The Philippines is teeming with scenic shores and clear blue waters—captivating the world and becoming top of mind for beach lovers and water sports enthusiasts.
However, the unfortunate side of a thriving tourism industry are its harmful effects on the environment. Left unchecked, our beaches and the livelihood of locals are at the receiving end of these damages.
Consistent and conscious effort is necessary to preserve the beauty of nature and support tourism at the same time. While we hold public sectors accountable in coming up with sustainable solutions, it is also up to us private individuals and groups to work together and protect the environment. Our World, Our Future is in our hands.
Setting a good example in taking initiative is Swiss-made watch brand Luminox. In 2020, it became one of the first watch brands to be climate neutral. They have offset carbon footprint emissions from their production, as well as from other divisions outside operations such as stores, deliveries, and logistics.
Luminox Philippines takes it a step further by bringing its environmental campaign to the province of La Union—working closely with the non-profit organization CURMA (Coastal Underwater Resource Management Actions), a Pawikan Conservation and Protection Program, and local businesses La Kantina by Kermit La Union and ALPAS.
CURMA started with a turtle laying its hatchlings in front of what is now their headquarters and now continues to be successful in their mission as a marine turtle conservation program, protecting endangered keystone species from poachers and other predators. With support from volunteers, the NGO performs various activities such as beach clean-ups, patrolling the coastline and securing turtle nests from dangers, as well as dissemination of informative and educational campaigns for both tourists and locals on the importance of mindfulness in one’s actions, how it can affect nature, and ultimately one’s self.
Luminox Philippines sees the value in such organizations’ efforts, hence, it wants to encourage more people to make changes through its “Our World, Our Future” campaign.
Going above and beyond, Luminox has worked with TIDE Ocean, a Swiss company that produces watch cases and watch straps made from 100% recycled plastic collected from the ocean. These watches are now available in select Luminox, Wristpod, Swissgear and Chronos boutiques are priced at Php 29,750.
To launch these watch collections and motivate people to be more environmentally proactive, the Luminox Philippines team started monthly clean-up drives for the beaches of La Union. The first beach clean-up activity took place last September 17 with the next ones happening on October 22, November 26, and December 10.
Volunteers will assemble in ALPAS, BACNOTAN, LA UNION at 6:00 AM. CURMA founder Carlos Tamayo will kick-off the event with an introduction to CURMA and a safety briefing and reminders before the beach clean-up. Participants are provided with their exclusive welcome kits that will be useful throughout the day’s activities.
In the afternoon, volunteers and the local public are all invited to participate in the organized beach games right in front of ALPAS where they can score cool prizes from Luminox. Extra donations to CURMA will be open to those participating in the games and if lucky, they can see one of the special turtles currently residing in CURMA’s hatchery.
Helping the environment while having fun is possible. Everyone can be eco-warriors and do their share in conserving our precious waters.
Luminox Philippines is inviting the public to take charge and take part in this monthly initiative. Limited slots are available for the monthly beach clean-up events so make sure to register as early as possible. All proceeds will go to CURMA directly and each participant is sure to receive their special edition beach clean-up kit. To sign up and see more details click on this link: https://tinyurl.com/LuminoxOurWorldOurFuture
Watch out for more updates on Luminox’s Our World, Our Future campaign by following Luminox Philippines’ official Facebook www.facebook.com/LuminoxPHand Instagram @luminox_ph accounts.