In this insightful interview, Kat Casale, Design Manager at Sea Bags, shares her experiences and thoughts on the ocean, coral reefs, and climate change, reflecting her passion for marine life and environmental sustainability.
This June, we've collaborated on the Sea Bags Coral Collection, designed by Kat Casale and thus 20% of sales from the Coral Collection will go to support CRF™. Sea Bags is also a sponsor for Coralpalooza™ 2024! They graciously donated one of their Coral Collection bags for our raffle!
What is your earliest memory of the ocean?
Kat: "Playing at Bill Baggs State Park on Key Biscayne until I was very sunburned. I loved the water and I didn’t want to sit in the shade! I think I was maybe 5."
What is your favorite marine creature?
Kat: "That’s not a fair question; it’s too hard to pick! If I absolutely had to pick, I would choose seahorses. They’re so adorably improbable, and I love that the males give birth."
What concerns or scares you the most about climate change?
Kat: "It feels kind of selfish, but what scares me most is the disruption to human life. Climate change will cause instability in food and housing supplies, and because of that, political instability and conflict. I hate to think about leaving a broken world to my son’s generation."
Why do you, personally, care about coral reefs?
Kat: "They’re home to some of my favorite creatures, and protect some of my favorite places (Miami, Florida, for one). They’re the ocean’s cathedrals, as close to divine as anything I’ve seen."
Why is protecting and restoring coral reefs relevant to your brand?
Kat: "Sea Bags is, at its core, about love of the ocean. You can’t sail and not feel something for the sea, and recycling sails is the mission we were founded with."
In your opinion, what are some of the most powerful tools at our disposal that we can apply to the mission to save coral reefs?
Kat: "Social media and traditional media, to get the message out about why people should care about reefs. Then, if people care, they can apply political pressure to protect critical ecosystems like coral reefs, and make sure restoration efforts get funded."
What do you think are some of the easiest ways that the average person can join the mission to save coral reefs from extinction?
Kat: "Stop using single-use plastics. Contact your representatives and ask them to fund coral reef restoration. Talk to your friends about why reefs are important."
Do you think there is hope for our coral reefs? Why?
Kat: "Yes. There are some symbiotic algae that seem to be more resilient to rising ocean temperatures and acidification. If scientists can figure out what helps them tolerate these rapid changes and apply that to saving corals, I think it will help. In the long term, nature is stunningly tough. If humans don’t make it as a species, eventually the planet will heal itself and at least some corals will evolve and adapt to whatever changes we have wrought on the environment."
20% of sales from the Coral Collection in June will be donated to support Coral Restoration Foundation™
