50 villas are luxuriously designed and furnished to ensure guest comfort and privacy, whilst maintaining environmental sensitivity. Nestled within the natural vegetation and only a few steps from the turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean are 16 Park Villas and 20 Park Pool villas, with a further 14 Park Water Villas all enjoying direct access to the coral-filled waters below and breathtaking panoramic sunset views.
Shore Hotel is a brand-new oceanfront, boutique property on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, CA, and is only sustainable hotel in Santa Monica to be LEED Gold certified by the U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).
Shore Hotel has partnered with Seathos Foundation, a non-profit which exists to promote education and awareness of the human impact on the world’s oceans. Together they give the ocean a voice by providing a sustainable luxury experience that highlights the delicate balance between nature and humans.
In the heart of the Indian Ocean, Mauritius has preserved its natural treasures and offers an unforgettable experience at a cultural crossroads. A prime destination for scuba diving, the island is also a golfer’s paradise, with superb golf courses framed by purple mountains and overlooking the crystalline waters of the Indian Ocean. Colorful town markets are filled with traditional fabrics, marvelous works of local craftsmanship, and famous Mauritian hospitality.
On the south coast of Mauritius, Bel Ombre is a tranquil haven exemplifying the island’s natural character. Sophisticated and sincere, with brilliant green sugarcane fields, lengthy white beaches, and turquoise water offering striking panoramas.
Yukie Hori, PhD Coordinator Awareness Raising, Communication and Education Unit United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) – www.unccd.int
Healthy soil sustains your life: LET’S GO LAND-DEGRADATION NEUTRAL
The World Day to Combat Desertification is observed every year on 17 June. This year, the Day’s slogan is Healthy soil sustains your life: LET’S GO LAND-DEGRADATION NEUTRAL, said the Executive Secretary, Luc Gnacadja, when he announced the news to the press on 17 February 2012.
The world’s most significant non-renewable resource is fertile soil, which is the peel of productive land. Nevertheless, each year 12 million ha of land, the area three times the size of Switzerland, are lost due to desertification. Land degradation directly affects 1.5 billion people globally.
Joanna Solins (Communications Associate of The Coral Reef Alliance (CORAL) – www.coral.org)
Jason deCaires Taylor is an internationally acclaimed eco-sculptor who creates underwater living sculptures, offering viewers mysterious, ephemeral encounters and fleeting glimmers of another world where art and life develop from the effects of nature on the efforts of man. His site-specific, permanent installations are designed to act as artificial reefs, attracting corals, increasing marine biomass and aggregating fish species, while crucially diverting tourists away from fragile natural reefs and thus providing space for natural rejuvenation. Subject to the abstract metamorphosis of the underwater environment, his works symbolize a striking symbiosis between man and nature, balancing messages of hope and loss.
Since 2006 he has created and founded two large scale underwater Museums, one on the island of Grenada in the West Indies, which has subsequently been documented as a “Wonder of the World” by National Geographic and a monumental collection of over 412 pieces in Mexico called MUSA (Museo Subaquático de Arte), now listed by Forbes as one of the world’s most unique travel destinations.
Record Number of Aquariums, Zoos, and Museums to Host Celebrations for World Oceans Day on June 8th
On June 8th communities around the globe will celebrate World Oceans Day as an opportunity to learn more about our ocean and take action to help conserve it. This year the celebration is bigger than ever with hundreds of family-friendly events at aquariums, zoos, museums, exciting online events, and strong prospects for a new youth movement to protect the ocean!
"A record number of aquariums, zoos, and museums are providing ways on World Oceans Day for their visitors to get inspired and take personal action to help our world’s ocean," said Bill Mott, director of The Ocean Project. World Oceans Day provides an opportunity for people across the country and around the world to celebrate our ocean connections, do more for ocean conservation, and learn more about our ocean!"
World Oceans Day coordinator, Alyssa Isakower, commented, “The worldwide response has been more enthusiastic than ever. June 8th provides a chance for the world to rally for a generation of ocean advocates who go beyond raising awareness and take real action for ocean protection.”
