Explorer Ventures Liveaboard Diving has announced, as part of their 20th Anniversary celebration, that the company has begun a far-reaching environmental initiative designed to minimize the company's impact on the environment. This long term initiative will become an integral part of Explorer Ventures' company-wide plans and goals, and will include in-depth reviews of every aspect of the business from administration to staff travel, purchasing options, fuel and other energy use, local involvement in recycling and marine protection efforts at the 5 destinations the company serves worldwide, and staff and guest training and education. Over the course of the next 3 years, the goal of Explorer Ventures is to have fine-tuned all aspects of the company's operations so as to be an example of how a company and its clients can combine efforts to minimize their impact on the marine environment, and do their part in protecting it for future generations.

Because of the strong scientific evidence pointing to the negative effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide on marine ecosystems, Explorer Ventures has begun this process by offsetting the company's carbon emissions through the purchase of renewable energy credits from NativeEnergy, an internationally recognized marketer of renewable energy credits. All of Explorer Ventures' worldwide activities, from the fuel use of its vessels to the shipping of parts and supplies, staff travel, office energy usage and land-based staff commutes are now carbon-neutral and have no net effect on carbon dioxide emissions.

Early in 2007, Explorer Ventures will focus on planning, evaluating, testing and determining how they can best help protect the environment without altering the positive experience each of our guests has come to expect, as well as make preliminary changes to its vessel operations to reduce as much as possible their environmental effect. Later in 2007 and into 2008, the focus will be on staged implementation of the changes and goals set this year.

In addition to continuing the carbon neutral program, Explorer Ventures will improve their environmental performance in several ways, by:

• Reducing non-renewable energy use by the company

• Reducing the amount of solid waste discarded by the company

• Consolidating and implementing marine monitoring programs on its vessels

• Maximizing the use of biodegradable supplies on its vessels

• Increasing collaboration with local areas surrounding our destinations
  "We will include all of our staff, our clients, and anyone else interested in the effort. There will be some things that will be easy to do, some doable but more difficult, and some that won't be possible given the services that we provide. Figuring out what is and is not possible will be a significant part of the initial and ongoing effort; the rest will involve doing it. This is not a one year project; this will be an ongoing effort over the life of the company" says Clay McCardell, the company's President.

To learn more about Explorer Ventures' environmental initiative and additional events associated with our 20th anniversary, please visit their website at www.explorerventures.com. Any and all feedback is appreciated; please provide comments and suggestions on the company's environmental initiatives through their blog or by emailing Ariana Arcenas, Environmental Initiatives Coordinator, at [email protected].