On November 12, the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara, in partnership with Jean-Michel Cousteau and his Ocean Futures Society, launched its Ambassadors of the Environment Program, which is destined to be a hit with both hotel guests and the public, adults and children. Cousteau-trained naturalists lead several activities each week that explore our area’s diverse ecosystems. Along the way, they explain how we can live more environmentally sustainable lives.
For the overnight launch event, media and a few hotel guests experienced this fascinating new program and enjoyed the luxury and pampered service typical of Ritz-Carlton properties. At the welcoming reception in the Ambassadors of the Environment Center in the hotel’s main building, General Manager Roberto van Geenen greeted us and shared his excitement for the program, which allows hotel guests and members of the local community to have fun, learn, and look after the planet all at the same time.
Ocean Futures Society Director of Science and Education Richard Murphy related how he has been working around the world with Cousteau for 50 years as he explores, asks questions, and shares through film what has been learned. According to Murphy, that desire to inform is at the core of this program. They have created engaging experiences in nature that, according to Murphy, will touch both the heart and the head.