On this second edition of #MovementTalks Lea Kundicevic shares with us her personal journey and her role as the Communications Coordinator for Coast 2 Coast Movement.
Lea is a Peruvian-born, Canada-raised communications strategist, designer and writer. She studied Fashion Design in Peru, then moving to Barcelona to do a Masters in Innovation & Design Management, and a Postgraduate in Communications. Her ongoing journey as a creative has been driven by her motivation on nature conservation in all kinds of ways — working as a communications manager for sustainable fashion brands, writing articles for different projects and volunteering in NGOs.
"The joy in my work comes from giving more communication mediums to our natural environment — so that more people get inspired by all the meaningful and powerful messages that it's trying to transmit."
Since the start of 2021, Lea has taken charge of content creating — always looking for new ways to engage our digital audience on the importance of ocean-human health and sustainable futures!
What inspired you to take part of Coast 2 Coast?
I have always loved nature education, and while volunteering at a marine animal conservation centre in Barcelona (CRAM), I realised I wanted to be part of a similar project, but in my birth country, Peru. Most specifically I was looking for an initiative in the tropical north coast, since it is were the biggest amount of marine biodiversity is found and that is being negatively affected by so many different reasons. On this quest I stumbled upon Coast 2 Coast and felt connected by its vision and values - how through creative workshops, motivates students to make a different on their local, natural environment!
Can you tell us about your relationship with the sea, what has it given you?
So much! I am grateful to have always lived by the sea, and found that whenever I’m closest to it, I’m filled with peace and wonder. It is my connexion to the bigger world, beyond our human-centralised-societies.
What inspired your interest in the environment?
A combination of different epic moments, id say.The first half of my childhood was in Lima, where my family used to go the beaches down south - I remember being struck by the not-so-pacific Pacific and the unique deserted and rocky coast that contours this side of the planet. The second half was living in the outskirts of Vancouver, surrounded by lush rainforests, rivers and the Rockies. I have always felt these two different landscapes to be both very inviting…I think that is were my gratitude towards nature comes from. Then, while I was studying fashion, I started to realise (while getting better informed) about all the bad things we were causing the environment, so I decided to take action.
What are some things that anyone can do in order to help protect marine ecosystems?
I’m sure everyone has heard this before but: start by reducing the amount of waste your produce! Most importantly non-organic waste. Don’t see it as a limit, see it as an opportunity to innovate…and maybe inspire others along the way! The following step would be to buy from local and sustainable producers.
What is your favourite place in the world?
My recent favourite is the Santa Elena Ecological Reserve in the high jungle of Peru. It is just the most magical place, located in the wetlands and crossings of three rivers - filled with a flora and and fauna that create the most incredible spectacle. Beside the sea I would say the Paracas Natural Reserve, and the extensive beach of El Prat south of Barcelona - even though it looks like a pretty common beach, it is so special to me because I have lived many wonderful moments of my day-to-day life in Spain.
What are some books, movies, documentaries or podcasts that you recommend?
My tastes are a bit of a arroz con mango (rice with mango), a saying used in Peru to describe a weird mix of something. Though, you will probably never find me watching anything horror-themed!
Books: Loosing Eden: Why Our Minds Need The Wild, Like Water For Chocolate, Kon-Tiki and I
Documentaries: Chasing Coral, Pacificum, Sharkwater, Street Food: Latin America, A La Mar
Podcasts: Ologies, Water People
Movies: The Man From Rio, Kirikou, Blue Crush, Frida, Roma
Stayed tuned for more inspiring stories of our community!