Could a Pair of Bamboo Shades Help Preserve Forests?

The Producer:
When I visited Washington, DC in the summer of 2012, I 
made the big mistake of not bringing sunglasses with me. 
It was the middle of summer and the sun bore down stronger
than ever. Its impact was amplified with the plethora of marble, granite, and limestone reflecting its rays in all directions. 
Within the first 24-hours I bought a pair of jet-black sunglasses from a street vendor. The rest of the trip was a breeze.

I recently stumbled upon another great pair of sunglasses.
I had the pleasure of speaking with a dynamic pair of entrepreneurs from Slovenia, Neza Bizjak and her partner Tilen Krivec. They have partnered up to create Seed Eyewear—stylish bamboo sunglasses.

The Offer:
Seed Eyewear’s slogan is “Premium Wooden Sunglasses that Help Preserve the Forests”. At face value you may think that this doesn’t add up—using wooden frames but saving trees? The sunglass frames are made of bamboo. This is plantation bamboo that is grown specifically for commercial use (I was assured that no pandas would be at risk of losing a meal). Seed has partnered with organizations to plant trees in deforested or otherwise devastated locations. For every one (1) pair of Seed eyewear sold, five (5) trees will be planted.

"We’ve made an effort to ensure that all the parts were ready to go before we launched the campaign; the supply chain, the logistics and the partnerships with the tree planting organizations. We are currently working with [organizations] focused on Haiti, Ethiopia and Madagascar”

The bamboo frames come in three main styles: surfer, jetsetter, and hipster. The frames can be tinted either brown or black. The lenses also have a tint variety to choose from: galaxy, sunset, noire, and sepia.

"We definitely wanted the best quality in Seed sunnies”, said Neza. “I myself tested the lenses for scratching and glare…Tilen wore them a lot during sports—and since neither of us takes very good care of storing glasses—we needed sturdy frames and lenses that are basically proof to...everything!”

The Potential:
Neza and Tilen have been working on this project for over a year now and are eager to take it to the next level. During our interview they said that they anticipate that the Seed brand will move into the optical/corrective lenses in addition to sunglasses. Eventually the brand may continue to other accessories like phone covers, but all Seed products will have the wooden look and feel to keep with the seed-planting/tree-growing theme. Its philanthropic efforts will also grow with the line extensions.

Support a tree—wait—five trees with a POP to this campaign, Seed Eyewear.

Seed Eyewear Indiegogo Campaign Site
Seed Eyewear Website


             

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