Philippines, 24th October 2018 – Reef-World is the latest nonprofit partner to join 1% for the Planet, an alliance of more than 1,200 member companies in 40 countries that give one percent of their revenues to environmental causes.

As a partner, Reef-World is now eligible to receive donations from 1% for the Planet member companies, placing them among a diverse, global network of environmental organizations. 1% member businesses fuel this nonprofit network through their annual contributions. This partnership provides the opportunity to receive increased funding to support their work in global marine conservation. 

Newly approved Reef-World contributes to a healthier planet by supporting governments and communities in sustainable consumption and production of coastal resources and marine life. This is done through the Green Fins initiative, implemented in partnership with UN Environment. Green Fins is a free membership programme for participating businesses that provide SCUBA diving or snorkelling activities that pledge to follow a set of best environmental practices. It has been implemented in nine countries in South East Asia, the Pacific, Indian Ocean and the Caribbean, demonstrating a measurable reduction in threats to coral reefs from participating businesses.

Many countries are experiencing increasing numbers of tourists who come to see coral reefs, leading to increased threats to the marine environment. Green Fins helps to identify these issues with the help of the private sector and provides a simple solution-based approach with support from government and NGO’s.

"1% for the Planet member businesses donate at least 1% of their annual sales to support environmental nonprofits," says Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet. "We believe deeply that these nonprofits play a critical role in solving the many challenges facing our planet, and our core work is to grow the corporate support that enables these nonprofits to accomplish even more." 

Thousands of nonprofits worldwide are included in the 1% for the Planet network, and over $175 million has been funneled to its nonprofit partners to date.

 “Reef-World is working on the front line alongside business, government and the public to be the driving force for making sustainable diving and snorkelling the social norm globally. Our ultimate goal is to reduce local threats to coral reefs, allowing them to be more resilient to fight global threats such as climate change.”  - JJ Harvey, Reef-World

 

About 1% for the Planet

1% for the Planet is a global organization that connects dollars and doers to accelerate smart environmental giving. We recognize that the current level of environmental giving - only 3% of total philanthropy - is not enough to solve the most pressing issues facing our planet.

Through our business and individual membership, 1% for the Planet inspires people to support environmental organizations through annual membership and everyday actions. We advise on giving strategies, we certify donations, and we amplify the impact of the network.

Started in 2002 by Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, founder of Blue Ribbon Flies, our members have given more than $175 million to environmental nonprofits to date. Today, 1% for the Planet is a network of more than 1,200 member businesses, a new and expanding core with hundreds of individual members, and thousands of nonprofit partners in more than 60 countries. Look for our logo and visit www.onepercentfortheplanet.org to learn more. 

About Reef-World

The Reef-World Foundation is a UK registered charity that operates internationally to support governments and communities in sustainable consumption and production of coastal resources and marine life. Reef-World are a technical implementing agency of the UN Environment for the Green Fins initiative, which focuses on driving environmentally friendly SCUBA diving and snorkelling practices across the industry globally.

Green Fins is a proven approach to reduce the threats and pressures from the SCUBA diving and snorkelling industry such as anchoring, chemical pollution and diver damage to coral reefs through providing training and tools to the businesses who are in a position to act. Look for the Green Fins logo when booking your next dive trip and visit www.greenfins.net to learn more.

Download the Press Release here.

For more information, contact:

Klementina Dukoska, The Reef-World Foundation: klementina@reef-world.org

Cate Starmer, 1% for the Planet: cate@onepercentfortheplanet.org