TAKE ONLY PHOTOS, LEAVE ONLY FOOTPRINTS
Responsible and sustainable tourism is not just a checkbox for us; it's a way of life. While we may not have broadcasted it loudly in the past, it has always been an integral part of our ethos. We understand the weight of responsibility that comes with the spotlight on our industry, both as individuals and as a company. From the start of our journey, we have been conscientiously engaging with local operators in the communities we explore, ensuring our presence contributes positively to their communities and economies.
The battle against single-use plastic has been a continuous effort during our global challenges. Our commitment also extends to financial contributions supporting various causes and projects that have a positive social impact on the destinations we touch around the globe. As responsible tourism advocates, our initiatives go beyond the conventional, focusing on eco-friendly adventures, sustainable and ethical travel practices and community engagement. Our pledge to safeguard the planet and its people is not merely a trend but an enduring mission.
In the face of increasing urgency towards a more sustainable and ethical travel experience, we firmly believe that taking tangible steps forward, however small, is far more impactful than standing still. We acknowledge the scepticism surrounding companies claiming to be "greener" than their competitors. We, too, raise our eyebrows when such claims land in our inbox! Instead of making bold promises for marketing purposes, we focus on embodying our core principles. Our commitment to responsible tourism practices is demonstrated through our actions, not just our words. We understand that it's an ongoing journey, and we are dedicated to evolving responsibly, doing our very best every step of the way.
30 Acres Protected with World Land Trust
We are pleased to announce our support of World Land Trust’s Buy and Acre programme that works with local partners around the world to safeguard and connect habitat for wildlife. And to represent 30 years of DA we’ve protected 30 acres of land and it’s inhabitants for generations to come.
World Land Trust (WLT) is an international conservation charity that protects some of the most biologically significant and threatened habitats on Earth. Working with a network of partner organisations around the world, WLT funds conservation actions that benefit wildlife and local communities while also combatting climate change.
The Buy an acre programme has been pioneering land purchase initiative for over three decades, with projects chosen in areas of maximum biodiversity, where overseas conservation partners can purchase land which is facing threats such as deforestation, urbanisation and agriculture. Preserving these strongholds for biodiversity, acre by acre, is the most impactful way we can protect habitats and life they support.
Current Projects
Nepal Rebuild
Following the 2015 Nepal earthquake, DA participants have collectively raised £9,786 to support a community rebuild project in the Langtang region. Notably, these funds are significantly contributing to the reconstruction endeavours at Shree Bhairavi Higher Secondary School and more specifically the associated Hearing-Impaired Children’s Home (HICH) in Nuwakot.
HICH serves as a residential facility for children with hearing impairments. The earthquake-induced damage to the home made the building unsafe and so necessitated the total relocation of these children. The only viable option was for them to move into part of the school building, itself partially damaged by the quake. With 2 of the 17 rooms unusable due to the quake damage and others now taken over as temporary accommodation for the hearing-impaired children, the facilities and resources at the school, which educate around 430 students from the surrounding areas, has been severely impacted!
Reconstructing HICH using allocated funds will not only establish a secure residential space again for these children but will also enable the currently occupied school rooms to be converted back into functional classrooms and thus relieving the pressure on the wider community.
It had initially been hoped that the home could be repaired and strengthened but on further consideration it was decided that a full rebuild would provide the best long-term solution. Considerable progress has been achieved by demolishing the damaged Children’s Home and initiating the groundworks for a new building. The construction aims for completion by March/April 2024, with hopes that the children can move back in around May 2024. The newly built facility will have the capacity to accommodate up to 20 children and the accompanying images give an illustration of what it will look like once completed.
DA Office
We wanted to start our sustainability pledge at home, and in the winter of 2018, work was competed on our brand-new DA office situated several miles outside of Salisbury. Our trusty office at Throope Down House had served us well for over 15 years, but we knew we wanted an office that represented our eco-consciousness. The new modern building contains four separate offices which are light, airy and built to the highest standards of energy efficiency.
Even though 100% of our electricity has always been generated from renewable energy, this year we decided to go one step further and install solar panels. In December we installed 69 Trina Vertex Solar Panels on to the roof, which are currently generating between 25%-33% of the building’s annual electricity and during the Spring and Summer months will generate 100%.
The heating in the office is generated by our two Air Source Heat Pumps. They run on electricity from the Grid which is entirely from renewables and from electricity generated by our solar panels installed on the office roof.
Training Tanzanian Guides
Since 2018 we’ve funded 5 places at the Udzungwa Mountain College Trust for Tanzanian Porters on our Kilimanjaro Trek to receive a recognised qualification in Tour Guiding and Wildlife Management. Based on recommendations from our local partner in Tanzania, we choose porters who show dedication, eagerness and promise. A Tour Guiding and Wildlife Management qualification enables students to gain respected and regular emolyment and help them to contribute actively to sustainable tourism within their country. The Udzungwa Mountain College Trust is supported by local tour companies, and actively promotes eco-tourism and conservation. The most recent guides we're currently funding are Aamos and Joachim (Aamos second from left & Joachim second from right in image above) and we are looking to fund two more places in 2024.
“[ …] we have the great pleasure to write you email sharing our happiness from our heart that are attributed with the support of learning we get it from you, we want to let you know we are doing very well with our studies and we have to attend college all days […]”
With the support of our clients and participants, we’d like to provide training for many more young guides to gain this qualification in the future.
Water-to-Go
Protect their customers' health by offering safe, clean water anywhere in the world, and protect our planet by providing an environmentally friendly, reusable alternative to single-use plastic water bottles.
