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SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL: Which travel businesses are leading the charge?

If there's one person in the industry that's 100 per cent dedicated to travelling responsibly, it's Travel Agent Hollie White who tells us about three of her favourite environmentally-friendly businesses.

If there’s one person in the industry that’s 100 per cent dedicated to travelling responsibly, it’s Travel Agent Hollie White who tells us about three of her favourite environmentally-friendly businesses.

I’m that person who’ll spend more money to make sure my eggs are RSPCA approved. I only adopt shelter pets and I’ve just discovered a hairdresser who donates hair clippings to help mop up oil spills in the ocean. So it looks like I’m changing salons again.

If you’ve read my work before, you’ll know that I’m passionate about responsible travel. But is it easier said than done? How do we make sure we’re supporting the right companies? After all, travel can change our lives and by travelling with the right mentality can we really help change the world?

Luckily, I’ve done the research for you. I could bang on about it for hours, but I’ve limited myself to my three favourite companies – all of which focus on sustainable travel:

 

AIR NEW ZEALAND

Not only are Air New Zealand one of the most innovative and creative airlines of today (we’ve all Googled their hilarious safety videos), but they’re also one of the leading travel companies to promote diversity within the workforce.

The airline is continuously rolling out initiatives that encourage a diverse workforce and has already achieved its goal of 40 per cent of senior management positions being filled by women.

Air New Zealand has also teamed up with LSG Sky Chefs and the Ministry for Primary Industries to create Project Green, in a bid to tackle the overwhelming amount of waste created by the aviation industry. By enabling 40 in-flight products to be reused on future flights, they are expected to divert 150 tonnes of waste from landfill sites annually.

You know those sugar packets you don’t use for your mid-flight cup of coffee? Well, instead of being incinerated and sent to landfills, they’re now being reclassified to be reused on future flights. Sugar anyone?

In the first month of running Project Green across Air New Zealand’s international fleet, 266,000 plastic cups, 480kg of sugar packets and 3.5 tonnes of bottled water were reused. That equates to a whopping 13 tonnes of waste being diverted from our landfills.

 

THE INTREPID GROUP

Made up of Intrepid Travel, Peregrine and Geckos Adventures, the Intrepid Group has launched The Intrepid Foundation. The not-for-profit fund supports non-government organisations whilst empowering travellers to positively impact communities all over the world.

Already having donated $5.6 million to over 100 communities worldwide, the Intrepid Foundation will double any contributions made to ensure twice the impact.

Honestly, just reading about the projects the Intrepid Foundation support is inspiring. From the Amani Children’s home in Tanzania to Animal Care in Egypt (ACE), the Intrepid Travel Group is all about empowering others, understanding the deeper issues within these communities and maintaining the trust and integrity placed on them by these partner projects.

If you’ve read some of my other work, you’ll know that one of my biggest regrets is participating in Elephant Rides throughout Thailand.  So, it’s not surprising that one project particularly close to my heart is the Friend of the Asian Elephant Project.

Having already raised close to $138,000 since 2004 to the cause, the FAE was established to protect and conserve the welfare of Elephants by providing free medical care for sick and injured elephants, as well as education for their keepers.

And my absolute favourite part of this wicked company? They are one of 160 travel companies who no longer support or offer Elephant rides on their tours.

 

THE FLIGHT CENTRE FOUNDATION

Okay, so maybe I’m biased because I work for this amazing company, but the Flight Centre Foundation is our way of harnessing the collective good of all involved to give back to the communities where we work, live and travel.

Based in Australia, the Foundation is committed to giving back to the communities in countries such as New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, the USA and Canada, and also supporting loads of charities here at home.

By launching programs such as Work Place Giving, 30 per cent of Flight Centre’s Australian employees contribute to the foundation – which is then matched by Flight Centre. This allows us to make annual commitments to our charity partners such as Food Bank, RedKite and Youngcare.

Not stopping at Workplace giving, in October 2017, 500 Flight Centre employees came together to set a record for the most food relief hampers to be packed in a single day. And guess what, they did it!

By the employees, clients and suppliers all banding together to purchase enough food, they were able to pack 10,000 hampers for Foodbank, all in the name of helping Australians in need.

You can read more stories from Hollie White at Across the Universe Blog or find her on Instagram.

 

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Which of your favourite travel businesses is leading the charge in sustainable travel?