REID's BIO:Reid Ridgway escaped to Thailand in 2001, where he enjoyed following his twin dreams of teaching scuba diving and freelance journalism after years of successfully branding and marketing in the computer business (with a client list that read like a Who’s Who of Silicon Valley). Then one bright morning in late December 2004, Reid’s life changed dramatically as he witnessed the Tsunami Wave sweep locals and tourists into the sea, some of whom he knew. Reid’s happy-go-lucky attitude evaporated and he was compelled to “Do Something”. Singlehandedly raising hundreds of thousands of dollars, Reid established the ETC to provide practical and leadership training in scuba diving instruction to orphans - some of whom had lost both parents to the wave.
Damage from the 2004 Tsunami wave was incalculable.
ETC’s work began with Tsunami survivors.
Can dive tourism really help reduce poverty, and protect the world's coral reefs at the same time? This is the question that is being asked by the Ecotourism Training Center. ETC began training local Thai people in the wake of the 2004 Asian Tsunami which swept away homes, livelihoods, and perhaps thousands of people.
The ETC began working giving free vocational training to orphans who lost both parents to the sea, giving them the tools to help themselves in the sea that took nearly everything from them, and as a result: hope. Today those first graduates of ETC hold excellent jobs in the S. Thailand dive industry.
The ETC gives candidates professional training in the 5 categories of:
- Emergency Medical training
- Undersea safety
- Professional guiding credentials
- Divemaster
- Instructor.
……..all through PADI certification
They also teach English, reading, writing, and speaking, as well as computer literacy and several elective specialty skills such as video or photographic production or technical services to repair and maintain scuba equipment to industry standards.
While BBC, Discovery Channel, International and National Newspapers, Radio, and hundreds of online travel sites, blogs, trade journals and magazines have made ETC famous as a most effective and admired grass roots relief projects in the aftermath of the world largest natural disaster, the ETC has had to fight for its very existence every step of the way. It is an expensive endeavor, and not typical of many low budget relief project that teach simple handicrafts or skills.
Training in the pool and in the Andaman Sea
ETC has to take things to the next level and provide its own funding or the program will perish. Founder and Managing Director, Reid Ridgway, is on a quest to make that happen. "ETC is launching a commercial counterpart that will offer dive tourists the chance to dive with its graduates and experience the first class diving that Thailand has to offer, in some of the most spectacular and coveted dive sites in the world. They could go with any number of other companies, but if they choose to go with us, the profit goes to support the social and environmental mission objectives of the ETC"
The new commercial enterprise will be called SMART or Sustainable Marine Adventures & Responsible Tourism. The idea has turned into a business plan, and the business plan won a prestigious worldwide academic honor at the Global Social Venture Competition stemming out of the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. Now Reid is busy setting up the company that will hopefully be the answer to sustainability for a remarkable program.
Furthermore many other South East Asian Governments are showing keen interest in becoming expansion sites for the SMART/ETC program.
And why not?
The program not only alleviates poverty and gives local tsunami victims and other hard-done-by folks a professional career, it also builds skills and education for marine conservation in the local population: something that the world's body of researchers agree is the only way to reverse the alarming destruction of the world's coral reefs.
A recent study on the coral reefs suggests that 80% of the world's coral reefs are at risk. One third of the worlds coral lies in South East Asia. It has become clear that marine conservation efforts are only successful if they are performed by and supported by the local population. Conservation success comes down to a myriad of local
decisions. The ETC has provided all of its training in a conservation framework, taking on numerous projects, clean-ups, studies, and educational outreach missions to align itself with the prescriptions for effective marine conservation.
It is for all these reasons that North by North East is interested in working with the ETC to help create a sustainable future for the organization. If you're a diver, and have our values, come with North by North East to dive in Thailand. You’ll be diving with ETC and you will answer for yourself the question: Can dive tourism really help reduce poverty and protect the world's coral reefs at the same time?
Yes it can. With your support.
To find out more contact us, or you can visit the ETC website at
www.etcth.org
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