Save a Sun Bear - Buy a Tote

[Jeanette McDermott]

Spoon+Fork, a New York City based creative service agency, is promoting sun bear conservation awareness and raising funds through a new line of tote bags it helped launch for the fashion and eco conscious consumer. The idea for the tote bags came about after sun bear expert and UFP member Siew Te Wong spoke before an audience last summer and answered someone's question, "How can people help the sun bear?"

Wong replied, “if you are rich, you can donate fund to us. If you are a writer, please write about sun bears and our work. If you are a filmmaker, please make a film about sun bears and tell the world about their story and their plight. If you are a student or biologist, please study the sun bear. If you have spare time, you can be a volunteer to help us. If you are an artist, you can create artwork on sun bear…” and the list goes on."

Out of that exchange a textile designer in the audience named Rika Koreeda decided she had a way to help -- by designing a tote bag for the sun bear. Rika and her team collaborated with the design firm Wakane Koike of MEW in New York City to design the exclusive and first bag in the world focused on saving sun bears. The bags are being sold in three speciality boutiques in New York City: Boutique Destination, TuTu and Factorium. All proceeds of the sale of the tote bag go directly to the Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre.

What passion lies in your heart for saving the world's bear species?
What special talent or skill do you have that can help save a bear?
Pick a species, choose a bear.
They all need our help.
What can you do to help?