Yuka was born and raised in Queens, NY and received her degree in Business Management from Stony Brook University. After deciding that finance was not her forte, Yuka completed a second degree in Exhibition Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology and worked as a graphic designer for VitaminWater before landing a job at (ironically) an asset management firm. After three years of trying to compensate for the lack of creativity in her life by collecting bags, shoes, gadgets, and other random tchotchkes, she realized how much waste all of her purchases were creating. In September 2008, in a moment of desperation, Yuka founded Swyyne.com as a guide for urban piggies who love to consume but know that having nice things does not have to go hand in hand with harming the earth. Since then, Yuka has been active in spreading the word about switching to a greener lifestyle, and helped coordinate several successful ecovents such as the C.L.A.S.S. eco-materials showroom panel discussion on the future of sustainable fashion, and the launch party for Summer Rayne Oakes' book at the Stella McCartney store for Fashion Week. When she's not contributing to EcoPlum, Yuka also writes for The Daily Green, Inhabitat and Ecohookups, and is a Marketing Strategist at CodeGreen Solutions in New York City.