Here are three ocean sustainability projects that any aspiring eco-warrior needs to be aware of.

The era of businesses turning a blind eye to its environmental responsibilities is long over, and today even the smallest enterprise is called upon to do its part in reversing climate change and protecting the world we all live in.

Consumers across the board are savvier than ever and will be actively seeking out companies and products that align with a more sustainable and eco-friendly future. Green practices also allow owners to save considerable amounts of money and streamline their offerings – a win for everyone involved, including the planet!

Here are 4 practical ways to make your business more eco-friendly.

With pollution and waste mismanagement increasing across the globe, protecting the oceans has become more critical than ever. The good news is that ocean-lovers are continuously looking for ways to support ocean conservation. Now you can even take part without ever leaving your home, or your couch!

Ekoru is an up and coming search engine that gives back to the oceans with every search that you make. One search equals one pound of trash removed from the ocean. Try it yourself!

The European river cruise sector is booming.

The number of active cruise vessels has more than doubled between 2004 and 2017. The growth in cruise tourism has placed a heavy burden on marine environments. As a result, there has been a general rise in customers demanding more responsible and sustainable tourism. To reduce their environmental impacts and to meet the increasing demand for sustainable cruising options, river cruise companies (like Scylla Cruises) have begun to take action.

Read more to find out what Scylla is doing for sustainability in our interview with Scylla’s very own CEO, Arno Reitsma.

The Mandalika Project, a government-mandated project, looking to create a new and sustainable alternative destination to Bali, has inspired some exciting new technologies for eco-sustainability. These new developments, which are looking to be implemented in Bali as well, are intended to make Lombok a sustainable tourism paradise.

The quickly developing island of Lombok is slated to become a fantastic and environmentally sustainable eco-tourism destination through the guidelines put into place by the Indonesian government. This project promises to redefine eco-tourism to bring people closer to a healthier lifestyle and one that is in tune with the natural environment. 

In this interview our team members from Sea Going Green sat down with Amber Westerborg, the Impact Manager of The Student Hotel (TSH) situated a few minute cycle from the heart of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. We asked TSH about their current sustainability projects and operations, how they are engaging staff and guests as well as some tips for other hotels looking to incorporate sustainability into their core business. 

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, is the talk of the town these days, and no, not just because he is a beloved member of the British Royal family, but because of his new initiative looking to be a driving force for sustainable tourism: Travalyst. 

This past Tuesday in Amsterdam, Prince Harry along with some big names in the travel industry, Booking, Skyscanner, TripAdvisor, Visa and C-Trip, gathered together in ADAM Tower amongst an intimate group of local entrepreneurs and professionals, including our very own Founder and CEO, Ally Dragozet. 

Introducing sustainability into your business can improve efficiency, encourage employee engagement, drive customer loyalty and ultimately boost the bottom line of your business. For offices looking to cut down their CO2 footprints, enhance their waste management strategy, and introduce more sustainable initiatives into the company, luckily there are many new ideas and practices out there.

It can be overwhelming to take the first steps. Where do you start and what are the most effective methods? We’ve put together a list of our top tips for creating a sustainable business that benefits your bottom line. 

This week, we’re excited to announce Sea Going Green’s partnership with Aquablu, an innovative water filtration system looking to change the way that we access clean drinking water, leaving bottled water behind in the dust.

Aquablu allows for customers to tap into polluted or otherwise non-drinkable water and filter out micro-plastics, chemicals, antibiotics, heavy metals and more. This technology can even be used on board marine vessels such as cruise ships and luxury boats, which by using this product helps lower their CO2 footprint and mitigates the risk of plastic bottles (and caps) ending up overboard!

Read more about Aquablu in our interview with the founder, Marnix, and see for yourself how this could be a great addition to your home, office or boat!

In my last blog “Transitioning from a Tourism-Dependent Region to a Sustainable Paradise: The Caribbean Case Study pt. I” I talked about human pressures on the natural environment in the Caribbean. Even though these pressures are substantial, I think there is a way to turn the most unsustainable tourism-dependent region in the world into a sustainable tourism paradise. In this blog i’ll explain how this can come to be by using the example of Baja, Mexico. 

Have you heard of the #trashtag challenge? Around the world locals and tourists have come together to clean up parks, rivers and beaches, giving them new life.

