Living on the Gulf Coast of Florida, I have been watching anxiously as the horrible spill of oil has been pouring into the pristine waters of the Gulf of Mexico, upsetting the delicate ecosystem that provides for so many plants, animals and even people. I recently watched pelicans dive into the Gulf waters again and again scooping up small fish for their breakfast. The thought of this one group of birds possibly being destroyed by brown mucky oil was heartbreaking. The birds I was watching were fine for now, but many along Louisiana’s coast are fighting a daily battle to live where the water has become toxic. That is only one tiny part of the enormous impact the oil spill is having right this minute on pelicans, sea turtles, porpoises, and countless other coastal dwellers.

The disastrous Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion and subsequent massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is an ongoing environmental catastrophe. It’s a crushing blow to our fragile coastline stretching from Texas and Louisiana to Alabama and Florida. This far reaching tragedy affects us all and will continue to impact our lives and environment well beyond the immediate coastline for years to come.

Watching the news can give us a feeling of helplessness where this disaster is concerned, but actually we are not helpless. There are many organizations filled with many people who are volunteering their time and energy to helping the effort to clean up the coast and to minimize the effects from the oil, and they need our support.

Being a candle fan, when I saw this connection between candle shopping and helping to save our precious Gulf Coast, I had to learn more. New Orleans Flare has stepped up and bridged the gap between my favorite hobby and my championed cause.

Based in coastal Louisiana, New Orleans Flare has seen the devastation first hand and has come up with a way to help make a difference for the future of many marine mammals and sea turtles in the Gulf of Mexico. They have created a very unique candle that simulates the beautiful Gulf waters topped by a black wax “oil slick”. 100% of the net profits from these candles goes to the Audubon Institute’s Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program.

Check out New Orleans Flare fundraising page for more information about this one of kind candle and the reason it’s been created. There are T-shirts on site too with all profits being donated to the Gulf Coast recovery effort.


~ Julia

Read more about this cool fundraiser!