Introducing our Impact Diaries. As a company, and as individuals, we’ve battled long and hard with the dilemma of living and working in the travel industry while simultaneously being highly concerned by the state of our environment.
So what can we do? We won’t stop selling trips altogether as we believe this is a powerful tool to show people the beauty of our environments. Instead we’re determined to make sure our trips make a positive impact. Sounds like empty words right? Here’s what it means.
Starting from this month, we have committed ourselves to benefiting environmental causes we think are important in helping to fight climate change. Namely supporting tree planting operations and reducing our Co2 footprint. Each month we will summarise what kind of impact we have made and where that impact has been felt. We hope this will a) keep us accountable and b) inspire you to do the same.
January 2021
Causes contributed to:
Preserving the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor in Guatemala
This project seeks to address the issue of deforestation in Guatemala on a local level. This initiative will have positive climate, community and biodiversity impacts in the project zone. The project reduces CO2 emissions by preventing deforestation caused by the conversion of forests into cropland. The project prevents deforestation by addressing the drivers of deforestation in the project area through effective law enforcement, land-use planning, education, economic opportunities, and sustainable agroforestry initiative.
Since the project’s inception, local communities have been actively participating in the project’s formulation and implementation. The early involvement of participating communities has created awareness among community members and readiness for project implementation.
This project is monitored and certified by Verified Carbon Standard
Providing clean energy through hydropower in Kanungu, Uganda
Situated in the Kanungu District in western Uganda sits The Ishasha Small Hydropower Project which supports a 6.5 MW small hydropower station located on the Ishasha River. This project is estimated to provide 29.404 GWh annually and will provide clean energy to Uganda energy grid.
Kanungu historically has been an impoverished district with a population of 205,095, often experiencing power outages which disrupt all means of living on a daily basis. Energy poverty is one of the most significant economic challenges facing Africa today. Inadequate and infrequent access to electricity is common to this region. This lack of access to consistent energy constricts the communities potential to develop and live healthy lives. A lack of electricity negatively affects both economic growth and poverty reduction. Without a modern source of energy medicine and food cannot be refrigerated, industries cannot efficiently grow, and children cannot study at night or access quality learning resources.
The funding of this project directly prevents the equivalent of 19,027 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere every year. This project is monitored and certified by Verified Carbon Standard.
Summary
We are a small company (for now!) and we aren’t experts in this field, but we want to learn and improve our knowledge as we move forwards. The key for us is to be honest and transparent about the work we are trying to do. We will make mistakes no doubt, but we hope to find and engage with work that will have a strong impact. We’re open to suggestions, recommendations, and conversations along the way. Don’t hold back in telling us if you feel something isn’t quite right. Let’s move forward and make an impact together.