Project Azul Verde Helps Communities Build Sustainability

Deby Stabler, Owner of Project Azul Verde and member of our Colorado Travel Massive chapter, helps spark positive global change to advance sustainability and decrease negative impacts.  Imagine a vacation that improves the destination you are visiting. At Project Azul Verde, skills and passion synergize to help build communities through responsible business, recreation, and tourism.

Inspired? We were too, which is why we’ve asked Deby a few questions to learn more about the project.

What is your initiative about? 

My mission is to protect the places we love to death. I’m drawn to the intersections of air, land, and water as are millions of people who live and recreate in mountain, riparian, and coastal areas; hence the creation of Project Azul Verde. While I live in and enjoy Colorado, many of my activities involve protecting the awe-inspiring ocean as it is one of my favorite places to travel to.

As a sustainability consultant focusing on responsible tourism, Project Azul Verde helps communities and businesses capture that sweet spot of sustainability: to do good AND be successful.

Celebrating the first member of the Blue Certified community with an amazing client and sustainability leader, Ocean First Institute.

Can you share an inspiring story when you felt your project was most fulfilling?

The Sustainability Shark! It’s not easy communicating the advantages of sustainability when we (understandably) focus on the bottom line. I’ve put the message in various ways, but the Sustainability Shark graphic really captures the business case for responsible tourism. The image was created for a trade show where I helped a client launch Blue Certified, an eco-certification for scuba diving. It really resonates with those looking for the business case, which is a persistent issue.

Customers seek businesses that can demonstrate they operate sustainably and that are doing the right thing. These are valuable customers that pay more for quality, stay longer, and come back again.  The Sustainability Shark conveys the message to seize the opportunity to be a sustainability leader and has the statistics to back it up.  Your sustainability story (and effort) is something customers want to understand—it influences who they buy from and where they travel.

The Sustainability Shark

What do you hope your initiative will accomplish in the next 2-5 years?

Sustainability is entering a new era. My goal is to help more organizations and more communities move beyond one-off projects to actually systematizing sustainability, from planning and training through to communication and marketing, while monitoring progress and embracing the spirit of continual improvement. It is only via a systems-based approach that we can move towards net positive—where tourism is a force for good.  

If you are looking for a partner in responsible travel, please connect with me and let’s get to work!

With an integrated sustainability management system, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

What benefits have you seen from being a part of Travel Massive events and community?

I was invited to my first Travel Massive function while attending a Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) event in D.C. After discussing sustainable tourism best practices with other industry experts all day, it was great to network with the people that are making it happen. Travel Massive provides an integral part to protecting the places we love—because improving the way we live, travel, recreate, and do business takes a community with massive passion.

Protecting the places we love in Colorado by removing invasive vegetation.

Purposeful Traveler is a series that profiles inspiring people or projects making a purposeful change to the way we travel. You can connect with Deby and Project Azul Verde on Travel Massive.