THINK POSITIVE AND GREEN: DODO & TENAKA TOGETHER AGAIN

DoDo, the iconic pendant and jewellery brand that has always had a strong commitment to the environment and projects to protect the planet, renews its support for French social enterprise Tēnaka. Founded by the young and talented Anne-Sophie Roux, the company continues the Coral Reef Restoration project in Tioman, Malaysia with the specific aim of improving the exceptional results achieved in just two years. We had a chat with Anne-Sophie Roux about their new collection.

www.dodo.it / tenaka.co
@tenaka_org / @DodoJewels

Why did you decide to team up again with Dodo?  
The reason why we continue to cooperate is that we have common goals and have achieved brilliant results together with DoDo Coral Reef.

DoDo and Tēnaka met at the end of 2019, thanks to Tēnaka’s COO (Chief Ocean Officer), Danielle McCaffrey, a great lover of DoDo. It was she who proposed and developed the idea of contacting DoDo, a jewellery brand that is a pioneer in its green vision and has always been active in nature conservation projects.

DoDo and Tēnaka have a common goal: to advance the most efficient solutions to the climate crisis by regenerating the ocean, which is the biggest carbon sink and climate stabilizer on Earth.
DoDo is a pioneering brand in its green vision and has always been active in nature conservation projects. DoDo has this mission in its name!.

The ocean is our greatest ally in mitigating the climate crisis and strengthening coastal communities’ adaptation to environmental change. According to scientists, we cannot achieve our common goals set during the Paris Climate Agreement without restoring marine habitats at scale. The Ocean is extremely resilient but we only have 10 years to save it!

In 2020, we restored 1,000sq m of coral reef in the heart of the most biodiverse and resilient part of our ocean: the Coral Triangle and named it DoDo Coral Reef, in the heart of a marine protected area. Over the past two years, many endangered species of fish and invertebrates have reappeared, and 25 scientists and volunteers are involved in the long-term monitoring of the restored reef. In the last two years, the three coral genera present (Acropora, Porites and Fire Coral) have grown continuously, and four endangered coral species have been restored, with a survival rate of 96%.

Can you tell us more about the OCEAN AMBASSADOR course? What will it look like?
Our ambition is to train young people to be ocean ambassadors: through ocean literacy courses and tailored mentoring and methodology sessions. We will also connect with our marine biologists on the field to show how corals are cared for on a daily basis and how impact metrics are collected. The idea is to nurture a young person’s passion for theoretical and practical knowledge so that they can become environmental entrepreneurs and come up with innovative and effective ideas and solutions.
You don’t need to have a degree in marine biology to apply, the main feature that we are looking for is the person’s interest in the ocean and its ecosystems.

It is a plus if this person has an idea or a project for ocean conservation or restoration, as I will be happy to mentor him or her to make this idea come to life. The ambition is to find someone that wants to do something for the ocean but doesn’t know where to start or maybe doesn’t have knowledge about ocean sustainability to launch or participate in a program.

In such a difficult moment – when the political situation is so thorned apart – how is it possible to focus the people´s attention on climate change topics?
Obviously, this is an extraordinarily difficult time and unexpected, but this crisis and the climate are intimately linked. I believe that we need to approach the climate crisis in a systemic way, as the IPCC recommends, and understand the impacts that it has on each and every aspect of our societies. Mentoring and educating the youth is a key to approaching this. This is why I like the project that we have developed with DoDo this year: it allows us to plant a seed for the future.
On the other hand, I think that we overlook the power that we have as consumers: for example, reducing our meat consumption, supporting organic producers and small-scale fishermen and avoiding buying from businesses that have negative impacts, is a very powerful way to act according to me.

At our individual level, changing our consuming habits is key: we often think that we, as a person, don’t weigh much in the face of such global events.
Returning to your question, if awareness and knowledge spread as it is happening with the younger generations, environmental problems will always be on people’s minds and change can happen. I am an optimist.

The cooperation of Tēnaka and DoDo started in 2020 with the restoration of a coral reef, followed by a mangrove forest in 2021. What is this year’s plan? And what is special about the cooperation with DoDo?
In 2020, we restored 1,000sq m of coral reef in the heart of the most biodiverse and resilient part of our ocean, the Coral Triangle, and named it DoDo Coral Reef for 2022, DoDo has a fresh new impetus for the original project, as the protected area will be expanded with the planting of 300 new corals.

Over the past two years, many species of fish, invertebrates and megafauna have come back to the reef; among which many are listed as endangered. , and 25 scientists and volunteers are involved in the long-term monitoring of the restored reef. In the last two years, the three coral genera present (Acropora, Porites and Fire Coral) have grown continuously, and four endangered coral species have been restored.

Here at Tēnaka, we believe strongly in the power of businesses to bring about global change. I am excited to work alongside the pioneering and visionary brand DoDo for another year to restore the largest carbon sink on our planet

On the 22nd of April is Earth Day. Together with DoDo, you want to start an online workshop for three months in order to name an “Ocean Ambassador”. How did this idea come up, what can you tell us about the program and about the applicants?
Our ambition is to train young people to be ocean ambassadors: through ocean literacy courses and tailored mentoring. We will also connect with working groups in the field, to show how corals are monitored on a monthly basis. The idea is to nurture a young person’s passion for theoretical and practical knowledge so that they can become environmental entrepreneurs and come up with innovative and effective ideas and solutions.

You don’t need to have a degree in marine biology to apply, the main feature that we are looking for is the person’s interest in the ocean and its ecosystems. It is a plus if this person has an idea or a project for ocean conservation or restoration, as I will be happy to mentor him or her to make this idea come to life. The ambition is to find someone that wants to do something for the ocean but doesn’t know where to start or maybe doesn’t have knowledge about ocean sustainability to launch or participate in a program.

What fascinates you the most about the ocean and what is your main achievement with Tēnaka, the one, you’re most proud of, so far?
The resilience of the ocean is what fascinates me the most: when you repair marine ecosystems, when you give them the time to heal, they recover very quickly. That’s why restoring the ocean is a key solution, not only to mitigate the climate crisis but to strengthen the adaptation of coastal communities. And according to scientists, restoring the ocean is a tangible and doable objective: that is our mission at Tēnaka.

The ocean is very important to overcome the climate crisis. What can you do as a single person to help? Because unfortunately there is still often the common belief that one person can’t change a thing…
Individual actions are very important, but they need to be followed by political ones. So I would say one major thing that we can all do is raise our voices and pressure our representatives to implement concrete climate actions; social media and activism are very powerful tools for that. But at our individual level, changing our consuming habits is key: we often think that we, as a person, don’t weigh much in the face of such global events. But I think we overlook the power that we have as consumers: for example, reducing our meat consumption, supporting organic producers and small-scale fishermen and avoiding buying from businesses that have negative impacts, is a very powerful way to act.

Every project with DoDo is accompanied by the launch of some jewellery pieces in order to help realise the projects. Can you reveal some numbers?
I honestly don’t have any information on the numbers, but I have been told by the company that our initiative and the bracelets of past editions have been a great success! The decision to make bracelets from recycled plastic and the support of y projects such as those we have created together has been rewarded with excellent sales results. This year, the Tēnaka collection consists of a necklace and a bracelet showing a mix of coral-coloured recycled plastic grains and shades of blue with silver grains. The materials are the same throughout the Tēnaka collection: recycled plastic and silver.

Both models feature a small silver and enamel plaque engraved with the words “One Ocean” that also depicts our planet with its blue ocean, to symbolise that our ocean is a unique ecosystem that supports all life on Earth. A reminder to respect the sea and also a sign of thanks to those who purchase DoDo for Tēnaka jewellery, which helps support important and effective initiatives.

www.instagram.com/ansroux

www.dodo.it / tenaka.co