Na’gatbo I Tano: Environment-friendly t-shirts for Beautify CNMI!

Reprinted from the Marianas Variety, November 16, 2010:

Susan Castro-Cabrera showing the Na'gatbo I Tano
t-shirts that she and her sons are donating to Beautify CNMI!
Also shown left to right: Capt Carl Bracher, Cinta Kaipat,
Laurie Peterka and Governor Fitial.

A CALIFORNIA-BASED Saipan entrepreneur who was recently on island donated over 40 organic t-shirts to the Beautify CNMI group to help its campaign for a cleaner environment.

Susan Castro-Cabrera, owner of The Evolution of Coffee in Carlsbad, California, handed the t-shirts to Beautify CNMI’s Cinta Kaipat in the governor’s conference room on Capital Hill last week.

Cabrera said the shirts, with “Na’gatbo I tano” printed on their front, were designed by her twins Joshua Kyne and Josiah Kane Castro-Cabrera Villagomez.

They are environmentally friendly, socially responsible t-shirt dedicated to the islanders of the Northern Marianas and Guam.

The t-shirt design depicts dolphins in circular formation which signifies the Recycle symbol, designed to remind the people of the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. The design also depicts the dolphins as friendly and interactive creatures that embraces and protects the islands.

“Through these shirts, we hope to spread the message to beautify and save our islands and ultimately our planet earth,” Castro-Cabrera said.

Carl, Laurie, Cinta, Susan, Governor Fitial and John Baldwin
of Bridge Capital. Susan presented Beautify CNMI!
with t-shirts at Bridge Capital's donation distribution
presentation on November 10, 2010.

“When you wear this shirt, we hope that you are mindful of protecting the islands’ beauty and culture through preservation, conservation, sustainability, and ultimately peace,” the tags on the shirts said.

Castro-Cabrera said the t-shirts are made of 100 percent natural organic cloth and printed with water-based ink.

“It’s totally free of chemicals, and we urge you to wear these shirts with pride,” she said.

Kaipat thanked Castro-Cabrera on behalf of Beautify CNMI.

She said they are grateful for the t-shirts and hope each shirt will serve the purpose of urging the people to keep and protect the environment.

Bridge Capital Donates $500



Governor Fitial's Conference Room on November 10, 2010
Letft to Right: Cinta Kaipat, Susan Castro-Cabrera, Capt Carl Bracher, John Baldwin, Governor Fitial, and Laurie Peterka.

 Thanks to Bridge Capital's ongoing support, Beautify CNMI! is able to provide trash bags, gloves and sometimes, for bigger events, water for all those groups out there making a difference!

Beautify CNMI! works because everyone is involved...thank you Bridge Capital, thank you Governor Fitial, thank you to all the hard working volunteers in our community!

DEQ Monthly Cleanup Brigade: HIDDEN BEACH on Dec 4th

(DEQ) - The Division of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Monthly cleanup brigade will be at it again, picking up trash at Hidden Beach in Talafofu.

If you would like to volunteer your time to clean and beautify our island, please meet the DEQ representative on Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 8:00 a.m. at the entrance to King Fisher Golf. Come join us and “Pick it Up!”

Volunteers will split into groups and clean North and South Beach until 10:00 am and break for drinks and then continue, if needed.

This month, outstanding brigade volunteers who participated in at least ten (10) monthly cleanups will receive a brigade cap and those who participated in at least three (3) cleanups will receive a green brigade t-shirt.

This is a cleanup that should not be missed, so join DEQ’s cleanup brigade and “Pick It Up!” Let us work together for the health of our coral reefs and cleanliness of our beaches for everyone to enjoy.

The DEQ cleanup brigade began in 1996 and continues to maintain clean, healthy beaches.

So join DEQ’s Cleanup Brigade and “Pick It Up!” Let us work together for the health of our coral reefs and cleanliness of our beaches for everyone to enjoy.

For more information about volunteering, please contact the DEQ office at 664-8500/1.

50% Off for Christmas

Our Northern Islands is available for 50% off the regular price for the next two weeks for shoppers who would like to give the book as a Christmas (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa) gift. In order to receive the discount, the book must be purchased on Createspace.com and when prompted the following discount code must be entered: DPQ5DC28.

