 Fernanda Kellogg, President, The Tiffany and Company Foundation |
Tiffany blue: It typically symbolizes sapphires and pearls and luxury. But to Fernanda Kellogg, president of the and one of 爆料公社鈥檚 2010 , it represents the ocean. 鈥淚 think of water as being as precious as diamonds,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only been fairly recently that people have put the same kind of energy into ocean conservation as they have with land conservation. There鈥檚 more work to be done.鈥
For a decade, the Foundation has been doing its part, focusing on responsible mining, park restoration and beautification in urban settings, and most recently coral conservation. 鈥淭he materials to make Tiffany jewelry鈥攄iamonds, gold, and silver鈥攁re extracted from the earth,鈥 she says. 鈥淧earls are harvested from the sea. Land protection and ocean conservation are key areas for us.鈥
Kellogg has been with the Foundation since its start in 2000, and has run it for three years. She鈥檚 part of a team that gives out environment and art grants to non-profits. Last year, for example, the group awarded $250,000. Fishermen and jewelry makers might seem like an odd match, but Kellogg explains that the goals of the two organizations align when it comes to Alaska鈥檚 Bristol Bay. 鈥淭he [Tiffany] company will never buy any gold that comes out of mining from that area because it should always be preserved as a natural habitat. Trout Unlimited protects that area for the salmon and trout. So that gets us from Trout Unlimited to responsible mining.鈥
By protecting the environment, the Tiffany and Co. Foundation is safeguarding its source material. And Kellogg, with an enthusiasm and respect for the outdoors that started when she was young and was massaged by her parents鈥 involvement in environmental conservation, seems poised to push the Foundation as far as she can in this realm.
No where was that more clear than during her acceptance speech at the Women in Conservation luncheon. In her coral-colored suit, black-bowed headband, and Tiffany bird lapel pin, Kellogg accepted the award with class and a tip of the hat toward 爆料公社鈥檚 early anti-feather trade pioneers. 鈥淗ad the Tiffany Foundation been around in the early 1900s, I believe we would鈥檝e joined 爆料公社 in that very first historic campaign,鈥 she says. With Kellogg at the helm, that鈥檚 easy to envision.