Our News

Earth Day 2008 Highlights

Earth Day, the largest annual environmental event worldwide, took place on April 22nd this year and HEPCA joined up with many dive centres, hotels, events, organizations and individuals in a series of special events throughout the Red Sea. Over in Safaga, the Sol Y Mar Paradise Resort hosted a full day’s program involving staff and guests, which included tree planting, a walk-a-thon and an interdepartmental clean up competition. A special Paradise exhibition was organized with a presentation on the Resort’s environmental activities and conservation tips. Guests were encouraged to submit Earth Day messages of hope and also contribute to a special mural. The day ended with a special movie showing, animation show and the presentation of awards to the day’s most active participants. Also in Safaga, diving centres including Menadive, Luts Bay, Orca Safaga, Safaga Paradise, Shams Safaga, Holiday Inn and Aqua Diving Centre joined together to clean up the Safaga reefs and beach areas. In Hurghada, HEPCA joined a group of 15 Marriott employees on a boat trip to Magawish Island. This was not your average day out however, as the team collected an incredible 175 mesh bags full of rubbish. After an environmental briefing, the team separated into two groups, one collecting rubbish and the second sealing the bags and moving them to the meeting point. The rubbish was delivered to the Marriott marina and then taken away for sorting and recycling. Three Hurghada schools celebrated Earth Day with a painting competition to help raise environmental awareness amongst the children. Over 60 kids between 4-7 years participated at Sunrise Language School and produced some amazing images that really described the underwater life in the Red Sea. At Rajac School, children from 5 to 15 years joined together to draw and paint on paper pinned on walls and in the classrooms. Children from the Deutsche Schule marked Earth Day by taking part in a cleanup event at Grand Siva Beach in the morning, followed by the painting competition for kids from Class 1-4 in the afternoon. The HEPCA team had a great time briefing the kids and mucking in with the painting at all three schools. Also in Hurghada, guests and staff from Ilios Dive Club (Steigenberger Al Dau Resort) spent Earth Day cleaning up the popular Shark Monument at Gota Abu Ramada. After just six months in the water, it is amazing just how much our local great white needed a clean and brush up. El Gouna saw more than 200 kids and 20 staff from El Gouna International School undertake a massive 3km beach clean up that took several hours. Refreshments were kindly provided by the Ocean View Hotel who also participated with 45 of their staff, alongside the Orange Concept, kite centres Mangroovy, Kite Power and Red Sea Zone, and many community members or ‘Gounies’. Orascom events team assisted and provided collection bags, which are made in the recycling plant in El Gouna so even the rubbish was collected in recycled bags. Two truckloads of rubbish were collected making a total of nearly 800 bags! Underwater, the dive sites near to Shaab El Erg were all cleaned up by staff and guests from the many El Gouna dive centres including Euro Divers, TGI, Dive Tribe, Orca, Dive Connection, Dive Trek and Blue Brothers. Hoda Mansour hosted a special ceremony evening in the Club House. Many diving operators and hotels in Sharm El Sheikh also marked Earth Day with special events. Red Sea Waterworld, based at the Hyatt Regency in Sharm El Sheikh, organised an underwater clean up. Qualified divers were offered free dives in the morning and afternoon of April 22nd if they helped with the clean up at the beautiful Middle-Garden site just beyond the Hyatt beach. A massive thank you to all those who took part in Earth Day 2008! Check out some of the many images from Earth Day in the Red Sea in our Gallery.