Earth Day Spotlight: Eoin Finn, Naya Rappaport, and Kayla Nielsen
For Earth Day, we’re highlighting a few Alo Moves instructors who have committed to environmental issues in their local community and around the world. Read on to learn more about the causes near and dear to their heart.
Eoin Finn
Blissology EcoKarma Project
The ocean holds a special place in Eoin Finn’s heart. “We are so intimately connected to the ocean,” he says. “Every tear and every drop of sweat comes and goes from the ocean; every second breath we take is produced by the plankton in our oceans.”
However, due to human activities and climate change, the ocean is in incredible trouble. Research estimates show that by the 2030s, 90% of reefs are expected to be at risk from both human activities and climate change.
As a passionate ocean activist, Eoin Finn started the Blissology EcoKarma Project in 2014 to raise aid and awareness for the world’s imperiled coral reefs through yoga and activism. Through the project and its retreats, people have volunteered their time to work with the organizations to help transplant coral from saltwater nurseries to reefs in Florida, Bali, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.
“Nothing has shaped my body, mind and soul like the ocean,” he says. “The ocean is a shrine of interconnection and lives at the heart of my spiritual and movement practice. I realized that leaving a cleaner ocean for the next generations to come is everything.”
Learn how to get involved here.
Naya Rappaport
Bikini Beach Cleanup
According to the Environmental Protection Agency in the U.S., pollution of coastal environments degrades and destroys unique beach habitats used by animals and plants. Polluted beaches can also become a public health risk, which can inhibit economic growth of the surrounding community.
As a fellow ocean lover, Naya Rappaport is invested in promoting clean and healthy coasts. With the overwhelming amount of pollution and litter that is found on our beaches today, she helps to organize community Bikini Beach Cleanups in South Florida to promote eco-awareness, encourage sustainability in our habits, and inspire others to do the same.
Learn how to get involved here.
Kayla Nielsen
Go Light Our World (GLOW)
After traveling and working abroad in Africa, Kayla Nielsen fell in love with the country and felt the pull to return and give back. She founded Go Light Our World (GLOW), a nonprofit that diminishes poverty with solar solutions. GLOW provides a variety of solar solutions through micro-loan systems to rural, impoverished communities around the world, helping people switch from costly and hazardous kerosene lamps to solar-powered lights in remote villages in Africa, Asia, Indonesia, Philippines, and India.
Solar solutions provide many benefits for these rural communities. According to Kayla’s website, these benefits are:
It’s a clean, renewable source of energy. “With solar lighting, people are able to rely on an unlimited resource (the sun) as their source of fuel — it’s clean, green, and won’t ever run out!”
It’s better for their health. “Kerosene lanterns are toxic to ingest daily, especially in the small confines of a hut-style home that most of these families live in.”
It’s safer. “Compared to kerosene lamps and/or candles, solar light reduces the risk of fires and burns in each household.”
It improves their quality of life. “With the benefits of these lights, children are able to study and complete homework beyond the confines of daylight.”
To fund these efforts, Kayla hosts GLOW Yoga Retreats around the world that contribute to GLOW’s charitable initiatives.
Learn how to get involved here.