The first Earth Day in 1970 activated 20 million people from all walks of life and is widely credited with launching the modern environmental movement. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day activities each year!
On Boracay Island it has been a month of Earth activities. We turned off electrical appliances for Earth Hour at the end of March and encouraged participants to “go beyond the hour”. April started with the BASS (Boracay Association of Scuba Schools) cleanup where local dive centers teamed up to keep the island’s waters and beaches in great condition. We’ve collected lots of signatures for the AWARE “Give Sharks a Chance” petition. Dive for Earth Day itself saw us all back underwater with our trash bags to continue the good work and report data to Project AWARE for their conservation research.
Following the new beach smoking ban regulations from the Boracay local government, launched last International Cleanup Day in September 2010, we are pleased to report a marked reduction in cigarette butts and packages in the water and on the beachfront, and plenty of healthy marine life such as seahorses in the area. The island is looking in great shape!
Thanks to all the staff and guests for joining in the Dive for Earth Day events and supporting ocean conservation.
Download the PDF of the Dive for Earth Day story.