The Emerald Maldives Is Bringing New Flavors To Paradise

This month marks the opening of the Emerald Maldives Resort and Spa—a 5-star all-inclusive property occupying the entirety of the Raa Atoll. Set amidst the lesser-explored northern parts of the archipelago nation it features 120 oceanfront villas and untouched white sand beaches. Stunning beauty is par for the course in this part of the world. But Emerald is looking to separate itself with an enviable commitment to service and sustainability. And don't forget the food.

For American travelers, securing a Maldivian passport stamp involves a significant schlep; at least two commercial plane rides followed by a short-hop on a seaplane. But for the adventurous sorts, this is a feature not a flaw. When you arrive, you're greeted by some of the clearest water in the world along with pristine surf—ideal for diving.

Emerald enhances the natural charm with a buildout that exists in harmony with the surrounding seascape. Bamboo, driftwood, native langhi langhi leaves have all been incorporated into construction. The resort is operating largely devoid of single-use plastic. It hopes to rely primarily on renewable energy within the next five years.

Then there is perhaps the property's greatest asset—Aldo Cadau. The Sardinian-born chef has been cooking at some of the Maldives' top resorts for seven years. It's only natural that he would end up here, at a place owned and operated by native Italians. In fact, Italy sends more tourists to this part of the world than almost any other country. Yet Cadau isn't focusing exclusively on his familiar Mediterranean cuisine.

"Our style is authentic, creative, and healthy," he explains. "This is such a great place to work because I have so many ways to express myself." Between four restaurants and two cafes, spread across the island's 50 acre footprint, Cadau plates everything from teppanyaki (at the pan-Asian Le Asiatique) to Brazilian beef (at Amazònico).

Sustainable Fashion Brands Dominate London Fashion Week

It's good news that most fashion brands, large and small, are looking at how to incorporate sustainable or "eco-friendly" practices into their businesses. The British Fashion Council's London Fashion Week is particularly good at taking the lead in social issues. LFW was the first main fashion week to go fur-free last year. This year the BFC launched the Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design to recognise a fashion designer focused on sustainable and community practices. The first award winner in February 2019 was Bethany Williams. And this month, the designer showrooms at LFW became a "positive fashion" exhibition, showcasing new brands new brands with a focus on sustainability, craftsmanship and ethics. The British Fashion Council has been a leader in eco-friendly fashion inititatives for many years, starting with Estethica launched by Fashion Revolution founders Orsola de Castro and Filippo Ricci in September 2006, to promote sustainable fashion during London Fashion Week.

According to Vin+Omi, "fast fashion has had its day and fashion companies that ignore the planet have had their day." Since 2004, Vin+Omi have developed twenty new textiles and a meeting with Prince Charles led to the designers transforming the Prince's nettle plants from Highgrove Estate into woven material. Garments made from this new fabric and colored with plant dyes were featured in their runway show this month. Recycled plastic waste from art supplies company Daler Rowney was turned into fabric for their printed outfits. Also on show were colorful bags made from discarded vinyl outdoor advertising posters donated by Ocean Outdoor.

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A Wine Fashioned Exclusively For Emmy Award Winners

Last weekend millions of viewers tuned in to watch the 71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards. They were treated to comedic cameos, poignant acceptance speeches, and historic victories (Billy Porter became the first openly gay black man to win in the category of ‘Lead Actor In A Drama'). What they didn't see at home was what all the stars were drinking after the show.

It turns out Emmy winners have more than just the famous gold statue in common. They also all have a hankering for California cab. Lauren Kopit is charged with slaking that thirst. The Napa-based winemaker for Sterling Vineyards was posted up at the Winners Circle, where recipients got their names engraved on the hardware throughout the Governors Ball after-party. She arrived bearing a prize of her own: a $250 bottle of 2015 vintage Iridium.

The bottle holds a small sampling of the vineyard's best grapes from a specific year. If the right fruit isn't to be found that year, they won't release it. According to Kopit, it's only natural that Iridium would fall into the hands of television's best and brightest. And, in fact, over the past three previous Emmys, the wine debuted here prior to a general release.

"The effort that we put into Iridium every year complements the effort that each award winner puts into perfecting their craft," says Kopit. "It starts with evaluating ripeness in the vineyards until the grapes are perfectly ready to harvest, and continues through tasting each wine daily during the fermentation process, all the way to selecting the best barrels from the best wines of the vintage."

