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Sandals Foundation Programs to Save the Environment

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Sandals Foundation of Sandals Resorts and Beaches believes tomorrow is influenced by what we do today. So, it is important that we cultivate a local culture that is conscious of their collective and individual impact on the world.

“Preserving the environment is what I enjoy most in this world and the Sandals Foundation has taught me that the sky is the limit. This is our future,” said Jerlene Layne, Sandals Foundation Fishing & Game Warden.

From the deep seas to the lush forests to exotic wildlife, our unique surroundings sustain, protect and inspire us. It is the Sandals Foundation’s focus to educate communities, including fishermen, young students, and even Sandals Resorts employees, about effective conservation practices, and establish sanctuaries that will benefit generations to come.

PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS

Sandals Foundation: Preserving the Environment

Guy Harvey “Save Our Seas”

There is a powerful force surging through young generations: a wave of curiosity and concern in regards to their world. The Guy Harvey “Save Our Seas” program is catching that wave and has developed a groundbreaking school initiative that fosters an enthusiasm among Caribbean youth towards marine awareness and environmental responsibility.

Sandals Foundation: Preserving the Environment

Coral Conservation

The Caribbean has lost 80% of its coral coverage in recent years, and the disappearance of beaches and the collapse of the fishing industry is imminent. Due to management of the Boscobel Sanctuary in Jamaica, there was an increase in overall coral coverage by 15% (NEPA). The Foundation has also partnered with Coral Restoration Foundation and CARIBSAVE to create 2 sustainable coral nurseries within Boscobel and Blue Fields Bay Fish Sanctuary.

Sandals Foundation: Preserving the Environment

Marine Protection

Sandals Foundation manages two marine sanctuaries and supports an additional 4 in Jamaica, helping to protect the islands’ depleting fish stocks and strengthen the resilience of the coral reefs. The sanctuaries in Jamaica also contain coral nurseries, helping to replenish the coral reefs and increasing protection of vulnerable coastal communities. Investment in coral nurseries has expanded to St. Lucia in a 3-year partnership with CLEAR Caribbean to increase coral health Soufriere Marine Management Area and train locals in coral restoration. Over 6,000 pieces of corals have been planted.

Sandals Foundation: Preserving the Environment

Trees that Feed Barbados

“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day, show him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” That’s the heart of the Sandals Foundation partners’ goal – Trees that Feed. The Foundation is on a mission to plant fruit trees that will feed people, create jobs, and benefit the environment. The program has planted food trees in over 20 schools across Barbados.

Sandals Foundation: Preserving the Environment

Turtle Conservation

Partnerships with local organizations in Jamaica and Antigua have provided support to create awareness, gather data, build turtle incubators, and fund wardens and much needed patrol equipment, as well as rehabilitate beaches to help increase chances of turtle survival in the wild. Funding has come through a Foundation partnership with Island Routes which promotes seasonal turtle hatching tours.

Sandals Foundation: Preserving the Environment

Boscobel Marine Sanctuary

In 2017, The Boscobel Marine Sanctuary became Jamaica’s first rotating fish sanctuary, which allows for sections to be open periodically throughout the year, increasing the benefit of the sanctuary to the surrounding communities by not only expanding its boundaries, but also allowing fishermen to benefit from better catch due to the increase in fish populations and fish biomass.

Sandals Foundation: Preserving the Environment

GUESTS CAN GET INVOLVED WITH ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION

Go scuba diving at any Sandals or Beaches Resort and purchase a Sandals Foundation Dive Tag.

100% of all proceeds go towards the following environmental projects:

  • Management of Marine Sanctuaries
  • Development and Maintenance of Coral Nurseries
  • Turtle Conservation
  • Environmental Education in Local Schools
  • Invasive Species Control
  • Wetlands Conservation

Sandals Resorts and Beaches – not just relaxation and rejuvenation, but an adventure and a chance to take home happy vacation memories knowing you did something to help save the environment.

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Sandals Foundation gives back to the community

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For over 10 years, the Sandals Foundation has been a way for Sandals and Beaches to give back to the community through initiatives that support, uplift, and improve the lives of the Caribbean people. That’s a decade of facing the Caribbean and fostering positive change through community, educational, and environmental projects.

The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Sandals Resorts International. It is the culmination of 3 decades of dedication to playing a meaningful role in the lives of the communities where Sandals operates across the Caribbean.

This year is especially meaningful as it marks the 10-year anniversary of the Sandals Foundation. Over the past decade, the Foundation has worked tirelessly to positively impact the lives of over 840,000 people across the Caribbean. With a focus on Education, Community and the Environment, the Foundation is committed to investments that create a positive and sustainable impact on the Caribbean islands. When a monetary, service, or in-kind donation is received by the Foundation, 100% of that contribution goes directly to support programs and initiatives.

To the Sandals and Beaches organization, family includes more than just its colleagues across the 4 brands and corporate offices – it’s the communities where those team comes from. Sandals understands that its plans, hard work, skills, and innovations have led them to tremendous success that with it comes a responsibility. By contributing through community outreach programs in the Caribbean, the Sandals Foundation hopes to make its corporate social responsibilities reflect the responsibilities to family.

