De Palm Tours
De Palm Tours leads the way in sustainable tourism
In an important milestone, De Palm Tours has achieved its 4th Silver certification through EarthCheck, the world’s leading business advisory group specializing in sustainability and destination management for the travel and tourism industry.
As tourism operations around the world strive to do their part to avoid catastrophic climate change, one family-owned Aruban company continues to make serious sustainable strides. De Palm Tours, proudly serving travelers to Aruba for 60 years, has tackled many different projects over the last five years to make their tours more environmentally friendly.
These efforts correspond with EarthCheck, the world’s leading business advisory group in sustainability and destination management for the travel and tourism industry. Stewart Moore, CEO and Founder of EarthCheck, said that De Palm Tours has taken a significant leadership position in sustainability. Mr. Moore said, “I would like to congratulate the whole team at De Palm Tours on their achievement. De Palm Tours is a valued member of a global group of tourism operators who dare to make a difference.”
As plastic continues to wash up on the shores of Aruba and global temperatures continue to rise, every effort makes a difference. “For such a small island, this became a big problem. Going green was non-negotiable – if we were going to preserve our paradise, we had to act fast,” members of the De Palm team echoed, grateful to have leaders willing to invest the time and money into preservation efforts.
De Palm Tours’ team is taking standard actions like minimizing energy usage and reusing water, but also going above and beyond by supporting reef revival projects and pioneering community cleanups.
As De Palm Tours continues to operate as eco-friendly as possible, they are making their way to achieve EarthCheck’s platinum level status, which will ensure the operation is running on a clean, earth-friendly footprint. By working with EarthCheck, De Palm Tours has joined other industry leaders who are taking meaningful steps towards resolving some of the very real issues that face the planet.
De Palm Tours internal foundation, The Giving Palm, cleans up the beach at the natural bridge to encourage sustainability
One of The Giving Palm’s priorities is to encourage programs that support our oceans to maintain the coral reefs, clean our beaches and waters, and protect ocean life.
De Palm Tours, the only EarthCheck certified tour operator in Aruba, conducted a cleanup of the beach and inlet at The Natural Bridge Aruba as part of its ongoing commitment to sustainability through its foundation, The Giving Palm. This was no ordinary beach cleanup effort. Given the location, wind, and sea conditions, considerable planning and coordination was involved to ensure the safety of the team comprised of skilled professionals from Sea Solutions N.V. The cleaning took two full days beginning on February 14 and 15, 2023, and the efforts generated considerable attention and dialogue about the importance of protecting our environment from tourists visiting The Natural Bridge, team members at the visitor’s center, tour guides, and the local community.
Being that The Natural Bridge lies on the windward coastline, accumulated trash is brought in by ocean currents, which can have a negative impact on the environment and the local ecosystem. Recognizing the growing concern over the accumulation of litter and waste, The Giving Palm has taken a proactive step to address the issue by organizing the beach cleaning. The event aimed to raise awareness about the importance of sustainability and encourage people to take action to protect the environment.
During the cleanup, Sea Solutions N.V. collected over five tons of waste, including wood, metal, plastic bottles, plastic food containers, slippers, rope, cigarette butts, and much more. The collected waste was properly disposed of and recycled wherever possible. To ensure that the initiative continues, The Giving Palm has announced that similar periodic beach cleanups at The Natural Bridge will be conducted throughout the year. The organization believes that such regular events will help promote sustainability and maintain the beauty of The Natural Bridge. The event was a great success, and The Giving Palm by De Palm Tours would like to thank everyone who participated in the cleanup. “By working together, we can create a more sustainable future for Aruba and the planet.”