While passing off personalized bottles–specially-packaged in its trademark metallic capped glass–Kopit could be spotted talking shop with decorated celebrities. She discussed wine pairings with Tony Shalhoub, who earlier in the night won a ‘Best Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series' for his turn in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. She laughed with Billy Porter, still glowing from the audience's lengthy ovation. And she almost had to card Jharell Jerome, the fresh-faced, 21-year-old actor who stole the show with his riveting acceptance speech for When They See Us.

                                                           

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How Leighton Meester Is Making A Difference In Sustainable Fashion With This Brand

ctress Leighton Meester is a style icon on and off camera. Beyond her role as Blair Waldorf in the hit TV series Gossip Girl, the star is creating her own admirable mark within the fashion industry. Recently, she teamed up with sustainable Los Angeles-based brand Christy Dawn to design an important must-have summer essential.

Meester and founder Christy Dawn came together to release the environmentally friendly "Leighton Jumper" — which sold out just shortly after it launched — earlier this month. The label prides itself in their ability to repurpose deadstock, or leftover fabrics from major fashion houses, for their products. "Fashion has meant many different things to me over the years, but now I think a lot about the story behind each item I buy," emphasized Meester in a press release. "As a mom, I look for styles that are both stylish and practical, and as a conscious consumer, I seek out companies that are female-led and mission-driven. As they say, each dollar we spend is a vote cast toward the type of world we want to live in."

In addition, all proceeds from the sales of the jumpsuit will benefit the Downtown Women's Center, an organization in LA with a mission to empower and assist women in the area suffering from homelessness. As a strong advocate with a personal connection to the cause, the idea came naturally for the collaboration. "My heart goes out to all of our LA women burdened with housing insecurity," Meester added. "I am thrilled to get behind any opportunity to raise funds to support this important organization and cause. I am excited to be creating something beautiful for women and by women, that supports other women."

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Fashion Maven Gloria Yu On Being Chic And Sustainable In Hong Kong

Gloria Yu - a fashion consultant, writer and designer, is all about staying chic and sustainable in Hong Kong. She is on a noble mission and spearheading initiatives to save the planet - and doing it all while looking impeccably stylish.

Ms. Yu has always been enamored with wearable art. With her talents, she studied fashion design at Parsons in New York City. Shortly after, she launched her own brand called Yunotme which sold at Lane Crawford, Net-a-Porter and other established retailers. However, she soon experienced a bit of a crisis of conscience. "It got to a point where I noticed the insane negative impacts of fashion on our planet and people, so I decided to switch lanes. Eventually I started consulting with Lane Crawford on sustainability and lately I became brand manager of LUXARITY, the social impact initiative of Lane Crawford Joyce Group." Today, she avidly educates consumers about sustainable fashion and lifestyle on her social platforms which include her Instagram, Youtube and website.

For Yu, she remarks that Hong Kong is, indeed, a burgeoning fashion hub but that - "not a lot of home-grown trailblazing creative talents' full potentials are realized here — simply because rent is so high! It's difficult for any city with little affordable spaces to groom creative talent because you need physical space to breathe, ruminate and create." She adds that, "currently, the only young creatives who can afford studio spaces are trust fund kids or a very fortunate few. So what happens as a result is that creatives either base themselves in other cities or end up working with big corporations." But Yu is hopeful and believes that Hong Kong can entice talents to return and for them to pursue more meaningful fashion projects whose foundations are grounded in eco and sustainable missions. And as a long time Hong Kong resident she has observed that, "the industry is shifting for the better. Through local start-ups, everyone's becoming more aware and receptive to supporting sustainability issues in the last number of years."

Yu says that the movement first began with Redress. "It is an NGO and one of the first entities in HK (both for and non-profit) which started in 2007. It focuses on promoting sustainable causes and raising awareness about waste issues in fashion. They have done so much good work and driving momentum alongside other voices to speak up and join in. Also, organizations and festivals such as Green is The New Black, as well as individual influencers and personalities are helping to shine a light on these important causes."

BabyQuip lets you rent child care equipment

It has been described as the Airbnb, eBay, and even the Uber of baby gear.

