The planet is in crisis: from climate change to pollution, as well as the devastation of our biodiversity. It’s up to all of us to fix it. At Adventure Tours UK we are take this seriously and are committed to reducing our carbon footprint through low carbon holidays.
Transparent carbon labelling
You deserve to know everything about your trip, from what is included, where you go and every gram of CO2 emitted along the way. That is why every small group adventure we run has a carbon label to share the total carbon footprint per customer.
Why carbon matters
A 1.5°C increase in global temperatures will lead to a global shift in our weather patterns and biodiversity. This, in turn, will negatively impact us all, from what we eat to what we do. The frightening thing is that we are on course for a 3°C increase. This is a global crisis that requires all of us to act immediately.
How adventure travel can play its part
Most travel companies are not as sustainable as they would like to think. Many businesses talk the talk but don’t walk the walk. The inconvenient truth is that flying creates a lot of carbon emissions, natural sights are struggling from over-tourism and people are not actually feeling refreshed when they come home. We believe in change.
Understand your impact
Our outdoor, local and often human-powered adventures are always going to have a low carbon footprint. This is something worth shouting about and we believe it is the future of travel. If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we need to rebuild better. For travel that means celebrating the amazing adventures we have here in the UK (and we have some pretty amazing adventures) through our range of sustainable low carbon holidays.
Every adventure on this website now has a carbon label, so you can clearly see your impact when you choose your trip. We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how low carbon your adventure holiday is!
Aiming for zero carbon adventures
It is not enough just to pat ourselves on the back for our low footprint, the aim is to reach zero. That’s why we are working with our suppliers and ecollective to measure and reduce our carbon footprint. By making small but effective changes, we believe that we can reduce the carbon emitted per customer year on year.
We are on track with our goal to reduce our average trip carbon footprint of 15kg CO2e per person per day (as measured in December 2020) by at least 5% each year.
How we compare
Our adventures average at just 15kg CO2e per person per day and no trip exceeds 19kg CO2e per person per day. But we recognise those numbers don’t mean much on their own, so lets see how they compares with other activities you may be familiar with:
- The average UK person per day: 22-28kg CO2e
- Driving 20 miles in the car: 5.6kg CO2e
- A typical Dubai hotel room for the night: 99kg CO2e
- An economy ticket from London to Ibiza: 206kg CO2e
- An economy ticket from London to Vietnam: 1,352kg CO2e
- A business ticket from London to Vietnam: 3,922kg CO2e
How do we know we have low carbon holidays?
In 2020 we partnered with ecollective to help us measure and improve our carbon footprint. Calculating your own carbon footprint can be a little complex as almost everything in our day to day lives has some sort of impact. Our calculation system is not perfect, but it is highly accurate and allows us to see where we can improve.
For this project, we followed the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol). We have worked closely with our partners to gain accurate data on their own operations to include in our calculations. And where that data is not available, we have applied emission factors provided by DEFRA.
To keep ourselves accountable and open to criticism, we are happy to share our workings. Just email us or ecollective to find out more.
Tree planting for climate change
We don’t believe that carbon offsetting is a solution – ultimately we must all reduce our carbon emissions if we are to halt the climate crisis. However, we do believe that mitigating the carbon emissions we haven’t yet managed to remove is a positive step to take.
That’s why we have committed to plant one tree for every traveller on our small group adventures and tailor-made activity holidays. And because we’ve done our carbon measurements, we know that one tree exceeds what is needed to offset the emissions of your low carbon adventure holiday.
Our tree planting commitment is designed to do more than just offset carbon. It’s a whole biodiversity project in itself. Find out more about our Ty’n-Y-Pistyll Woodland initiative and how you can get involved.
The future of travel
We have a vision for the future. It’s about getting outside, inhaling fresh mountain air, exploring the UK’s incredible wild spaces and experiencing a life-changing adventure. We have amazing low carbon holidays right here in the UK, that don’t come at a cost to the planet.
You can read more about our Responsible Travel Policy and Climate Emergency Plan here.
Who are ecollective?
A team of self-confessed carbon geeks, ecollective are committed to helping businesses fight the climate crisis. They do this by making it as simple as possible to measure carbon performance today and providing tools to improve it tomorrow. By finding sustainable solutions that benefit the business, the customer and the planet, they create positive change, that is quantifiable.
If you would like to find out more, email the ecollective team.
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