Tag: conservation

Since January, $100 from each Snorkel Venture booking has quickly added up to a whopping $13,800 in the donation pot! So, we thought we’d check in with our charity partners to see how your donations have contributed to projects that are driving social and environmental change. Although as snorkelers we are focused on what lies beneath the waves, the health of the coral, fish, whales and dolphins, nudibranchs, sea stars and anemones is often determined by what happens above the waves. Many of the biggest threats to marine life come from human activity, which means protecting the environment starts with changing behaviors. And that starts with education. So with that in mind, this quarter we're highlighting how your donations are helping our charity partners invest in the next generation of environmental custodians. Classroom of Hope  Our most recent charity partnership is with Classroom of Hope, an organization based in Lombok who are tackling multiple social issues with one clever solution. When a huge earthquake shook through Lombok in 2018, 400 schools were either damaged or completely demolished, leaving thousands of children without a safe space to learn. COH is rebuilding the earthquake damaged schools using blocks made from compressed recycled plastic. Each classroom built utilizes 1.8 tonnes of plastic waste, locally collected, washed, shredded and compressed into bricks. But COH doesn’t stop there, alongside their construction projects they run community enrichment and environmental education projects, that strive to create long lasting social change. One particular movement I’d like to highlight is COH’s Early Marriage Prevention Program. This program equips selected junior high school students to become peer counselors. The counselors, educate their peers on subjects such as reproductive health, sanitation and risks associated with early marriage and pregnancy. Having this information conveyed to them from a fellow student, has a