Debmarine Namibia yesterday inducted 22 employees to champion a recently launched programme aimed at achieving environmentally sustainable operations.
The in-house environmental initiative – called the Wave programme – stands for Watch, Act, Volunteer and Educate. It features 22 employees – called eco-warriors.
Speaking at the event, Debmarine Namibia manager for mineral resources Godfrey Ngaisiue said the Wave programme is geared towards a cleaner, greener and more sustainable future for the company and communities.
The programme will educate the selected eco-warriors on Debmarine Namibia’s blueprint and how to adopt more eco-friendly and sustainable habits and behaviours.
He said about 95% of those who buy Debmarine Namibia’s diamonds are mainly concerned about whether the diamonds are recovered in a sustainable manner.
Therefore, it is important that employees are empowered to improve the company’s footprint and explain how the company contributes to environmentally sustainable operations.
During the induction session, the eco-warriors were presented with their starter toolkits.
They will also attend mandatory training sessions and will be expected to become aware of how everything they do has an impact on the ocean, the planet and life for future generations.
They will further be expected to actively take measures to responsibly monitor, protect and restore the seabed by changing behaviours.
This includes taking part in ocean clean ups, research and recycling initiatives and pro-actively sharing knowledge about the steps and measures Debmarine Namibia has taken to create a more sustainable future.
Debmarine Namibia has been making efforts to ensure it protects the environment in which it operates.
Every three years, the company obtains environmental clearance certificates from the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, which are an essential component of their licence to operate.
In 1994, Debmarine Namibia established a monitoring programme on the seabed and its environmental management efforts are guided by legislation requiring that the company submits an environmental management plan for approval, as well as certification by the ISO 14001 environmental management systems and other international best practices.
Debmarine Namibia’s communications manager Stella Ipinge said the programme is an emotive call to action.
She noted that the eco-warriors will be going through rigorous training for six months and called on them to be committed to the programme.
She said the initiative also entails the implementation of an internal plan, looking at training them to deal with the media, conduct environmental activities and make environmental protection presentations to the public.
Wildlife and environmental lecturer Morgan Hauptfleisch said the activities of the Wave programme are local but will have a global impact.
He said climate change is set to hugely impact marine biodiversity and that important efforts such as the Wave programme are highly welcomed.
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