Our Northern Islands is a book about the first expedition to the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument and contains over 70 full color photos of the uninhabited islands north of Saipan. Written by recent high school graduate Dennis Chan, the book details the 10 day expedition taken to the newly created Mariana Trench Monument just months after its declaration by President George W. Bush on January 6, 2009.

Chan joined the expedition after winning an essay contest sponsored by the Friends of the Mariana Trench Monument, "Why I want to the visit the Mariana Trench Marine National Monument."

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book will support the educational programs of the Friends of the Monument and create more opportunities like the one given to Dennis.

What people are saying about Our Northern Islands:

"Youthful enthusiasm and neophyte adventure jumps out of the pages of this book.”
-Jaime Vergara
Saipan Tribune

"I am so proud of Dennis for putting this book together at such a young age."
-Delegate Gregorio Sablan
United States Congress

Please join us for the last meeting of 2010!

Day and Date: Thursday, 12/2
Time: 5:30pm
Location: NRCS office in Garapan (just south of the Naked Fish Restaurant at the ground floor of the 3-story white building)

Agenda Items

Priority
1. Reconnecting Beautify CNMI and its partners with Marianas RC&D (20-30 mins; will include short presentation by Mark Defley, comments from Council Members and discussion with BCNMI Partners)
2. Status update on plans for incorporating (10-mins; Cinta/Horiguchi)
3. Bridge Capital Donation (5-mins; Cinta/Laurie)
4. Year-End Wrap-up & select date/make plans for 2011 Kick Off Meeting (10-15-mins; Cinta/Laurie)

Time Permitting
Calendar and Bus Stop Project (10-mins; Cinta/Marites/Becky)
FirstFridayFilms Support (10-mins; Laurie for Aric Bickel)
Marine Lab at PauPau (10-mins; John Furey)

(In the spirit of respect for everyone's precious time, the meeting will finished in as close to 1-hour as is possible, though generally, meetings tend to run about 1.5 hours, so plan for yourself accordingly.)

The highlight of this meeting is to present the opportunity to sign an MOU with Marianas RC&D that would create a partnership mutually beneficial to all Beautify CNMI! partners. We want your input!

The Power of Sharing and Joining Efforts

As a supporter of FirstFridayFilms, we have some really cool news to share with Beautifiers! An active SVES teacher, Kathy Lalaine Pagapular got a letter this week from Rob Stewart, the director and producer of the film Sharkwater. And guess what? He's coming here!!!

You might ask, "How did this happen?"

Well, Kathy attended FirstFridayFilms showing of the film Sharkwater. She thought it was so cool and that it was something that she could share in her classroom, so she asked if she could have permission to show the film to her students. The students got so excited and so interested that they decided to write to Rob Stewart and invite him to visit the CNMI.

Amazing stuff, eh? This is the power of sharing and joining efforts. This is the spirit of Beautify CNMI!

Kudos Kathy! Kudos FirstFridayFilms!

Go San Vicente Elementary School!

Blue Gold This Friday!

This Friday( November 5th), First Friday Films will be screening the film Blue Gold: World Water Wars at 6:30pm at the American Memorial Park Visitors Center.


Four-time "Best Documentary" award winner, Blue Gold sheds light on the waste and overuse of one of our most precious resources: fresh water. The film discusses the practices that have lead to the dwindling supply of this limited resource and follows various examples from around the globe of people struggling to maintain their access and rights to water.


"differs from many others of the same vein in offering opinions and ideas from a varied number of professionals and experts that could lead to tangible solutions."
- HESO Magazine


“A must see film for every person on the planet.”
- Greenmuse.com

After the film, Derek Chambers, from the Division of Environmental Quality's Safe Drinking Water branch, will discuss where our tap and drinking water come from on Saipan and highlight ways we can become better stewards of this precious resource. The Visitor’s Center lobby will also feature an exhibit about the declining supply of global freshwater and ways we can help conserve it.

Please join us for this wonderful film. For planning purposes, the film is 90min long. You can see the trailer below or learn more about the film by visiting their website here .