Our Story
Stickers for Sustainability is a small business that was created by my twin brother E.J. Tilt, and I (Tony Tilt). From a young age, like many people in Washington State, we developed a love for the outdoors. Growing up in Edmonds Washington, just north of Seattle, we spent countless hours of our childhood outside on the water fishing with our dad, hiking in the mountains with friends and camping out at the coast with our family. We forged a love for nature and the pacific northwest at a very young age. We have a deep resonation with the saying “Do what you love and you will never work a day in your life”. With that statement in mind, we have chosen to lead our lives with that mentality.
Continuing on that path and refining our love for the environment, we were led to Western Washington University, where we attended their environmental program, formerly known as Huxley College of the Environment. Both my brother and I obtained our bachelor degrees in environmental science. Our time at Western really helped us realize how humans are an integrated part of the environment, and how big our impact on the planet truly is. The experiences that we have had transformed our initial adolescent love for the outdoors into something much greater. We knew that we wanted to get out and make a difference in the world and inspire others to, not only find that same love for our planet that we had, but want to care for it in their everyday lives. Together we hope to create opportunities to make the environment a better place.
Tony Tilt
It’s difficult to put into words what the environment means to me as a person. I have had an undeniable love for the outdoors and the pacific northwest my entire life. In a way, being outside and immersing myself in what nature has to offer is a deep part of who I am. Although most of my professional career has been marine based, my passions for the outdoors extend far beyond the water. In my free time you will find me rock climbing and hiking in the mountains or kayaking around the sound. If you really want to find me, you better look outside.
Towards the end of my time at Western Washington University, I was involved in an internship that studying the gray whales that come into the Puget Sound during the spring. Fun fact, they are known as our “Sounders” and we did not see the first one coming back into the Puget Sound until 1990. The focus of the internship was to observe the feeding behaviors of these whales and collect GPS location data. This internship was the beginning of an unknown love that I would soon develop for these incredible creatures.
After graduating college, I started working as a crew member and naturalist for the same whale watching company whose boats I interned on. Here I was able to further establish my love for the marine life in the area and grow a passion teaching about the Salish Sea and surrounding area. In addition to my work on the whale watching boat I also pursued a career in protected species observing, getting certified to work on ships to protect marine mammals. The work that I did while observing consisted of maintaining exclusion zones and enforcing agreements made between companies and our government agencies. Some of these government agencies are NOAA, BOEM and NMFS to name a few. My hope, like my brother, is that we can make a difference for the environment with Stickers for Sustainability, and help educate and facilitate others in making a difference in their everyday lives.
EJ Tilt
At a very young age I found that being outside wasn’t something that just made me happy, it was an innate need for who I am as a person. Throughout my entire life I have found myself gravitating towards the water and experiences that immerse me in nature. Kayaking, rock climbing, and endless outdoor adventures to name a few. After receiving my degree from Western and beginning my search for a career, it was only natural that I found myself seeking positions that landed me outside.
I have spent 4 years working for a family-run whale watching business located in Edmonds, WA, an opportunity that I was blessed with through my brother, after his time interning with Puget Sound Express. In addition to my time as a crew member and naturalist for Puget Sound Express, I have worked as a protected species observer on the east coast observing and protecting wildlife, as well as several years of experience as a naturalist with Wildlands Studies, a field study class that I attend as a student and teaching assistant. This field study class, based in Big Sur, California, allowed me to gain experience conducting and teaching survey techniques on streams, sea otters, elephant seals, coastal shorelines and more. My time with Wildland Studies was invaluable to me, and were experiences that changed me as a person. Teaching people about the environment, no matter where I am, is one of my favorite things to do.
Through all of the experiences that I have had in my life, the most impactful thing I have learned is that we are all a part of nature. By removing that thought process, a separation occurs, inhibiting us from truly understanding our impact on the environment and being able to protect the natural world around us. My hope through Stickers For Sustainability is to help people see the environment and the world through that lens, and maybe try and make the world a little bit better of a place, one sticker at a time.