BUSINESS EDU continued
the ocean, its resources, and its marine life. World Ocean Day has now become a catalyst for collective action for a healthy ocean and a stable climate. Why not host a day of diving to commemorate and celebrate this day every year? 8) Consider “Blue” Carbon Calculators : My Scuba Diving Industry Magazine colleague, Alex Brylske, Ph.D., wrote a Car- bon Calculators story in the December issue. This online tool
ing and preserving our marine environments. He says, “Be not a slave of your past. Plunge into the sub- lime seas, dive deep, and swim far, so shall you come back with self-respect, with new power, with an advanced experi- ence that shall explain and overlook the old.” (We’ll take a deeper dive into Graham’s innovations in a future Scuba Div- ing Industry Magazine article.) 11) Foster a New Generation of Ocean Stewards: Jeff
estimates the carbon footprint of various activities, especially air travel, considering factors like flight distance, aircraft type, and passenger-to-class to provide an ac- curate measure of CO2 emissions. Then, a traveler can calculate how to offset carbon emissions by donating to environmental projects like reforestation or renewable energy initiatives. For exam-
Cinciripino is the founder of the Scuba Educational Alliance of Connecticut, a public charity dedicated to supporting the educational needs of young people with grants and tuition assistance for en- rolling in scuba training at the introduc- tory, advanced, and professional levels. He is also the former owner of a small local dive shop.
ple, round-trip airfare from San Francisco to Maui is approx- imately 4,700 miles. Adding a moderately priced hotel and a rental car, the total carbon to offset is 1.17 tonnes (metric units of mass). Using The Blue Ocean Foundation calculator to support what it calls “Blue Carbon,” one can donate just $23.40 to offset that amount of carbon. 9) Schedule Dive Trips to Eco-Friendly Sites: My dive club and local shop both schedule tropical dive trips each year to both near and far-flung locations. These include Palau, Costa Rica, the Bahamas, the Socorro Islands, the Mal- dives, Bonaire, and especially the Galapagos Islands, because it’s so highly government-regulated. Jon Edens, this dive shop’s owner, adds, “Most sites we visit are trying to balance being eco-friendly with making a profit. In the Philippines’ Coral Triangle, we visit resorts offering coral restoration projects, but this requires divers have a higher level of buoyancy. Meanwhile, to me, environmental awareness starts at home by doing something every day to help the environment, like bringing my own cup for take-out coffee, or by reminding students on dive boats to bring ther- moses instead of plastic bottles.” 10) Go Bluer Like Ocean First : Graham Casden is the leg- endary founder and Chief Visionary Officer of OceanFirst.blue, with dive shops in Boulder, Colorado, and Key Largo, Florida. Ocean First has created a powerful ecosystem where swimming, diving, travel, adventure, edu- cation, and conservation come together to form a dynamic community of ocean enthusiasts passionate about experienc-
Jeff asks, “How do we get younger people involved with scuba? When they do, they’ll most likely become stewards of the ocean. When I owned Scuba Shack, I donated a lot of my time to my non-profit as part of my business model. I gave discounts to students for their gear, our dive instructors donated their time to certify students and to present a coral conservation course at a couple of local high schools.” For example, a few years ago, he got three high school stu- dents into an Open Water certification class. Through a part- nership, his NPO paid for the e-learning, while Scuba Shack provided discounted dive equipment (mask, snorkel, fins, and boots), and three students got certified. One of them is now working at the shop and wants to become a Junior Divemas- ter. Two of these three students are looking to pursue marine biology in college. He concludes, “I’m now reaching out to local dive shops to gain their support for the non-profit scholarships and hopefully partner with us to help break down the financial barriers that prevent young men and women from becoming scuba divers and the new generation of ocean stewards.” The Bottom Line: Connecting these blue dots can make your business more environmentally friendly. You’ll then be able to provide your client base with even more reasons to continue being customers for years to come. And that can
positively affect your bottom line. To find out more about how you can “Blue” your business, please reach out to me.
PAGE NINETEEN | SCUBA DIVING INDUSTRY email Gil
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker