PADI-affiliated Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts has reached a new milestone in sustainable diving with its new Green Fins digital membership.
The move makes it the first resort company to adopt this approach across eight Caribbean islands.
The Green Fins Program is implemented by The Reef-World Foundation in partnership with the UN Environment Programme. The aim of the program is to protect reefs by promoting sustainable scuba diving and snorkeling practices.
According to Michael Clarke, the corporate director of watersports for Sandals Resorts International:
“Here in the Caribbean, the ocean is a part of our everyday lives, and the health of our underwater ecosystems plays a role in the livelihoods of our friends, families, and neighbors. As new members of Green Fins across our entire resort portfolio, Sandals and Beaches are upholding their vows to protect and restore our natural resources so guests visiting from every corner of the earth can experience the crown of the Caribbean while generations to come continue to prosper from its resources.”
While PADI Global Director for Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability Katie Thompson added:
“As PADI Mission Hubs, Sandals and Beaches are incredibly important strategic partners for PADI. Their scale and shared commitment to a healthier future helps advance our mission to create more ocean ambassadors who can go out and not only explore but also protect the ocean. We proudly continue forward on this important journey with Sandals and Beaches and celebrate them as the first PADI resort company that can boast 100% Green Fins status.”
JJ Harvey, the operations director of the Reef-World Foundation, added:
“We are thrilled to see Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts leading the way in sustainable tourism for resort companies, leaning on Green Fins as a benchmark for environmental standards with the organization’s unique resources and monitoring mechanism to measure performance. This is an important step in their environmental commitment, and with Green Fins, they now count on the world’s only recognized eco-focused standard for scuba diving and snorkeling, as the tool to do so.”
