“This is not your typical travel book,” writes editor Simeon Ventura Jr. in his introduction to the book. “I think what sets this book apart is that we made a conscious effort to present different aspects of sustainable tourism, hoping that it encourages and inspires.” While the book’s first edition published in 2018 explores the Philippines’ hottest destinations in true bucket list fashion, the new book focuses on personal stories from the islands of the guardians of culture and the environment. Pure Oceans Philippines combats plastic pollution by organizing ocean cleanups and by implementing waste management systems in tourist towns. Project CURMA (Coastal Underwater Resource Management Action) organizes volunteers to help patrol the beach in San Juan, La Union to secure turtle nests and eventually help to safely release the hatchlings back into the ocean.

Del Mundo, I. A. Q. (2020, February 9). Bucket list Philippines goes sustainable. The Philippine Star, p. C8.