We have only one Earth. While it’s exciting to explore every corner, it’s important to preserve as many of her wonders as we can for future generations. Working with partners committed to sustainability and leaving things better than they found them is something that sets us apart. These suppliers make us comfortable sending our travellers across the globe. In honour of Earth Day, our first Supplier Spotlight looks at some of the initiatives a few of our preferred partners have created.
Natural Habitat Adventures
Natural Habitat Adventures became the world’s first carbon-neutral travel company in 2007. Since then, NatHab has offset more than 34 million pounds of carbon emissions. Partnering with the World Wildlife Fund, Sustainable Travel International, and The International Ecotourism Society – among other conservation-driven institutions – Natural Habitat is always looking for ways to improve in its stewardship of the natural world. All of the company’s tours are carbon-neutral by design. And this Earth Day, they announced they are offsetting ALL their guests carbon footprint for 2019, even retroactively.
What can you do with NatHab? How about see polar bears in Churchill, Canada, or visit with the giant tortoises in the Galapaganian highlands.
Big Five Tours & Expeditions
At its founding in the 1970s, Big Five helped establish a code of ethics for Kenyan national park tour operators. Early steps included prohibiting smoking and training guides to respect wildlife in its natural settings. These have led to involvement in projects such as Tough Tigers, committed to preserving the fragile tiger population in South Asia, and a women’s co-op in Andean Peru. “Giving the villages a reason for you being there, that’s sustainable tourism,” says Big Five president Ashish Sanghrajka.
Big Five also spearheaded development of galapagos.com, safaritours.com, and the forthcoming visibleasia.com websites. These rank destinations in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia in terms of sustainability. They also hold Kids Councils, where young children can discuss how to make our world – and our travels – better.
Lindblad Expeditions
Lindblad Expeditions partners with both National Geographic and Natural Habitat, making this trio unstoppable in the eco-tourism field. They also support RED Turismo Sustentable, a Mexican nonprofit that combines ecotourism and sustainability to strengthen communities and their economies. Thanks in part to the LEX-NG Fund, Cabo Pulmo – in Baja California Sur – switched its main economic engine from fishing to marine tourism. Lindblad has also played a role in preserving the Isla Rasa in the Gulf of California, an island that is home to about a million birds during nesting season and supports long-term ecological monitoring in the gulf. Lindblad offers guests the chance to experience eco-tourism from those who pioneered it.
Among Lindblad’s portfolio are Antarctic and Arctic voyages, cruises in Alaska’s Inside Passage, and Galapagos expeditions. They also offer culturally significant cruises in the Mediterranean, and on the Mekong and Nile Rivers.
Abercrombie & Kent
A&K partnered with LifeStraw to bring high-volume water purifiers to schools throughout Kenya’s Masai Mara, protecting more than 7,000 children against waterborne illnesses. Guests on Kenyan safaris have the opportunity to visit one of the Safe Water for Schools communities.
This is just one of more than 40 philanthropic projects A&K is involved in across all seven continents. They embrace protecting cultural heritage, environmentally sensitive operations, and fair wages for local employees. “Whenever someone decides to travel with A&K, they’re helping people, cultures, and economies around the world prosper in sustainable ways,” A&K vice chairman Jorie Butler Kent said.
Micato Safaris
For every safari Micato sells, a child goes to school. The company pays school fees for a child from Nairobi’s Mukuru slum all the way through high school through its AmericaShare program. And you can get involved too. On six of its classic safaris and all bespoke safaris, Micato offers travellers the chance to spend an extra day in Nairobi visiting one of the AmericaShare projects, be it visiting the “mamas” who care for the slum’s children, planting a tree, serving a meal, or just talking with teenagers about career possibilities. Micato and the Pinto family are committed to protecting Africa so future generations can experience the wild beauty and majesty of the land they call home. Talk about making a difference.
“If you’re not giving back,” Lindblad’s vice president of North America sales Lesa Bain said, “you shouldn’t be going.” We couldn’t agree more. (And, while we’re sharing this on Earth Day, this really applies all year long.)
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thank you!