The Sandals Foundation is how Sandals and Beaches takes on more of what needs to be done in the islands where it operates by making the Caribbean the best it can be. Sandals understands that it is not just about gathering and spending money. Through the Foundation, it also harnesses the passion, energy, skills, and brand power of the organization to tackle issues under three broad headings: Community, Education, and Environment.

Sandals Foundation: A Decade of Facing the Caribbean

COMMUNITY

The Sandals Foundation creates and endorses initiatives that engage and inspire people through skills training and by tackling complex social issues head-on to strengthen communities. The Foundation has seen that when it invests in one person, it is empowering an entire network of people – their families, friends, communities,  and nations – who are all set to benefit from their contributions.

384,626 Community Members have been impacted through contributions from the Sandals Foundation including 243,127 Great Shape! Inc. Dental + iCARE Patients. There have been 248,714 people positively impacted through health initiatives, 102,150 toys donated, 24,215 community volunteers, 397 pre-term babies who received a fighting chance, and 4,218 cats and dogs who have been spayed and neutered.

Sandals Foundation: A Decade of Facing the Caribbean

EDUCATION

The Foundation provides both children and adults with essential tools such as scholarships, supplies, technology, literacy programs, mentorship, and teacher training to help them reach their full potential. Buildings, classrooms, access to technology, and educational resources are key elements of holistic learning environments and are of crucial importance to creating well-rounded students. Literacy is one of the most important skills when it comes to the personal and educational development of children, and through in-school programs like Project Sprout and partnership with SuperKids, the Foundation is working to provide teachers and students with the tools and framework to maximize their potential.

“The Sandals Foundation inspires hope. They have always followed through on their commitments, and they have helped to instill in me the idea that as long as there is a chance, hard work can turn dreams into reality,” said Chevelle Blackburn, “Care for Kids” Scholarship Recipient.

Sandals Foundation has donated 59,036 pounds of supplies and impacted 578 schools with 2056 computers donated, 274,517 books donated, 169,079 students impacted, 2,455 teachers trained, and 180 scholarships awarded.

Sandals Foundation: A Decade of Facing the Caribbean

ENVIRONMENT

It is the promise of Sandals Foundation to raise environmental awareness, develop effective conservation practices, and teach future generations how to care for their communities and preserve their surroundings. The Foundation believes that tomorrow is influenced by what we do today, so it is important that we cultivate a local culture that is conscious of their collective and individual impact on the world.

Through the Foundation, 6 marine sanctuaries are supported, 6,000 coral fragments have been planted, 83,304 turtles have safely hatched, 37,092 pounds of garbage have been collected, 12,565 trees planted, and 43,871 touched by environmental awareness reach.

GOING FORWARD

The Sandals Foundation will continue to seek to help fulfill the promise of the Caribbean community through investment in sustainable projects in the environment, education, and the community. Together with the community it works and lives in, Sandals will carry on its work to improve people’s lives and preserve the natural surroundings of the beautiful Caribbean.

Bahamas Relief Foundation & GEM aim to raise $10 million for Hurricane Dorian relief

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It was announced today that in a joint effort, the Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) will act as an ‘Official Relief Delivery Partner’ for the Bahamas Relief Foundation (BRF) to rebuild damaged houses following Hurricane Dorian.
The partnership between BRF and GEM will focus on the immediate supply of construction materials and equipment, working alongside local Bahamians to empower and train them to repair the damaged homes in Abaco and Grand Bahama.

Rick ‘Ulrich’ Fox, BRF President, Bahamian and three time NBA Champion said “Through this partnership we are thrilled to utilize GEM’s initiatives, resources, and expertise in disaster relief as we continue our mission of creating hope for the people in the Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian”.

The BRF has announced the initial fundraising target of USD$10 Million prior to Christmas 2019 to repair 1,000 damaged homes. The foundation is seeking urgent tax deductible donations through its website to make an immediate and lasting impact.

Founder of GEM, Mr. Michael Capponi, highlighted that “After spending the last month focusing on search and rescue and bringing immediate short-term aid to so many of the Islands, we are now focused on launching our phase two in partnership with Rick and the BRF, to re-roof and re-wall many of the fixable homes in the devastated areas.”

Hurricane Dorian was the most powerful tropical cyclone on record to strike the Bahamas, and was described by Prime Minister Minnis as the “greatest national crisis in our country’s history”, with the highest winds of an Atlantic hurricane ever recorded on landfall. The resultant damage to these islands was catastrophic, most structures were destroyed or swept out to sea, and at least 70,000 people were left homeless. To date there have been 56 recorded direct and 7 indirect fatalities, and the estimated damage to property is more than seven billion US dollars.

MEDIA CONTACT: Jenny Mann on +61 481 211 075 [email protected]    

Soap bars around the world get a new life from Red Lion Hotels

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Based on US market statistics, the combined hospitality segment produces close to 440 billion pounds of solid waste per year. A great amount of this waste is made up of discarded soap and bottled amenities. However, through Clean the World’s Hospitality Recycling Program, these life-saving hygiene products can skip the landfill and, instead, be sent to one of Clean the World’s five Recycling Operations Centers where the products are sanitized, fully recycled, and given a second-life to help those in need. It’s a win-win for the hospitality industry, helping to reduce waste and transform lives around the world.