"Our technology is simple and easy to use, and with the correct distribution, we can help counter the impact on some of the world's most horrific water-borne diseases. While fulfilling this aim, we can help minimise the damage done to the environment from single-use plastic bottles."
Water-to-Go works with organisations, like us, that share their aims, and together they want us to change the world, one bottle, one person at a time. We're continuing to aim to reduce our plastic footprint, and we even get a little donation boost to our projects with every bottle purchased using the DA code. Water-to-Go bottles ensure our clients travel responsibly and enjoy their adventure without the need for single-use plastic.
If you are interested and would like to purchase a bottle, use this link: https://watertogo.eu/partnerships/discoveradventure/
Don't forget to use your Discover Aventure discount code DA15.
WE DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY
We understand that we’re in the midst of a climate emergency, and with the tourism industry responsible for 8% of overall green-house gas emissions we know that we’re part of the problem – but we can also be part of the solution.
In 2020 we joined a global community of travel companies working together to create a more sustainable industry, by signing Tourism Declares a Climate Emergency. We have now developed our climate action plan which aims to outline where we can make changes within our organisation to reduce our carbon footprint.
Our climate action plan is divided into four parts; measure, decarbonise, regenerate and collaborate.
We are at the very beginning of our carbon journey, and understand we’ve got a long way to go. This is a work in progress, but we aim to communicate about our journey openly and transparently as we continue to adapt so that we are never misleading.
Measure
Over the last few months, we’ve been busy collecting all the relevant data we’ve needed to measure our carbon footprint for 2023. This has meant calculating the carbon generated on every one of our trips as well as the operational activities of running DA in the UK.
Using data provided from DEFRA, and other trusted sources, we have calculated our scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions which include:
- Energy required to run the office
- Company owned vehicle
- Staff business travel
- Trips (includes flights, transfers, hotels, staff and meals)
- Commuting
The SCB GHG accountants have verified our data collected for 2023. Our full carbon report provides more detailed information regarding our methodology and results (this can be shared upon request).
We plan to measure our carbon emissions year after year to work towards meaningful targets and to reduce carbon emissions through tailoring our operations. Alongside this, we’ll mitigate our unavoidable emissions through offsetting. We expect our methodology to become more accurate with every year we go through this process.
Looking forward, we want to share more information on the carbon emissions generated by each trip, allowing our customers to make informed decisions about their travel plans.
Decarbonise
Reduce
We understand that measuring our carbon emissions is the first step, but for meaningful climate change we must adapt our operation to reduce our carbon footprint.
We wish to set and deliver targets that are aligned with climate science to accelerate tourism’s decarbonisation. Many organisations are working towards halving their 2018/2019 emissions by 2030, as per the IPCC targets to keep global temperatures from rising 1.5o C above pre-industrial levels. Due to COVID-19, our operations have greatly reduced since 2019. We calculated that our total emissions have reduced by approximately 50%, from 3,293 tonnes of carbon emitted in 2019 to 1,635 in 2023.
Although we are offsetting all of our emissions (including flights) from 2024 onwards, we understand reducing our emissions is the main aim. That is why we are looking to reduce our tour emissions every year. We are not including the emissions generated through flying, as this is an area we have little control over. We do, however, want to be part of lobbying to put pressure on the aviation industry to make flying a more sustainable form of travel.
Over 89% of our total carbon emissions are generated through the flights, so we feel confident that our tour emissions are low. This is due to the fact that our trips are centred around cycling or walking from one destination to the next, and so in-country transport is minimal. We usually stay in small, family-run accommodation, or refuges, tea-houses and camping, all in nature low carbon generators. In many places we visit, vegetarian food is at the heart of the cuisine, with only a small amount of meat compared to Western standards. Having said this, we understand that we are still able to reduce carbon from these aspects of our operations and look to do so.
As well as further afield, we wanted to start our sustainability pledge at home, and reduce our carbon emissions from our UK operations. Even though 100% of our electricity used at DA HQ is generated from renewable energy, we decided we could go one step further and install solar panels. In December 2023, we installed 69 solar panels onto the roof, which during the winter months generate between 25-33% of the building's annual electricity and we predict that during the Spring and Summer months will generate 100%.
Mitigate
We are aware that a proportion of our emissions are unavoidable, and so where we are not able to reduce, we plan to offset all of our emissions from 2024 onwards. We have already offset 400 tonnes of carbon this year (2024) and will offset the remainder at the end of the year. This will include everything, from our UK operations to our trips, including the transport, accommodation and food, as well as the biggest emitter, the flight. We are working with SCB to fund projects which remove carbon from the atmosphere. For more information on our offsetting strategy and the projects we’re supporting, read here.
Regenerate
Alongside our commitment to measuring and decarbonising, we also know the importance of protecting the world around us. We recognise that climate change and biodiversity are inextricably linked and need to be combatted together. We align with the belief that conserving, managing and restoring eco-systems is the most effective way of tackling climate change. We’ve always understood the importance of looking after the places that we visit on our trips, but we know we need to take more positive action to restore nature.
That’s why we are proud to join World Land Trust as a Corporate Partner, working together to ensure the protection of tropical forest habitat for all the wildlife that depends on it and taking action against climate change. For more information about the work of WLT, read here.
Collaborate
We are only too aware that the climate crisis can’t be tackled alone, and the success of the industry lies in our ability to collaborate. We need to be able to share our resources to guide each other in the right direction. We are always open to discuss our strategy, and any feedback is welcomed (contact info@discoveradventure.com). We also want to make our findings accessible to those who are starting their carbon journey. We know that it can be an overwhelming process to begin, and want to be able to share our learnings.
30 Years of Sustainability
Some of the key sustainability milestones in our 30 year history