What is the Blue Verve Project? Learn About Sherpani's Sustainable Initiative

Have you heard of Sherpani's Blue Verve Project (BVP)? Maybe you've seen a Blue Verve announcement in the Sherpani newsletter or recognize the BVP logo from some of your retro Sherpani styles. BVP has been around since 2009, and in this post, we want to share more about this Sherpani staple.

BVP started as an internal initiative, a company-wide promise to find sustainable solutions for the business processes we depend on. Sherpani's hometown of Boulder, Colorado, is known for sustainable living, a mindset reflected by our staff. We wanted to do right by our community (and the planet at large) by implementing sustainable business practices at every turn.

As the name suggests, the Blue Verve Project promotes the health of our world's oceans. Even though Boulder is a long way from the closest coast, we are big ocean lovers (who isn't?). Besides, the original inspiration for BVP did not happen at home.

In 2004, the Sherpani founders took a family sailing trip to the serene Abaco Islands. It takes some effort to reach this remote destination; you can anchor there for days and not encounter another soul. It was on these islands that we learned a painful truth: you can get away from people, but you cannot get away from plastic.

From there, Sherpani started getting involved in the conversation about plastic pollution. We quickly learned that the best solution is to reduce the amount of plastic that is produced and consumed in the first place. While we accept and embrace this narrative, we wanted to get Sherpani directly involved, so we turned our attention to another large facet of the issue: waste management. 

Because plastic takes hundreds of years to break down, we must find ways to repurpose the plastic that is already in circulation. Sherpani embarked on a journey to utilize recycled materials in our designs, focusing on reducing plastic waste. We began to incorporate plastic bottles in our manufacturing process, diverting single-use plastic from landfills and waterways.

The unfortunate truth is that the last plastic water bottle you encountered could outlive your great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandchildren. So, even if a bottle is taken out of the sea, we must find another way to use it, or we risk it ending up back in the water.

As Sherpani made progress with its sustainable innovation, we felt called to dedicate a space on our platform to the plastic problem. Sherpani created the Blue Verve Project to discuss sustainability and promote eco-conscious practices for businesses and individuals. The Blue Verve Project is dedicated to spreading its message by raising consciousness, providing educational resources, and supporting meaningful action.

Awareness plays a key role in shaping a sustainable future. While an organized clean-up might only make a small dent in the problem, it is an excellent way to engage a community and spread awareness. We believe every piece of plastic removed from the environment makes a small difference and a BIG statement.

The Blue Verve Project is a resource for anyone who wants to learn more about the pervasive problem of plastic pollution. We want to empower the public to educate themselves on the topic. BVP does this by addressing some common questions about ocean plastic, which is the perfect place to start. When it's time to dive deeper, check out the BVP resource library, which is full of scientific articles from trusted sources.

We also use BVP to catalog Sherpani's eco progress and measure the success of our sustainable initiatives. This is how we know that Sherpani bags have saved more than 7.6 million plastic bottles from entering the sea!

BVP has evolved over the years as we found a way to incorporate its mission as a pillar of Sherpani culture. Today, BVP is a public space dedicated to discussing plastic pollution.

The Sherpani founders do not consider themselves environmental activists, but regular people who were moved by the volume of garbage in the ocean. We believe that if you put your effort behind something, you can make a positive difference. We put our own resources behind our vision for a more sustainable future, one where we can sail on plastic-free waters.

The Blue Verve Project was born from our desire for a restorative relationship between humans and nature. BVP promotes the belief that through daily choices and raised voices, everyone has the power to make positive change. You can support the Blue Verve Project by browsing our resources, engaging others in the plastic discussion, taking action in your community, and shopping Sherpani styles. 

Together, we can challenge harmful plastic practices and give momentum to movements that will result in a brighter (and bluer!) future for all. 💙

 

Discover More from the Sherpani Travel Blog

• Make sure your Sherpani bag lasts with our official cleaning and care guide.
• Want some travel inspiration? Try this European travel story!
• For more sustainability, check out this post about eco-friendly practices. 

By women for women, the Sherpani Travel Blog talks about all things travel (& all things Sherpani!). Explore topics like solo travel, destination guides, women's travel safety, personal essays, and much more! This is a space to amplify female voices and celebrate our belief that travel restores the human spirit.