The little blue box with a white ribbon has been a favorite iconic reference among my women friends since I entered adulthood (17? 18?). That a Tiffany diamond would someday be inside of it was always a natural extension of the fantasy. What wasn’t part of the fantasy, but should be known by everyone, is that of all their well-known designs, Tiffany & Co. considers sustainability their most important design element. 

I had the pleasure of attending the Black Card Circle Speaker Series featuring Tiffany & Co and their own Century City store. My boyfriend, Michael, squirmed when, after a glass of wine and few delicious hors d’oeuvres, I meandered over to the diamond ring display case and was met by Jessica, a knowledgeable Tiffany’s associate who takes her diamonds very seriously. She presented me with an array of gloriously gleaming diamond rings in nearly every cut, size and style. And while all Michael could see was the down payment on a house, I indulged in and enjoyed the elusive Tiffany fantasy once again.

At the end of my “diamond finger dress-up” boyfriend torture, Lotay Yang, Founder of Black Card Circle and Yvonne Randolph, Executive Director of Black Card Circle Foundation, introduced Tiffany & Co’s Store Director, Eric Holtzman who spoke briefly about Tiffany’s commitment to sustainability, to their ethical mining of precious metals and gemstones, and to their environmental consciousness in the manufacturing of conflict free diamonds. Sustainability and environmental responsibility are business imperatives and moral obligations that Tiffany & Co. demands in every aspect of their business – from their mining sources to their business partners, vendors, and suppliers. According to the Global Witness Progress Report, Tiffany & Co. offers “a model of what major diamond jeweler retailers and manufactures should do.”

I am embarrassed to say that these benefits of being a Tiffany & Co. customer were previously unknown to me. But from this moment on, it will no longer be just about the little blue box (which, by the way, is made from Forest Stewardship Council certified forests). This level of environmental consciousness is being brought to the forefront in all aspect of our lives – from our land to our water, and now to our diamonds, precious metals and precious gemstones – all of which are finite resources. Tiffany & Co. is showing the world how to respect those resources of nature and still create a timeless, tangible sentiment that will take your breath away when presented in that famous, sustainable, blue box (which will, of course, be properly reused and recycled in the hands of this now enlightened Tiffany customer).

The Black Card Circle® Foundation, Inc. is a charitable organization whose mission is to create awareness for and provide grants to non-profit organizations that promote self-reliance and sustainability in one of the following five areas: education, environment, health care, community development, and poverty relief. Black Card Circle and Tiffany & Co. are proud to sponsor the Black Card Circle Foundation Black Tie Charity Event on Saturday, August 15, 2009 in Santa Barbara. This charity event in Santa Barbara supports the Black Card Circle Foundation’s efforts in raising awareness and funds for micro lending in impoverished communities as well as autism education and awareness services. Tickets are available now at: http://tinyurl.com/livenationbccf.

For more information about the Black Card Circle Foundation, please visit: http://tr.im/bccfphilanthropy and http://causes.com/blackcardcirclefoundation.

For more information about Tiffany & Co. please visit http://www.tiffany.com

“Why does everyone focus on all the bad things we are doing to the environment?” Kamden, my youngest son asked me at dinner one evening. “Why can’t we focus on the good things we do?”

His question made me pause. He had a valid point that reminded me of an example of how our thoughts affect our perception.  Close your eyes for a moment and don’t think of the color green. Don’t think of the color green. Don’t think of the color green. Don’t think of the color green. Don’t think of the color green. Look up. What do you see?Most likely your eyes targeted in on anything green, because how and what we tell ourselves to focus on affects what we actually do focus on. You were not supposed to think of the color green, but you did because of how you were telling yourself to stay away from it. Rather than saying, “focus on blue, focus on blue,”  you were repeating, “NOT to focus on green.”  And what did your mind concentrate on? Green.

The same is true for our kids. If we tell them everything that is wrong, they will think about the wrong. Truly, we want them to notice what is right. So we need to celebrate what they are doing well; we need to celebrate what we are doing appropriately as parents. I know that it is often easier to go to the negative. I also know that my thoughts manufacture my perceptions, which create how I feel, which in turn produce my actions, which generate my results. Simply, what I focus on and what we help our kids focus on is ultimately what we bring into our lives.

My goal as a parent is to focus my kids’ attention on their positive behaviors and actions. If they go awry, I try to steer them in another direction by praising what they do right. That Kamden realized and was deeply affected by the pessimistic focus of this subject at school, at his tender age, breaks my heart for him. He noticed a negative way the world works. He also noticed that that way of thinking did not resonate for him. This moment with my child has made me want to change how I work within our world all the more. I don’t ever want him to stop focusing on the positive, on the gifts that each situation offers.

Sometimes it is as easy as shifting our language from a “not” to a “do.” In the case of our environment, it is more complicated, but we can focus on what we are actually doing to change it, how others are helping, and the resultant positive effect on our world. This positive energy will create more positive energy and that in turn creates constructive change. So let’s focus on that. Use your reusable grocery bags. Recycle. Conserve. Use what you have. Plant native plants. Look into alternative energy sources. And strive to make the energy you are giving off in your daily life positive, for ultimately that will determines the outcome of our worlds – locally and globally.