In celebration of Earth Day, Clean the World, dedicated to WASH (WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene) and global sustainability, is joining forces with RLH Corporation to collect and recycle gently-used bars of soap and bottled amenities at Hotel RL locations nationwide to help fight the spread of preventable diseases while preserving our planet.

“We are excited to collaborate with Clean the World,” said RLH Corporation SVP of Brand Strategy Amanda Marcello. “At Hotel RL, we are focused on the modern-day traveler, with core hotel elements that allow guests to immerse themselves in local culture while maintaining their connection to the world. We are always searching for opportunities to better our planet, the communities we live in and those around the world. With Clean the World, we will now be able to make a significant improvement in reducing the amount of waste our hotels produce while benefiting communities worldwide by recycling our bath amenities.”

Together, this Earth Day, Clean the World and RLH Corporation are bringing awareness to sustainable practices within the travel and hospitality industry. Eight Hotel RL locations adopting the Hospitality Recycling Program this week will begin recycling all soap and bottled amenities from over 1,600 guestrooms. In just one year, the Hotel RL portfolio of hotels is projected to provide over 6,700 pounds of soap and bottled amenities to Clean the World, resulting in the creation of an estimated 23,000 bars of newly-recycled soap to be distributed to those in need locally and globally.

“We are thrilled to join forces with RLH Corporation this Earth Day to share the importance of implementing new, eco-friendly approaches to daily operations that benefit and help to preserve our planet,” said Shawn Seipler, founder and CEO of Clean the World. “By diverting leftover soap and bottled amenities from landfills, RLH Corporation will not only help Clean the World provide health and hygiene programs to children and families around the world, but also set a great example of CSR and sustainability throughout the hospitality industry, encouraging others to help make a difference.”

Through this joint venture, newly-recycled bars of Clean the World soap will make their way to shelters, food banks and disaster relief initiatives in the United States, in addition to supporting hygiene education internationally through Clean the World Foundation’s WASH Education programming. Our global programming, in places like India, Kenya and Tanzania, has contributed to a 60 percent decrease in the rate of hygiene-related deaths in children under 5, helping to keep children healthy and in school.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Delta Air Lines offsets most carbon emissions for over 300K customers on Earth Day

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In celebration of Earth Day today, Delta is offsetting the emissions of all domestic leisure and business travel into and out of New York, Boston, Seattle, Los Angeles, Raleigh-Durham and Atlanta for over 300,000 customers across the country.

Plantable seed paper cutouts shaped like airplanes will be distributed on these selected flights to let customers know the environmental impact of their flight has been offset and inspire them to offset additional travel on delta.com/co2. Once planted, this special paper airplane will sprout non-invasive wildflowers.

“Delta led the U.S. aviation industry by launching the first carbon offset program in 2007, making it easy for customers to reduce the environmental impact of their travel,” said John Laughter, Senior Vice President – Corporate Safety, Security and Compliance. “Delta is also the only major airline to voluntarily cap carbon emissions at 2012 levels by purchasing carbon offsets.”

Since 2013, Delta has voluntarily purchased over 12 million carbon offsets, which is equivalent to the emissions from 1.7 million cars or electricity use for one year in nearly 2 million homes. This is more than any other U.S. airline. Today alone, Delta will buy almost 50,000 carbon offsets. To put this in perspective, 50,000 offsets will equal the emissions from more than 10,000 cars driven for one year.

Delta’s carbon offsets to benefit Conservation Coast project in Guatemala

Every offset Delta purchases today will benefit the Conservation Coast offset project, which provides environmental protection from deforestation and sustainable livelihood opportunities for communities in Guatemala. These offsets will help conserve over 400 bird species and 54,000 hectares of threatened rainforests situated along the Caribbean coastline of Guatemala.

The Conservation Coast project also supports sustainable livelihoods within local communities by teaching things like economically viable and environmentally sustainable agricultural practices that work with the environment rather than against it. To date, over 700 jobs are being supported by the project, 30 percent of which are held by women.

“At Delta, we believe connecting the world begins with caring for it,” said Laughter. “The offset projects we support are holistic, going beyond addressing the environmental impact of travel to provide resources, empowerment and financial opportunities to underserved communities like those involved in the Conservation Coast project.”
Offsetting is affordable. A roundtrip ticket from Atlanta to New York emits 0.28 metric tons of CO2, which can be offset for less than $5.

These offsetting efforts and more are why Delta was honored the Vision For America Award by Keep America Beautiful in 2017, recognized with Captain Planet Foundation’s Superhero Corporate Award in 2018, named to the FTSE4Good Index for four consecutive years, included in the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index for eight consecutive years, given an honorable mention in Fast Company’s 2019 World Changing Ideas Awards and named one of America’s 100 most sustainable companies according to an in-depth Barron’s study.

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