Giving Back to the Community

There is one country in the United States of America known for having iconic symbols of nature such as the old growth redwoods, wild salmon, picturesque dairy farms and scenic rugged beaches. The county described here is none other than the Humboldt County. It is also the place where the most environmentally colleges are located.

The environment friendly act was started by the Arcata's Humboldt State University when it invited its student to take the Graduation Pledge of Social and Environmental Responsibility. Through this oat, the youth specified their allegiance to preserving nature in all parts of the country as well as those as far as Asia. From that day forward, a lot of universities have since adopted the oath including Stanford University and MIT. The idea is simple; it encourages students to "walk the talk".

One example of Arcata's Humboldt State University graduate who kept the pledge of environmental responsibility is Holly Hosterman and Paul "Yashi" Lubitz. They are the founders of the Holly Yashi jewelry design company. The company creates colorful niobium and crystal jewelry in an environmentally-friendly design studio.

There is one significant year where Holly Yashi was asked to create one thousand pins to mark the 20th anniversary of the pledge, which started an environmental awareness throughout the country. Jacqueline Lee, the student coordinator of the graduation pledge, approached Holly Yashi not only because it is an environmentally conscious company but also because it supports the economy of the local community.

Holly Yashi, the jewelry designer of elegant pearls and Pandora jewelry, donated around $20,000 in the creation of the commemorative pins. This does not include the labor that goes with the creation. The company asked for volunteers to create the pins and to their amazement, the suggestion wad met enthusiastically. The volunteers donated their time and effort during lunch breaks, weekends and early morning shifts in order to finish the job before the HSU's May commencement exercise.

By the end of the commencement, 1,000 new graduates received the pin to remind them of their pledge. Meanwhile, Holly Yashi got its chance to give back to the university that shaped its environmentally sound culture.