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For many of us, travelling is about enjoyment, recreation and freedom from structures and regulations. Holidays take us to very special places, but our enjoyment brings with it a responsibility; we need to be aware of the affect our actions have on our fragile environment, not just during travel, but also at the office and at home.
Therefore, we at Touching Nature Travel have taken the following measures to minimise our impact on the environment:
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Aside from the tour pack, we send all our client information by email rather than by post. Even our fax is online. Furthermore, all the information that would traditionally appear in a paper brochure is on our website - it’s kinder to the environment, saves on trees, pollution and energy. |
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How environmentally friendly is our office? We recycle as much as possible (paper, printer cartridges, glass, batteries, cardboard, plastics, aluminium etc.), and we use scrap paper for printing internal documents and taking messages. |
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Printers, monitors and lights are turned off each night and, if possible, we shut down PCs fully. |
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A dilemma for us is the negative impact on the environment from aeroplane and car emissions, however, it is difficult to travel and explore our wonderful world without cars and planes. As a result, we are now working with Sustainable Travel International to offset the CO2 emissions for all our staff travel. |
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We review all of our activities, operations and procedures on an ongoing basis to identify, quantify and evaluate their environmental impact and set priorities for addressing these. |
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We endeavour to make green choices in our purchasing and help our suppliers change practises. |
Responsible Travel
What makes Touching Nature Travel so unique is the relatively unspoilt regions that we visit. Depopulation in some of these areas has been a problem for decades, especially in areas like Germany's Bavarian Forest and Swiss Saxony, but with the sensitive organisation of activity holidays this will hopefully change.
Our winter holidays are based in the lesser-known regions of Austria, Germany, Switzerland, South Tyrol and the Dolomites; they benefit from lifts and downhill runs that are sensitive to their surroundings. We also actively encourage winter walking, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing as these activities require no lifts and are more eco-friendly.
Touching Nature Travel takes an active interest in responsible travel issues and regularly reviews its Policy to incorporate new schemes and new thinking in the industry.
Carbon Offsetting
Touching Nature Travel is a member of Sustainable Travel International, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing education and outreach services that help travellers, travel providers and related organisations support environmental conservation and protect cultural heritage, while promoting cross-cultural understanding and economic development. To find out more about Sustainable Travel International and their projects please visit their website.
Take action…
Touching Nature Travel is keen to encourage responsible travel so we can all continue to enjoy the wonders of the natural world. For this reason we have compiled a Travel with Care Policy, which we hope our clients will follow:
Walk in each other’s footsteps: stick to the paths and avoid making your own mark on the fragile landscape. The slightest deviation from the paths can cause irreparable damage to the landscape and ruin the experience for others in the future. Don't side-step a muddy puddle, get your money's worth from those expensive walking boots!
Small is beautiful: walking in small groups rather than larger ones helps keep the landscape beautiful. The fewer the people, the less the damage, and smaller groups are easier to manage. Paths have more time to repair themselves if only a small amount of feet trample them at a time.
Litter: always a sticky subject; the best solution is to assume there will be nowhere to put litter and you may be carrying it around all day with you, so ensure you have a plastic bag to carry all waste in until you return to your hotel. Even biodegradable materials, such as food scraps take a long time to break down, and encourages scavengers.
On the subject of human waste; never miss a chance to use the toilet. If you must go outdoors, dig a hole 5 inches deep (10-12 cm) and at least 25 metres from any trails or water. This encourages decomposition and eliminates the likelihood of any unfortunate encounters for other walkers. Cover the hole and take any paper home with you.
Flora and fauna: you are visiting the home of the native plants and animals, so treat it as you would anyone else's home. Try to be aware of where you put your feet; take your litter home; try to keep the noise to a minimum, the animals aren't used to noise and it will frighten them; do not try to take an animal or flower home as a souvenir – that's what the camera is designed for.
Look but don't touch: historical artefacts, preserved architecture and protected landscapes are to be enjoyed by all, so leave everything as you found it so that the next visitors may benefit from the same viewing pleasure that you had.
Social influence: using locally-sourced and -run amenities helps support the communities that you visit and allows them to maintain their unique and unspoilt traditions. This, in turn, will make your stay that much more special and you will also benefit from local wisdom and learn more about the area. Our trade supports jobs in the local village or town – Touching Nature aims to use inns and hotels that are family-owned and run.
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