Benefiting from Love: Seacology Receives Wedding Gifts from Japan, CA
Editor's Note: Earlier this year, Seacology was the recipient of unique donations in honor of two newly married couples: Yumi and Tapan Barua from Japan, and Jonathan Kawaja and Emma Morton-Bours from California. Yumi and Tapan Barua, who were married in the groom's home country of Bangladesh last year, held a party in Japan in May 2001 in honor of their marriage. Each guest was asked to make a contribution to Seacology, and in return received a certificate commemorating the celebration and the contribution to Seacology. Similarly, Jonathan Kawaja and Emma Morton-Bours' guests were asked to make a contribution to Seacology in lieu of wedding gifts. We asked Yumi Barua and Jon Kawaja to share their thoughts regarding the couples' decisions to benefit Seacology.
Editor: How did you first hear of Seacology's work to save islands throughout the world?
YB: Maybe about five years ago. I have been an International Executive Distributor for NuSkin International since about six years before that. When I heard Dr. Paul Cox's speech at a NuSkin convention I felt that I want to spend my life as he does. He shared many of his thoughts like his job, the meaning of Force for Good, plants, forests, indigenous people and what we can do to protect our nature. I love flowers, plants and nature so his speech made my mind shake so strongly.
JK: Emma and I have always had a deep respect for the world around us, but we were introduced to Seacology by Emma's uncle, Peter Buckley, who is very active in supporting different environmental causes. He showed us your newsletter and we were hooked.
Editor: Why did you decide to make your party a benefit for Seacology?
YB: Because I wanted to do something special for my wedding party and for our precious guests. We thought the wedding is not a goal but just a start of our life, and people cannot live alone. We have to relate with many people to live in this world. We want to share Seacology's work with our guests.
JK: We firmly believe that it's better to give than to receive, and we saw receiving wedding gifts actually as an opportunity to give. It was a thanks from Emma and me, to the causes we gave to, but also to our guests for coming to our wedding. We asked that our guests give to Seacology because of our support for the environment and desire to give to a cause where we would feel like our contribution would have an impact in a way that benefits all involved. Lastly, it just felt good.
Editor: What were the responses of your guests?
YB: I had a speech to share this idea, I received a big ovation and applause and I was happy to hear that! Even after the party, we could hear from some guests say, "that was a wonderful idea!"
JK: Our guests responded overwhelmingly positively. They loved the break from tradition and the good that we made.
Editor: What is your favorite island?
YB: We do not have one special island - we just love all islands and nature on the earth!
JK: We love so many of Seacology's projects. One that stood out to us early on was the Falealupo Rainforest School and Preserve on Samoa. We liked the creativity of the plan, the economically self-sustaining nature of it, and that it was a win-win for all involved.
Editor: Anything else you would like to add?
JK: We are encouraged to see that Seacology seems to be increasingly active and that another couple had our same idea. Let's hope that others follow suit.
Seacology would like to thank Yumi and Tapan Barua, and Jonathan Kawaja and Emma Morton-Bours, for asking their wedding guests to make a donation to Seacology. We are grateful for their generosity, and wish both couples all the best for a happy and prosperous future!
