At the Two Oceans Aquarium, we take sustainable management seriously. Doing our best to raise awareness of ecological issues, we recently signed the Cancun Communiqué. Beyond signing declarations that may or may not have a real effect on how other businesses incorporate environmentally sustainable management, we have some very real, eco-friendly mechanisms in place at our Aquarium to ensure our ecological footprint is as friendly as possible.

In 2010, we scored big heritage points. Our third annual Heritage audit, conducted by independent consultants from the Heritage Environmental Rating Programme, took place in August. The purpose of this audit is to measure and reduce the impact of our operations on the environment, and everything from purchasing and procurement practices to community involvement is considered. Our overall score increased from 75% in 2009 to 86% in 2010.

We’re also deeply invested in the annual Coastal Clean-up Day. In support of International Coastal Cleanup Day on 28 September, Aquarium staff and volunteers cleaned up Zandvlei Estuary and Muizenberg Beach. Read more about the day here.

The Aquarium introduced a range of power-saving measures, including LED lighting in its ablution facilities and a solar geyser for the upstairs showers. We also got serious about waste recycling, buying colour-coded bins and even recycling some of its old computers.

Next time you buy bottled water from Shoreline Café at the Aquarium, you can drink easy in the knowledge that the bottle you’re sipping from is made from 100% renewable plant material. Working closely with Discovery Water, Shoreline Café is the first – and only – outlet in South Africa to sell water in these amazing bottles, which take approximately 80 days to degrade in an industrial composter.

Shoreline Café is also the first African restaurant to pursue Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. This is in an effort to walk the sustainable-seafood talk, a cause that is close to our hearts. We’ve also hosted a special preview of the hard-hitting seafood documentary The End of the Line and regularly blog about the SASSI pocket seafood guide, making sure fans of the Aquarium have the latest information on what is and is not a good seafood choice.

Click here to read more about going green.