Chumbe Island gets global recognition by Sustainia

(eTN) – The Chumbe Island Coral Park was selected at the Rio+20 Summit as one of a hundred globally-selected projects and included in the inaugural Sustainia 100 listings, as was announced yesterday b

(eTN) – The Chumbe Island Coral Park was selected at the Rio+20 Summit as one of a hundred globally-selected projects and included in the inaugural Sustainia 100 listings, as was announced yesterday by the Honorary Chair of Sustainia, former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the presence of such climate change action champions like Ted Turner; Gro Harlem Brundtland; and the EU Commissioner for Climate Change, Connie Hedegaard, amid 150 invited top ranking guests.

Former Governor Schwarzenegger was quoted to have said: โ€˜I am very excited and inspired by this, as it makes it absolutely clear that our mission is possible. That we do have the ammunition we need to tackle this challenge. That we have what it takes to create fun and attractive societies without destroying our planet. Sustainia is my kind of world: a desirable place where we live life to the fullest without damaging the only planet we have.โ€

Since 1991, Chumbe Island Coral Park (CHICOP) has developed Chumbe Island into a fully-managed nature reserve. Building designs and operations use zero-emission technologies to protect the sensitive terrestrial and marine ecosystems of the island.

All buildings are self-sufficient units that generate their own water and energy and recycle waste, with rainwater catchment, solar water heating, and photovoltaic electricity. Composting toilets avoid sewage and save precious water, grey water is recycled in plant filters, while wind-channeling makes air conditioning unnecessary.

Cooking energy is low-emission, plastic and packaging waste is avoided, drinking water is provided in recycled glass bottles. Guests use solar-powered torches for walkways that are not illuminated to protect nocturnal wildlife.

โ€œCoral reefs provide important ecosystem services, food, income, and leisure to millions of people, but are among the most endangered ecosystems on Earth. Marine parks created for their protection often suffer from poor management, as their economic potential is not fully realized.

โ€œOur Visitor Center and Eco-bungalows help to sustainably fund park management, and provide employment, income, and environmental education to local people, schools, and park visitors.

โ€œWe are very excited about this immensely forward-looking recognition, and we also thank Jochen Zeitz, Founder of the Zeitz Foundation, Chairman of PUMA, and worldwide champion for sustainability, who kindly accepted to represent us in the award ceremony,โ€ said Sibylle Riedmiller CHICOP’s initiator and main investor in Chumbe Island, in a media release to this correspondent last night.

Sybille, well known to this correspondent, has for many years now been at the sharp edge and forefront in Tanzania of environmental protection and assuring that biodiversity is maintained in particular in the fragile marine environment where the slightest interference can cause long-term and often irreparable damage to the underwater ecosystem. More details on Chumbe Island can be found via www.chumbeisland.com .

The Sustainia100 list is a cornerstone in Sustainia and was described by the organization as a construction site for the desirable society we could live in if we implemented ready and available solutions. Sustainia was developed by world-leading companies, organizations, and experts in close collaboration with UN Global Compact and Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggerโ€™s initiative Regions20 and is the first holistic introduction to an attractive sustainable future.

Those listed in the Sustainia100 are nominees for the Sustainia Award, which honors outstanding performance vis-a-vis sustainability. The winner will be announced at a ceremony later this year in Copenhagen and details will be announced when available from the Sustainia organization.

Visit Sustainiaโ€™s website for additional details on their scope and operations at www.sustainia.me .

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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