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Smithsonian Affiliated Aquarium of the Bay was the winner of the 2021 California Travel associations Sustainability Award. George Jacob, President and CEO of the Aquarium received the honors at the 38th Award Ceremony held at Paséa Hotel and Spa in Huntington Beach, attended by 350 PAC destinations from across California presided over the Cal Travel President and CEO Barb Newton.

Last year the 2020 CALTRAVEL Summit in Huntington Beach was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.  With positive virus case numbers having slowed state-wide, the 2021 Summit brought together about 300 of California’s “travel and tourism leaders from destination marketing organizations, cities, hotels, attractions, airports, rental car companies, marketing companies, industry associations, universities and other organizations for whom the California travel and tourism industry is important.  With a purpose for advocacy, education and unity, the conference seeks to bring together some of the most compelling voices of travel and tourism for three days of timely insights, issues, discussion, and inspiration-all focused-on solutions to our biggest challenges and ways to capitalize on our biggest opportunities”.

On the last night of the conference, Aquarium of the Bay received one of 9 awards presented. The Sustainability Advocate Award Recognizes a person or organization that has successfully reduced waste, improved recycling, or managed travel impacts in a way that inspires others to improve their own practices.

Home to over 24,000 animals from 200+ species, most native to the San Francisco Bay and California Coast, Aquarium of the Bay operates as a green business with a mission to enable climate action and ocean conservation on global and local scales, through actionable, local change. Education is at the core of the mission as well, as the Aquarium provides free education programs to thousands students of Bay Area school districts each year! Also the only Smithsonian affiliated aquarium in California, the aquarium has had quite an interesting year, as most organizations have, but despite all challenges faced, managed to secure funding through the pandemic, develop brand new programs such as virtual tours, weekly live streams, specialty dive certification programs, creative animal face masks, two books about the future of museums, international consulting work for national aquariums in Norway and Jamaica, and a brand new division called EcoXpeditions, which takes participants to destinations around the world to contribute to hands-on marine conservation work!  This past April, the organization celebrated 40 years of environmental advocacy through The Bay Institute (AOTB sister organization) as well as 25 years of ocean conservation at the Aquarium itself.  President & CEO George Jacob is also currently leading the transformation of the current aging aquarium into the first of its kind Climate and Ocean Conservation Living Museum: The Bay Ecotarium.