Aruba on Thursday celebrated being named a National Geographic World Legacy Award Winner in the category of “Destination Leadership” for its efforts to become the world’s first country to become fully independent of fossil fuels.
“It is an honor to be recognized by the National Geographic Society for our unwavering pursuit of total sustainability,” Oslin B. Sevinger, Aruba Minister of Integration, Infrastructure and Environment, said in accepting the award.
The prize was awarded Thursday in Berlin at the International Tourism Fair ITB, considered to be the world’s largest tourism convention.
The Aruba government said in a statement that the green energy initiative keeps Aruba on track to be the world’s first country to fully transition off fossil fuels by 2020.
In 2012, Aruba partnered with Sir Richard Branson’s Carbon War Room, founded to fight climate change, and other key entities such as Harvard University.
In recent years, the Caribbean island has established itself as an eco-tourism destination by actively promoting the use of renewable energy through wind farms, an airport solar park, waste-to-energy plant and smart communities.
The World Legacy Award organizers said more than 150 award entries were received, representing 56 countries and six continents. Finalists in five categories were selected by an international team of 18 sustainable travel experts, who conducted thorough on-site inspections before choosing the winners in each category.
Source: Global Post