This week, we’ll be featuring Scuba Projects, an initiative to spread awareness about ocean conservation while engaging the local community to lead the charge towards stopping plastic pollution by taking part in cleanups! If you haven’t already, check out their viral cleanup video here, which was one of many cleanups that they hosted across the country of Vietnam.

Keep reading to hear more about how Scuba Projects was founded, what their reception has been like so far and their future ambitions and projects!

Did you know that almost every piece of plastic ever made is still on the planet in some form or another? Plastic production globally is expected to be more than 3 hundred million tons. By 2050, when the population explodes to almost 10 billion people, it’s expected that plastic production will triple. The problem with that is that today, only a fraction of the plastic we produce is recycled.

In this week’s blog, we’ll take a look at 6 different brands that are incorporating marine plastics into their practices and retail products. We hope that this will inspire more brands to use ocean plastic in the creation of their products!

In this week’s blog we’ll be showcasing an upcoming documentary series by Gemtrack Travel called Positive Pioneers, and in particular Metamorfosa: an episode highlighting a village in Indonesia that has come together to restore its natural beauty including its surrounding waters and coral reefs.

The documentary shows the dedication that the community has committed to bringing their 5 km of local reefs back to life as well as the solution of building the relationships between all the levels of society to make projects like this replicable and successful in areas around the world!

Beautiful both visually and in its story, this documentary is awaiting its highly anticipated release at the end of this month, so take a look at this blog for a preview and stay tuned for its release! In the meantime also check out the documentary website here to learn more about this project and how you can support it!

This week Sea Going Green will dive into the topic of bridging the gap for women working towards ocean conservation by facilitating awareness about gender equality to encourage women to be a part of the solution, no matter what their educational background, ethnicity or socioeconomic status is.

For Farah of Women4Oceans, bridging the gap means empowering women to get a seat at the table allowing them to gain equal exposure and recognition for their efforts in ocean conservation.

Check out the rest of the blog to hear more about Farah’s motivation for starting Women4Oceans as well as projects and initiatives that they are doing to promote female visibility!

Sea Going Green recently had the pleasure to interview Iris Overeem from the Recycled Island Foundation, a non-profit based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands to discuss their efforts to solve the issue of plastic pollution!

Their “plastic traps” catch floating plastic and upcycle it to close the loop by making it into a floating island structure, which can also function as an urban space for biodiversity and also city dwellers!

Check out this week’s blog to find out more about what inspired this project, how it works and its ambitions to become a new urban solution!

Imagine one day when you think of tourism, the first thing that comes to your mind is leaving behind a positive impact on the local community and environment when you leave. This is a world that we dream of, which is why Sea Going Green is thrilled to announce our partnership with the Impact Travel Alliance, which has built a community of passionate travelers and sustainability enthusiasts, who believe that all tourism should be sustainable!

Check out this week’s blog to hear more about the mission of the Impact Travel Alliance from founder, Kelley Louise! You can also read more about the efforts the non-profit is doing to make a difference and how you can join their chapter events, now being held in 20 cities worldwide!

Sea Going Green is excited to announce its partnership with PlanBlue! Their smart technology can automatically analyze seafoors. It can for example visualize the health status of the seafloor making it easily understandable to policy makers, the general public, but also coastal managers. We at Sea Going Green can’t wait to start working together with PlanBlue on future projects to help the marine tourism industry to #GoGreenForTheBigBlue!

In this week’s blog, you’ll hear more about how the DiveRay works and the ways that the data gathered from it can help solve the biggest problems facing our oceans. Take a look at the inspiring work PlanBlue has done by getting an inside look at the motivation and future of this technology in our interview with CEO, Joost Den Haan.

Ropeless Fishing.

Certainly, those two words don’t belong next to one another, right? Well, I’m glad you’re wrong.

Australia started it, Canada followed suite, New Zealand wanted a piece of the action, and now the United States is interested. Fishers in these countries (and more) have begun one of the most significant changes in the age-old fishing profession. Check out this week’s blog to learn more about why this change is so significant and how it can help revolutionize the fishing industry.

Sea Going Green goes to Brussels!

This week’s blog provides insight on efforts by the EU to move towards sustainability in the tourism sector. Sea Going Green is happy to note positive steps are being taken in the right direction by the EU and its partners with plenty of room to grow!

The EU is making changes to #GoGreenForTheBigBlue!

Just this week lawmakers have approved measures that may lead to the ban of single-use plastics by 2021, which is great news for our oceans!

Check out this week’s blog for more information on how the EU Commission plans to finally toss away single-use plastics for good.