Saving the Atlantic Forest With Marc by Marc Jacobs Sunglasses

PADOVA, Italy, December 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Marc by Marc Jacobs chic, vintage inspired eyewear, derived from a company well known for a commitment to charitable projects is supporting The Nature Conservancy, the leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters, through a newly created "PLANT A SEED - GROW YOUR TREE AND SAVE THE FOREST" program.

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The program is aimed at promoting and supporting The Nature Conservancy's "PLANT A BILLION TREES" campaign, through an important awareness-raising activity for the preservation of our planet's natural resources.

The campaign's mission is to protect and restore the Atlantic Forest in Brazil, one of the world's most endangered tropical forests. To date only 12% of its original area remains and only 7% is well conserved.

At the centre of this worthwhile project are Marc by Marc Jacobs MMJ 261/s bio-based sunglasses, made from a material derived from castor-oil seeds. The chocolate coloured sunglasses, which feature leaf textured temples, are packaged in a chic case made from repurposed leather.  

In support of this project, Marc by Marc Jacobs will make a contribution to The Nature Conservancy to support the restoration of the Atlantic Forest.

A dedicated website for the project http://www.plantaseedproject.com provides full details about the campaign as well as enables site visitors the opportunity to plant a virtual tree and make it grow.  A Facebook application will allow visitors to invite their friends and involve them in the project: a tangible and lasting involvement in an important environmental cause.

Marc by Marc Jacobs eyewear and sunglasses collections are manufactured and distributed by Safilo Group.

The Nature Conservancy:

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. The Conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy on the Web at http://www.nature.org.

The "Plant a Billion Trees" project:

The Nature Conservancy launched the Plant a Billion Trees campaign in April 2008 with a goal to restore and plant one billion trees in Brazil's Atlantic Forest. Once twice the size of Texas, the Atlantic Forest spanned across eastern Brazil, northern Argentina and eastern Paraguay.  Yet today, more than 93 percent of the forest has been cleared to accommodate Brazil's rapid development and support the region's 130 million residents, 70 percent of Brazil's population. Although the remaining 7 percent is highly fragmented, these last stands of lush forest harbor one of the greatest repositories of biodiversity on Earth.  http://www.plantabillion.org.

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SOURCE Safilo S.p.A.