Dana Cutolo

Hi, I'm Dana and I am a sustainability advocate hoping to find a meaningful and impactful career.

I have a diverse range of experiences that I feel make me a valuable team member. This page offers a deeper explanation of my skill set.

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In 2012 I graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Environmental Science. After spending the summer in Madagascar on a conservation based study abroad trip, I started studying Ethnobotany and Herbalism.

While working in the Economic Botany department at the New York Botanical Gardens I became interested in the conservation of trade and medicinal plants.

This question led me back to Madagascar in hopes of gaining practical experience - I wanted to be in the field, learning about conservation efforts in truly at-risk rainforests.

In 2014, I flew to Madagascar and found a job as Project Manager with the Madagascar Biodiversity Partnership. I lived in a small camp in Kianjavato, a region in the southeast of the island. Managing several nurseries, a full crew and several hundred contracted employees in order to meet the "1 million trees" goal was incredible. Daily nursery work and hiking miles into barren deforested land to plant trees.

This 6-month stay was invaluable and completely changed my view on sustainability, global industries and conservation. My friends in Kianjavato helped me understand the struggles of those living in these remote regions - when feeding your family must come before conservation of the rainforest. This sparked a new thought process, why are we focusing so heavily on researching proof of climate change and deforestation damage rather than looking at the bigger picture?

After leaving Kianjavato, I was called to the beauty industry. As an herbalist and a conservation biologist I knew that this industry was one of the most damaging. The beauty industry uses exotic ingredients, wasteful packaging, and more. This made me create Ny'Ala, and through the years I've learned how sustainability, the environment and the beauty industry meet.

In 2017, while living in Honolulu, Hawai'i, I decided to get my esthetics license to understand beauty from both a scientific and professional perspective.

Today, I am using my wide range of experiences to work in the intersection of sustainability and products.

As a consultant, I help small business mitigate impact by choosing sustainable ingredients, packaging and recipes. I also write and educate on natural wellness, sustainable beauty and herbs.