News articles in Eco-Friendly Offerings

Industry Pro's New Position Encourages Responsible Travel and Adaptive Adventure Programs

(Dive Travel Business News - November 8, 2011) -- After seven years of business, and twice being recognized as one of the 100 Fastest Growing Businesses in the Philadelphia area, Indian Valley Scuba is changing leadership. Founder David Valaika recently announced his decision to turn over the reigns of the Northeast’s leading dive center to the team he built.

The change will allow Valaika to focus on projects closer to his heart, especially his altruistic work in developing Adaptive Diving Programs through the non-profit charity he founded in 2006, IAHD-Americas (www.iahd-americas.org). read more »

Palau Focuses on Eco-friendly Practices

(Dive Travel Business News - March 10, 2011) -- Palau is taking strides to preserve its natural resources, including sharks, whales, jelly fish, dolphins, agriculture, aquaculture and coral reefs. Eco-friendly practices are indigenous to the local culture and traditions and are now becoming a springboard for the island nation as several Palauan entities are enhancing their practices.

Palau’s former president, Tommy E. Remengesau, a key supporter of Shark Sanctuary, signed into law on Sept. 5, 2003, some of the world toughest shark protection legislation with heavy penalty of up to $250,000 per incident for violation. The ground-breaking legislation remains the law in Palau today, despite recent efforts to overturn. In January 2004, Palau received international recognition from Shark Project as a recipient of their first Shark Guardian of the year for passage of such tough shark protection law. read more »

Tenth Anniversary of Yukon Sinking

(Dive Travel Business News - July 19, 2010) -- On July 14, 2000 the San Diego Oceans Foundation, and its group of passionate volunteers led by DUI Chairman Dick Long, intentionally sunk the Canadian destroyer escort HMCS Yukon. Ten years later the HMCS Yukon has taken on a new life at the bottom of the ocean off North Mission Beach in San Diego as an artificial reef. Covered with invertebrates and encrusting organisms the ship is an ecologically sound marine habitat for a variety of aquatic life as well as an economic benefit to the area.

The Yukon is some 365 feet long and about 43 feet wide. Prior to sinking, the Yukon was cleaned of toxic and hazardous materials and large holes were cut into the sides for easy diver entry and exit. She lays on her side in about 90 to 100 feet of water, with the exposed starboard side located at the wreck's shallowest depth of about 56 feet. There she has drawn thousands of divers during the last decade, read more »

Is Your Travel Operation an Innovator in Sustainable Tourism?

(Dive Travel Business News - July 14, 2010) -- Washington, D.C. – The International Ecotourism Society (TIES), as part of a series of initiatives commemorating the 20th anniversary of the founding of the world’s oldest and largest association dedicated to promoting ecotourism, has launched the annual Innovation Leadership in Sustainable Tourism Awards to recognize and honor accomplishments by sustainable tourism leaders and pioneers.

The Innovation Award has been created by TIES to recognize those individuals and organizations who demonstrate leadership in innovative actions that effectively promote sustainable tourism and bring tangible benefits to communities and conservation. The Award winners – one individual and one organization – will be honored for their best practices and innovative actions, judged based on one example of an innovative project, product, or program developed in the previous year that supports the goal of uniting communities, conservation, and sustainable travel read more »

Divi Resorts Goes Green

(Dive Travel Business News - May 10, 2010) -- Divi Resorts has implemented a variety of sustainability programs and initiatives across its Caribbean properties on Aruba, Barbados, Bonaire, St Croix, and St Maarten.

The measures include eliminating polystyrene foam; utilizing 72-hour biodegradable materials; increased recycling of bottles, paper, ink cartridges and boxes; improving the separation of recyclables; installing low-flow toilets and showerheads; using recycled waste as garden compost; cutting chlorine usage in pools by 50 percent and replacing all standard light bulbs with energy saving bulbs.

Divi staff members also request guests reuse towels and sheets to decrease the energy used in machine washing as well as water waste. In addition, there are recycling programs in place and Divi resorts no longer use disposable cups at open-air bars and restaurants, only reusable plastic cups. read more »

Dive Tropex Tokoriki Wins Environmental Award

(Dive Travel Business News - May 4, 2010) -- Fiji’s Dive Tropex Tokoriki was awarded an Asia Pacific Environmental Achievement Award for operating in an environmentally responsible manner and demonstrating a commitment to conserving underwater environments through education, advocacy and action by the Project AWARE Foundation. The organization honors dive operators around the world who display commitment and excellence in their efforts to protect underwater environments within business operations and their community.

It is the third year in a row that Dive Tropex has been recognized for their commitment to conserving the environment having collected a Project AWARE Environmental Achievement Award in 2007 and 2008. Their work in regenerating the Giant Clam population around Tokoriki, participating in Project AWARE Dive into Earth clean ups on a yearly basis and various other environmental projects contributing to their recognition as a leading environmental crusader in Fiji. read more »

A Small Resort's Tips to Make Every Day Earth Day

Utopia Dive Village, Utila Bay Islands, Honduras

(Dive Travel Business News - April 22, 2010) -- As we celebrate Earth Day, there's a small dive resort located on the tiny island of Utila, in the Bay Islands of Honduras that has vowed to make Earth Day every day. Listen up!

Utopia Dive Village, a "remote adventure" dive, fishing and spa resort, is the only resort on Utila that has qualified for eco status through the Honduran Ministry of Environment that acknowledges the hotel and site were developed with strict guidelines to respect the surrounding environment. read more »

Bonaire's Dive Into Summer 2010

(Dive Travel Business News - April 12, 2010) -- In its fourth year, the“Bonaire Dive Into Summer” is the island of Bonaire's popular extended summer visitors' program that is scheduled from June 1 through September 30, 2010. read more »

Coral Restoration Project in Bonaire

(Sport Diver Magazine - March 26, 2010) -- During their yearly visit at Buddy Dive Resort in Bonaire last year, Ned & Anna DeLoach (authors of the famous Reef Fish ID, Reef Creature ID and Reef Coral ID) pointed out a very interesting project being executed by Ken Nedimyer, president of the Coral Restoration Foundation Inc.

The Coral Restoration Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on developing simple, effective, and inexpensive offshore coral nursery and coral restoration techniques that could be duplicated anywhere. Their offshore staghorn coral nursery in the Florida Keys has grown from five corals that settled on his rock in 1996, to over 3500 corals in March 2009, and expected to grow to over 7,000 corals by spring 2010. read more »

Nelson's pays homage to Lloyd Bridges character & environmental message.

(DiveTravelBusinessNews - 15 Nov 2009) -- Fans of Sea Hunt will want to check out Nelson's Restaurant at the Terranea Resort in southern California's Palos Verdes peninsula. Nelson's is a tribute to Mike Nelson, the character played by Lloyd Bridges in the famed Sea Hunt television series. Much of the hit program was filmed in a long-gone huge aquarium on the resort's site where the Marineland amusement park once stood. Nelson’s pays homage to Mr. Bridge’s lifetime efforts to protect the environment and is part of Terranea Resort’s conscious efforts to protect the valuable resources of their unique oceanside location.

Bridge's character Mike Nelson, an adventurous ex-Navy frogman turned freelance diver, captured the imaginations of young and old alike and while the show ran from 1958-1961 producing 155 episodes, the popularity of its syndicated re-runs continued well into the sixties, then on to cable TV and DVD boxed sets. read more »