Home Decor Designer Fashions Sequined Sea Turtles to Aid Gulf Cleanup. Sea Turtle Pillow to Debut at Philly Gift Show and Benefit Oil Spill Recovery Efforts.

Online, July 15, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Southeastern, Pa. - Rightside Design, a manufacturer of elegant home decor inspired by coastal treasures, will debut a design at The Philadelphia Gift Show on July 25 that provides individuals with a unique opportunity to help marine life threatened by the Gulf oil spill.

A portion of the proceeds from the Turtle of the Sea Pillow - a hand-crafted work of art inspired by the endangered sea turtle species that reside in the Gulf - will be donated to the Audubon Nature Institute, in support of their Gulf of Mexico oil spill recovery efforts.

Lynn McKernan, President of Rightside Design, announced the company is dedicating a full 10% of the sales of this pillow to raise desperately needed funds for the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program (LMMSTRP) coordinated by Audubon Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans since 1993.

"As I watched the heart-wrenching images of wildlife just coated in oil from the Gulf, I was especially saddened and angered by the destruction we were witnessing," says McKernan. "For years, I've taken inspiration from the beauty of nature and wildlife around our coasts. The I Sea Life home decor collection is all about the delicate balance of beauty and nature. To see marine life destroyed like this made me feel so powerless and angry. I wanted to channel this into a positive and constructive response."

As the full environmental consequences of the spill became evident, McKernan knew she'd have to work quickly to have any impact on the disaster...now considered the most far-reaching in American history.

Over the course of many sleepless nights, an elegant accent pillow took form. Like all of the products in Rightside Design's I Sea Life Collection, the Turtle of the Sea Pillow's organic design is inspired by nature, but the lush fabrics and hand-beaded accents elevate it to a work of art.

Though early media reports focus on the effects of the spill on coastal waterfowl, McKernan chose the sea turtle for this special partnership with the Audubon Nature Institute, as experts now anticipate that the greatest number of animals affected by the oil spill will be sea turtles.

According to a report from the environmental group Oceana, not only does the oil kill off the turtles' natural food sources, ingesting it damages their ability to absorb nutrition, essentially starving them to death. The timing of the spill was also disastrous to the sea turtle breeding season, with vulnerable hatchlings now emerging into toxic oil-clogged waters. Add to that the sea turtles killed in the controlled burning of preliminary cleanup efforts, and the already endangered future of Gulf sea turtles looks especially bleak.

McKernan chose to fund Audubon Nature Institute because LMMSTRP has been designated as the primary responder for the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of all marine mammals (dolphins, whales and manatees) and sea turtles along the Louisiana coast.

Currently, LMMSTRP has rescued four out of the five species of sea turtles that are found in the Gulf of Mexico. The majority of the turtles are Kemp's Ridley, which are the world's most critically endangered species of sea turtles. Responders have also rescued Loggerhead, Hawksbill and Green Sea Turtles from the Gulf of Mexico. The turtles will be observed by staff until they receive a 'bill of clean health' from Audubon Nature Institute veterinarians. Then, the turtles will be kept at an Audubon facility until the Gulf of Mexico is deemed safe enough for release.

"We're eager to partner with Rightside Design for this fundraiser," says Ron Forman, President and CEO of Audubon Nature Institute. "Audubon is thankful for the generous support received from many organizations across the country to help the Gulf coast region."

"When I first launched this line, it was all about celebrating the gifts of nature and the sea," says McKernan. "Now, those gifts are being threatened in a way the world may never recover from. We all feel that potential loss, and I think that each of us wants to do something to make a difference. The Audubon Nature Institute can. And at this crucial moment, I am hopeful that I can too."

Rightside Design specializes in affordable coastal living home accents inspired by marine life on every coast. The I Sea Life collection features hand-beaded and embroidered pillows, sustainable bamboo products, unique shaped herbal sachets and wall art. The full catalog of I Sea Life designs can be found at http://www.mysealifestyle.com/index.html, along with a list of retail locations that carry the collection.

Audubon Nature Institute operates parks and museums in New Orleans dedicated to Celebrating the Wonders of Nature, including Audubon Zoo, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Entergy IMAX® Theatre, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Wilderness Park, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Park, and its newest attraction, Audubon Insectarium.

For more information about LMMSTRP or Audubon's efforts during the Oil Spill Recovery, please visit www.AudubonInstitute.org/gulf-oil-spill-resources.

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Audubon Media Contact: Rightside Design Media Contact
Meghan Calhoun Lynn McKernan
Audubon Nature Institute Rightside Design
(504)378-2693 (610)304-2741
[email protected] [email protected]