this week fighting for the rights of the Kichwa indigenous people of Sarayaku, who are leading a historic battle for justice and the rights of indigenous people around the world.

Sarayaku means “river of corn” and encompasses more than 300,000 acres of pristine rainforest that more than twelve hundred Kichwa have lived off for millennium.

Patricia Gualinga – leader of the women of Sarayaku

Sadly, they are threatened daily by oil companies. While they have done all that they can to resist destructive drilling attempts, they were invaded by an Argentine oil company aided by the Ecuadorian government 8 years ago and have been fighting ever since to get to the InterAmerican court of human rights.

Oil pipelines already run endlessly through Ecuador like veins.

Many children living in the villages have died from contamination or suffer from cancer and other diseases caused by contamination.

There remains a huge area of unexploded pentonite from seismic testing which is slowly contaminating the land and water.

What’s even more tragic is that while their sacred land was being destroyed, several members of Sarayaku were brutally tortured.

In response, Sarayaku has brought a historic case against the government which Zoe reports to us from at the Inter-American Court on Human Rights in Costa Rica.

Sabino Gualinga – spiritual leader of the Sarayku people sings a sacred song in ceremony before the hearing

Women danced in front of the court whilst the men played drums and blew horns – here Nina Gualinga and Marlon Santi – was head of CONAI

The final hearing is July 8, 2011, with a decision from the court expected this fall.

While the oil company has since stopped drilling and left Ecuador, the Ecuadorian president, Rafael Correa, has already announced that he plans to allow drilling in these highly endangered areas.

It seems hard to believe that a president of any country would allow more than six million acres of endangered tropical forest, legally titled to more than 5 indigenous cultures, to be decimated for his own profit but that is exactly what is happening.

Cristina Gualinga

Spread the word and stay tuned for more information on this case as it progresses and in the meantime let’s stay hopeful that justice will prevail because as Zoe quoted Margaret Mead so aptly from the courtroom this week, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

Nina Gualinga and Cristina Gualinga

For more info visit http://www.sarayaku.com and www.zoetryon.com

Photo Credits: Zoe Tryon

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

Posted in: Stories

No Comments

Rain Tees in Belize Photos!

BY raintees

June 29, 2011

Working with children in the Central American country of Belize this past week was an incredible experience! Here are some great images of some of the children at St. Mary’s school in Belize City.

Rain Tees founder Beth Doane is all smiles with a group of children who look pretty excited about their new art supplies!

These kids are all so cute! Check out that great message in the background – “Friends are Forever”! We love our new friends in Belize City

Everyone looks happy about that drawing paper and we love the painted mural background!

We especially love this mural What a beautiful message to have in the school yard!

Thanks to kind donations from Rain Tees fans all over the world we were able to donate recycled paper and art supplies like these to the students here and learn about their new initiatives that involve keeping Belize clean and staying healthy!

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

Posted in: News, Stories

2 Comments

Rain Tees in Belize!

BY raintees

June 28, 2011

This week Rain Tees visited some amazing schools in the Central American country of Belize.

Belize has faced many struggles in the past, having only recently gained its independence in 1981 and, even today, deals with high unemployment, and growing involvement in the Mexican and South American drug trade, which has led to high crime rates.

Belize also has one of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in Central America and many children there can’t afford to attend school.

Environmentally, Belize is unique as it has the largest barrier reef in the northern hemisphere, second in size only to the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and this remarkable area, which was proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996, provides an ideal habitat for endangered species, including turtles, tropical fish, dolphins, and sharks.

What’s even more amazing is that an estimated 50-80% of all life on earth is found under our ocean’s surface which cover at least 72% of our earth yet less than 10% of that space has been explored by humans.

At St. Joseph’s school right in Belize City, Rain Tees founder Beth Doane worked with a group of children who are part of an amazing art program. These children have even won awards for their artistic talent!

They took time this week to draw pictures of things that are threatening their homeland and Rain Tees is thrilled to be work more closely with this school in the future!

Maybe some of their incredible pieces will be part of an upcoming Rain Tees collection so stay tuned.

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

Posted in: News, Stories

17 Comments

Rain Tees in Honduras!

BY raintees

June 28, 2011

Honduras was originally inhabited by indigenous tribes, the most powerful of which were the Mayans and much of the country was conquered by Spain in the sixteenth century. It became independent in 1821 and has been a republic since the end of Spanish rule.

Honduras faces many environmental and educational issues and lacked a national education system until the late 1950s when the government introduced reforms that led to the creation of a national public education system.

Rain Tees visited a one room schoolhouse in Honduras this past week and is excited to continue working with the children of this vibrant and beautiful country!

By
Beth Doane
Rain Tees Founder

Posted in: News, Stories

No Comments