Matava wins Asia Pacific’s First ever PADI Green Star Award 2011
PADI Green Star Award awarded to Matava , Fiji
Matava has been awarded the Asia Pacific’s first PADI Green Star Award from PADI @ DEMA
MEDIA RELEASE: 1st December 2011
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KADAVU, FIJI ISLANDS – 1st December 2011 – Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco-Adventure Resort is proud to announce that we have received the first PADI Green Star Award in the Asia Pacific region in November 2011 for our sustainable and eco-conscious environmental activities and business practices.
The program helps PADI Dive Centers and Resorts identify practical actions they can take to protect and preserve the environment. Because they choose which conservation actions they would like to implement, PADI Dive Centers and Resorts can completely customize the program for their businesses.
“There’s more to going green than simply jumping on the eco bandwagon,” says Bob Coleman, Vice President of Sales, Retailer and Resort Association, PADI Americas, Latin America and Canada. “Well-organized conservation initiatives can reduce costs while strengthening your brand, especially when you strategically introduce them into your overall business plan. Earning the PADI Green Star Award shows customers that you care about the environment and are taking action to protect it. With today’s environmentally-conscious divers, going green can be an important competitive advantage.”
The PADI Green Star award requires dive operators and resorts to conduct an objective audit of their facility and business practices and assesses performance in water and energy use, transportation, waste management and conservation leadership.
“We hope other dive operations and tourism providers in the Asia Pacific region follow our example and help to protect their local environment and achieve sustainable business practises in a green and clean manner!” said Mr. Stuart Gow, one of Matava’s Directors.
“We are extremely proud to win this award. We have been lucky to win overseas and global awards for our environmental policy in the past year, but it is especially gratifying to be recognised at home by our colleagues in Fiji.” he continued.
Richard Akhtar, Managing Director of Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco Adventure Resort said “At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to receive this prestigious award. We find it even more important that the industry, by rewarding environmental efforts, choose to take a stand for the environment we depend on. We also see it as an important continuing signal to the community which at the same time can serve to inspire the numerous individuals and companies who have been doing so much, and continue to do even more in the field of environmental enlightenment and conservation. This award has highlighted Fiji’s leading role and efforts in this regard especially.”
“At Matava, we are of course both happy and proud to receive this prestigious global award. We find it even more important that the industry, by rewarding similar efforts, choose to take a stand for the environment we depend on. We also see it as an important continuing signal to the community which at the same time can serve to inspire the numerous individuals and companies who have been doing so much, and continue to do even more in the field of environmental enlightenment and conservation. This award has highlighted Fiji’s leading role and efforts in this regard especially in our our region of the South Pacific.”
Mr Akhtar finished by saying “Matava – Fiji’s Premier Eco-Adventure Resort has again proved that it is indeed among the leaders in environmentally sensitive resorts worldwide, and this latest award solidifies our position as an example of how resorts can operate AND help maintain and improve the surrounding environment”
The Green Star award was presented to us during DEMA week in November 2011 by PADI’s Project Aware and PADI President Mr Drew Richardson.
For more information go to their website:Matava.
