Performance Eyewear Company partners with Oceanus, AC and artist Piper Nunn to restore coral reefs in Mexico
Bajío, maker of sustainably-made, high-performance blue-light filtering sunglasses created to save the world’s estuaries and saltwater flats, is proud to announce a new partnership on its journey toward sustainability. Starting this month, Bajío has partnered with Oceanus, AC, a non-profit organization based in Quintana Roo, Mexico, that develops projects for the conservation of coral reefs, and artist Piper Nunn to help save the coral reefs of Xcalak, Mexico one coral at a time With each purchase of the Nato Permit Tail or Balam Coral Reef frames from Bajío’s newly launched Temples of Change collection, a $20 donation is made to Oceanus, AC, and plants and maintains a coral colony. Each coral will grow up to five square meters, helping to restore vital ocean populations critical to fish habitat.
The coral restoration program that Bajío is using for Temples of Change was developed by Oceanus, AC, and includes the construction of coral nurseries and the transplanting of thousands of colonies per year. The program includes the identification of genetic material from patches of healthy donors to increase diversity at restoration sites. The program also promotes the resilience and natural resistance of populations to local stressors and those caused by climate change.
“In Xcalak, the Great Mayan Reef is just a few hundred meters from the beach and is a critical part of the habitat in which we fish. A healthy reef means a healthy fish population, so we want to do our part to protect and renew it,” said Al Perkinson, founder of Bajío Sunglasses. Earlier this year, Perkinson connected with Nunn about how Bajío was sponsoring reef restoration in Xcalak and asked Nunn if she would be interested in creating artwork to support a campaign called Temples of Change, an effort to raise money for Oceanus coral planting efforts. AC Thus began the collaboration of Temples of Change with Nunn.
“Without healthy coral reefs, fish lose their habitat,” explains Nunn, who is an artist and fisheries biologist. “These coral designs help keep ocean conservation a priority while taking tangible steps to restore our coral reefs.” Nunn painted two ocean-inspired designs for the Shallow Temples of Change campaign. One is a fish-focused design featuring repeated Permit tails on the inner arms of the Nato frame, and the other is a habitat-focused design featuring beautiful Sea Fan Coral for the women’s Balam frame. “I wanted to create designs based on coral reefs. Because permits rely on coral for their habitat, he wanted to portray the stark reality that without coral reefs, there are no permits.” As for the coral design, Nunn took inspiration from ferns on a different journey. “At the time I created the artwork, I was interning in Alaska, hiking beautiful fern-lined trails. Sea fan corals look like underwater ferns, which is why I chose that type of coral for my design.” Nunn hopes to continue to create more art with a purpose for the Bajío and to create more art with a purpose for the Bajío in the future.
These limited edition sunglasses from the Temples of Change collection are available with prescription or non-prescription lenses at bajiosunglasses.com/collections/temples-of-change. Carbon neutral from the ground up, Bajío sunglasses are made with sustainability at the forefront and complement flag days on the flats and beyond. To learn more about all of Bajío’s lens options, visit www.bajiosunglasses.com/pages/technology.
About Oceanus, CA:
Oceanus, AC is a Mexican non-profit organization based in Quintana Roo, Mexico that develops projects for the conservation of coral reefs. Gaby and Miguel have been actively researching, monitoring and restoring coral reefs for over a decade planting over 70,000 coral colonies since their inception. For more information about Oceanus, AC and the work they are doing to protect marine habitats, visit Oceanus, AC.org.mx/en/front-page-english.
About Piper Nunn
Piper is the artist and fisheries biologist who worked with Bajío sunglasses on this project. She currently runs her own art business and recently graduated from OSU with a bachelor’s degree in Fisheries Biology. She is an avid fly fisherman, artist, adventurer, and lover of the great outdoors. To learn more about Piper and her work, visit www.pipernunn.art.
About the Bajio Spanish for “the shallows,” Bajío, an independent, employee-owned company, strives to improve the quality of life for the world’s saltwater plains and estuaries, the ecosystems they support, and the communities that depend on them . Bajío sunglasses are hand-assembled in New Smyrna Beach, FL, made with sustainability at the forefront, using plant-based materials in their frames and high-quality patented lenses created to filter out the bad and enhance the good. Follow us at Bajiosunglasses.com and on Facebook and Instagram at @Bajíosunglasses for the latest news and updates on their missions to save the ocean, one floor at a time. To learn more about Bajío sunglasses and view the full line of their Temples of Change collection, visit their website at bajiosunglasses.com.