BabyQuip is the company you can turn to when traveling or if you are a grandparent. The company will get you in touch with a local quality provider who will bring things like strollers, car seats, cribs, strollers and more right to you and assemble them in your home.

One of those providers is Lisa Fuller. She is an East Valley mother who is one of the only BabyQuip providers that will travel to any city in Maricopa or Pinal counties to bring clients their rented items.

ABC15 tagged along with Lisa Fuller while she loaded up the family van like a jigsaw puzzle for a delivery in Gilbert.

"A lot of them [clients] are grandparents that live here in Arizona or they have a home here part-time in the winters," Fuller explained.

Fuller has been with BabyQuip for the last two years. A friend in Utah recommended she try the company out when the family was looking to make extra money.

Fuller said she loves road trips and traveling. Plus, this allows her to do it with her children.

"They learn it's hard work. You have to work hard and that's how you earn money. It's not off trees like they want to believe," Fuller laughed.

Once a client is done with their rental, Fuller will make the trip back to load it all up again. She will then sanitize everything before having it rented out to another family.

"It makes me feel like I'm contributing to society and also to my family," Fuller explained. "But, also...I still get to be a stay-at-home mom, but I'm still working. So, it's perfect."

Taguig Infant Care baby box project up

The city government of Taguig has launched the Infant Care Project modeled after Finland’s baby box project, which has helped new mothers and babies and lowered infant mortality.
In Finland, the maternity package—a gift from the government—is available to all expectant mothers. It contains bodysuits, a sleeping bag, outdoor gear, bathing products for the baby, as well as nappies, bedding, and a small mattress.
With the mattress in the bottom, the box becomes a baby’s first bed. Many children, from all social backgrounds, have their first naps within the safety of the box’s four cardboard walls.
The local version in Taguig is a 3-in-1 foldable baby bag that can transform into a diaper bag, a crib or a changing pad. Several compartments of the baby bag given away free of charge are filled with soap, alcohol, baby oil, wipes, and diapers.
Some 110 mothers had already received the baby bags during the recent Buntis Congress event held at Lakeshore Hall in Barangay Lower Bicutan.
The Buntis Congress is a biannual gathering of soon-to-be mothers and postpartum mommies to give them the proper knowledge on safe motherhood, breastfeeding, immunization and family planning.
On regular days, the item can be claimed after a baby is delivered in a medical facility and the parents get birth registration. Before the delivery, too, the mother must have undergone some steps.

"I am now worrying less because I can turn it into a portable crib where he can be safe while I do household chores or turn it into a bag where I can organize his things when we go out."
In the Buntis Congress, the participants also availed of free HIV and AIDS counseling, blood typing, dental services, and nutrition counseling. There was a PhilHealth booth for their inquiries.
The Infant Care Project and Buntis Congress are not the only programs of the probinsyudad zeroing in on mothers and babies.
In 2015, the Department of Health dubbed the city-owned Taguig-Pateros District Hospital (TPDH) "Mother-Baby Friendly," recognizing its outstanding implementation of a breastfeeding policy, staff training on lactation management, strong link with the community to sustain breastfeeding, and compliance with Executive Order No. 51, also known as the Milk Code, and Republic Act No. 7600 or Rooming-In and Breastfeeding Act of 1992.
In the same year, the Taguig City Human Milk Bank was launched, the third established by a local government unit in the country. It has helped a total of 473 breastmilk beneficiaries and recruited more than 2,989 breastmilk donors.
Some 14,669 Taguigeño babies have also benefited from Taguig City’s free newborn screening that ensures the early detection of conditions in newborn babies that need immediate treatment.
Taguig’s PhilHealth-accredited Super Health Centers in Barangays North Signal, Central Bicutan and Napindan also offer free lying-in services for pregnant women.
"The city administration is well aware of the struggles of every soon-to-be and new mother, and of every human born. Through this Infant Care Project and our many other programs in infant and maternal care, we offer our solidarity with them. Ultimately, we want the same thing: a more caring environment for the mothers and infants in our city," Mayor Lani Cayetano said.

Rural Response for Healthy Children seeking safety measures to be introduced in Goderich

Rural Response for Healthy Children (RRHC) envisions a community that nurtures and supports families so children thrive. Serving Huron County families as a non-profit charity, the organization was founded over 30 years ago by passionate volunteers.

Executive Director of RRHC Selena Hazlitt spoke to Town Council on the ‘Safe Places Youth Certification’. Working with municipalities and the OPP, RRHC has received provincial funding to fund the training for adults who interact with kids. They will be trained on responding to bullying, harassment and discrimination.

Rural Response is bringing this program to Huron County as part of meeting their vision and mission. It brings the opportunity to have trusted adults trained in the community.

“We want to provide this opportunity to town staff to take this training and we can issue a Youth Certification card to those employees,” said Hazlitt.

Hazlitt explained that the certification is valid for three years. Councillor Bazinet spoke on the importance of the respect module for coaches and parents.

“You learn something. For myself as a hockey coach, I implemented on my team this year that I want my players to shake the officials hands and show respect,” said Bazinet.

“I also implemented zero tolerance with my parents [of players] with yelling at opposing parents or players. I picked up a lot of these things from watching the ‘Respect in Sport’ module.”

Bazinet continued to remind those in the Council Chambers that at the end of the day it is just a game and the players are children. ‘Safe Places’ is a tool and it raises community capacity and understanding for the safety and well being for children.

“It supports adults in being able to know what to do and to interject and help,” added Hazlitt. “We recognize that a vulnerable sector check is only as good as the day it was done on.”

At Rural Response, they encourage parents to trust their gut and ask questions.

“If your gut says no, you walk away from putting your children in unsafe situations,” concluded Hazlitt.

Mayor Grace explained that apart from adults in the minor sport community, crossing guards and childcare workers are being trained amongst Town Staff for the ‘Safe Places’ module.

On Friday, Mar. 29, RRHC is hosting Sheldon Kennedy to present at Knights of Columbus. Kennedy is a child advocate and co-founder of Respect Group Inc. and he will be sharing his story and discuss the significant of community engaging in child and youth safety.

Schools census used to enforce immigration laws, minister says

The government has revoked parents' right to retract information on their children's nationality and country of birth submitted to the schools census, months before Brexit throws the immigration status of 3 million European residents into doubt.

Officials from the Department for Education (DfE) collected the data on 6 million schoolchildren, before it was halted last June in the face of opposition from critics who said it was an attempt to turn schools into internal border checkpoints.

Confusion over the policy had already led some schools to instruct only pupils who were not "white British" to bring in identity documents, spreading alarm that it was encouraging racism and a culture of institutional hostility to migrants.

Now ministers have confirmed that not only will they continue to store the data already collected, but also that parents can no longer ask schools to enter "refused", which instructs the DfE to delete their children's data.

Schools and families have not been informed of the change in policy, which was revealed in an answer to a parliamentary question last month. Nick Gibb, the schools minister, said the "last opportunity for parents to retract [nationality and country of birth] information was via the last [schools census] collection in summer 2018".

Other data from the DfE will still be used for immigration enforcement, Gibb added. "Where the police or Home Office have clear evidence that a child may be at risk or evidence of criminal activity, including immigration, [that] pupil's address and school details may be requested from the national pupil database," he said in response to a separate question. Both questions were tabled by David Lammy, the Labour MP.

The schools census is a termly collection of details of pupils in every state school by the DfE. It includes details such as age, address and academic attainment, which are recorded in the national pupil database. Figures released in December showed that in the year to September 2018 the Home Office requested data on 835 children from the DfE, which provided it in 247 cases.

When concerns were first raised about collection of children's nationality and country of birth, the DfE had insisted that the new data would not be shared with immigration enforcement authorities, that it was only being collected for "analytical, statistical and research purposes", and that parents could opt out whenever they wanted.

But when it emerged that names and addresses of children collected through the census had since 2015 been secretly shared every month with immigration enforcement, thousands of parents in 2016 heeded calls by human rights groups and teachers' unions to boycott the questions.

After a freedom of information battle, campaigners subsequently exposed a memorandum of understanding between the DfE and the Home Office that showed that officials had originally intended for nationality and birth country data to be used for immigration enforcement.

In a move that suggests ministers had misled public over their plans, the memorandum had been quietly amended some months after public opposition emerged – and after assurances had already been given – to remove references to nationality and country of birth.